Site icon Michael Boezi

Making Consumers Out of Citizens


Buy this song: I will donate 100% of the proceeds to the ACLU.

A little empathy goes a long way. Everyone feels out of sorts at times, so each of us has the capacity to relate to one another. This routinely breaks down in random encounters with strangers. We are quick to blame each other for minor “infractions,” to take offense, or get mad at a person we don’t know.

Even when the “offense” is unintentional, we take it personally. The media doesn’t help, teaching us to be fearful of one another. Training us to mistrust so they can sell our safety back to us. Hence the lyric, “The never-ending stories and depictions of villains and victims push past the lines of reason, making consumers out of citizens.”

But everyone has their own issues that they carry around, something that might be troubling them to the point of distraction. What’s going on inside? What’s weighing on her mind?

The solution? Empathy. Assume that there’s an unknown issue. Treat people with care and compassion. A small kindness can feel large to the receiving party, especially when it’s unexpected.

I wanted to examine this further. What if you could literally see things through my eyes? If you were me, you could understand my issues—and vice versa. We don’t need to listen to the drumbeat of fear—we just need each other.

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Hey Boston folks! Come see me play this song and others this Thursday eve at 8pm at Centre Street Sanctuary in JP. For more details, here’s the event page.


Re-mastered with bonus demo tracks

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