Analysis on Anti Capitalism in the —Clampdown“ Lyric by the Clash A

1 A1A/YSIS 21 A1T, CA3,TA/,SM ,1 THE —C/A03D2:1“ LYRIC BY THE CLASH A THESIS JOURNAL Submitted by: ALIF SETIAWAN NIM. A2B008103 FACULTY OF HUMANITIES DIPONEGORO UNIVERSITY SEMARANG 2013 2 Analysis on Anti Capitalism in the —Clampdown“ Lyric by The Clash By Alif Setiawan Faculty of Humanities Diponegoro University ABSTRACT Kapitalisme merupakan sistem sosial yang diterapkan dalam sebuah Negara untuk mengatur infrastruktur dalam sebuah Negara termasuk masyarakat dan seluruh institusi di dalamnya. Di dalam lirik —Clampdown“ yang ditulis oleh The Clash pada tahun 1979 di London, Untied Kingdom, penulis menemukan adanya indikasi penolakan terhadap sistem sosial yang diterapkan oleh pemerintahan di United Kingdom. Penulis menggunakan pendekatan sosiologi terhadap lirik tersebut guna mendapatkan informasi lebih lanjut terhadap lirik mengingat masalah yang terkandung di dalam lirik merupakan masalah tentang struktur sosial di dalam sebuah Negara. Dengan mengacu pada teori Karl Marx yang menolak kapitalisme sebagai sistem sosial, penulis memanfaatkan hubungan teori tersebut dengan lirik guna mencapai hasil penelitian yang ingin dituju. Dalam melakukan pembelajaran terhadap lirik tersebut, penulis menemukan penolakan yang cukup kuat terhadap kapitalisme yang muncul di Inggris pada masa itu. Adanya perbedaan kelas sosial yang kental di Inggris pada saat itu membuat The Clash menyuarakan suara masyarakat terhadap kondisi yang mereka hadapi. Mengingat pada tahun 70an, masyarakat Inggris sedang mengalami banyak masalah di dalam tubuh Negara. Dimulai dari inflasi yang tinggi serta tingkat pengangguran yang mencapai tingkat tertinggi pada akhir 70an sampai dengan pembatasan pembagian jatah listrik di setiap daerah. Hal tersebut merugikan semua pihak di Inggris pada masa itu. Namun yang paling mendapat tekanan dari keadaan tersebut tentu saja kaum proletar. Kesenjangan social yang terjadi saja sudah cukup mengganggu kententraman hidup mereka sehari-hari. Dengan keadaan seperti itu di Inggris mereka mendapat penderitaan berkali-kali lipat banyaknya setiap hari. Di dalam liriN —Clampdown“ The Clash mengaMaN kaum kelas bawah untuk melakukan revolusi terhadap keadaan di Inggris pada saat itu. Dengan memanfaatkan semangat para pemuda di Inggris mereka mengajak masyarakat untuk melakukan perlawanan terhadap sistem sosial yang berjalan pada saat itu. Mereka juga menunjukkan hal-hal yang dapat dilakukan kaum kapitalisme dalam memanipulasi dan mengeksploitasi masyarakat untuk terus berada di dalam sistem kapitalis. Alienasi yang dilakukan kaum kapitalis terhadap kaum pekerja juga tidak luput dari perhatian The Clash untuk membuat mereka sadar bahwa para pekerja telah diperas waktu dan tenaganya setiap hari karna bekerja untuk kaum kapitalis. A. Background of Study and Sense) states that “poetry might Literature is known as a be defined as a kind of language that particular sort of writing containing says more and says it more intensely literary works and it has been a part than does ordinary language“ (1956: of our life. Laurence Perrine in his 3). book Literature (Structure, Sound 3 People may feel familiar with Literature that —the boundary lines literary works such as prose, poetry between these two division cannot, and play, as those are the kind of of course, be drawn with precision literary works that we usually found. and in much poetry, especially in our Prose is described as a literary work extremely composite modern poetry, that is not in verse. Prose is more like personal and impersonal elements spoken language, such as folklore continually combine“ ( 1913 :125- and legend. Meanwhile, play may be 126). known as a drama played in a stage B. The Clash Biography or in theatre. Stands for one of the The Clash was a punk rock oldest genres in literary history, band from London, England, United poetry is quiet hard to explain to the Kingdom, active from 1976 to 1985. exact language. Hudson in his book As one of the most successful and Án Introduction To The Study of iconic bands from the first wave of Literature quotes some explanations punk in the 1970s, they incorporated of poetry: rock and roll, reggae, rockabilly, and Poetry says Johnson is eventually many other music styles —metrical composition“. ,t is —the art into their repertoire. They were of uniting pleasure with truth by legendary for their uncommonly calling imagination to help of intense stage performances. At first, reason“ and its —essence“ is punk was an ideology that emerged —invention“[...] 3oetry says Shelly, from the lower class youth who felt —in a general sense may be defined as oppressed by the system of the expression of the imagination; it government which made them is, says Hazlitt, —the language of the difficult to get a job to continue their imagination and the passions““ lives. The writer looks up to Bindas (1913: 82-83). in The Future is Unwritten: Meanwhile, the term poetry In 1976, more than one indicates to poet; person who makes million persons were out of work and verse. Poet is also a member of the inflation rate soared above 18 society who shares the same percent; The New Statesman environment just like other people. estimated that 35 percent of those As Warren and Welleck claims in under twenty-five years of age were their book Theory of Literature that unemployed. After graduation at —the poet himself is a member of sixteen, thousands of young people society, possess of a specific social immediately went on he dole, which status, receives some degree of social quickly symbolized the problems in recognition and reward and addresses Britain (1993: 69). an audience, however hypothetical“ While class struggle in the (1949: 89). In poetry, the poet goes capitalist system was in progress of out of himself, mingles with the incessant, a new ideology emerged action and passion in his world and with an attribute that was quite deals with what he discovers in live surprising. Punk itself soon expanded with reference to his own into the music industry during the individuality. As Hudson states in An domination of rock and roll and Introduction to The Study of progressive rock that required skill to 4 create great and comprehended system“ (1985:51). For further music. Punk immediately rejected, at information of what kind of the time, about the music that had to economic system does it related, the put the skill to create music. They writer quotes from Ayn Rand, he considered that everyone could make claims that —capitalism is a social music, everyone had the right to be a system based on the recognition of musician and everyone was able to individual rights, including property create good music. In the spirit of do- rights, in which all property is it-yourself (DIY) ethic, punk privately owned“ (1967:19). In other immediately distorted the music words, capitalism allows someone to industry which was dominated with deal with something or not as his or rock and roll music and progressive her individual judgment and interest, rock. and hypothetically its relationships The Clash formed in 1976 are voluntary. Therefore, it is fair to with Joe Strummer in rhythm guitar say that a member of society, are free and vocal, Mick Jones in melody, to set everything he wants without Paul Simonon in bass and Nicky dealing with the government first. —Topper“ Headon on drum. Their However, it does not work that way 1979 album London Calling was unfortunately. As Milton Friedman considered by critics as one of the wrote in Capitalism and Freedom: greatest albums in the history of rock A citizen of the United States music. Joe Strummer the lead guitar who is under the laws of various wrote almost all of the lyrics and states is not free to follow the Mick Jones managed most of their occupation of his or her own choice music. Bassist 3aul Simonon‘s unless he or she can get a license for background in painting helped shape it. It is just being deprived of an the band artistic overview. The essential part of his or her freedom drummer —Topper“ Headon was a (1982: 9). journeyman drummer who found his It is interesting how passion for playing with The Clash. capitalism work its relationship into With these mix personalities, they voluntary, yet Gramsci complained were once told as —the perfect about voluntary relationship in The engine“. 8nfortunately this band was Gramsci Reader: broken up their harmony and decided The word is meaningless or it to split up in the 1985. is used with the meaning of arbitrary C. The Definition of will. Will, in a Marxist sense, said Capitalism and the Characteristic the awareness of ends which means of the Capitalist Society exact knowledge of one's own power Capitalism as a word came in and the intention to express its early 19 century, and it is being said action. Therefore, the class becomes closely related to social system. distinct, individual, compactly Looking up on Raymond Williams organized and disciplined to its own Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture specific ends without wavering or and Society, it is being said that being deflected at the first place —capital and at first capitalist were (2000: 38) technical terms in any economic 5 In the capitalist society, the The issue that may be arising government has drawn a line for in the capitalist system seems not people so they can live properly good for the proletariat. To respond under the law regarding their free the proletariat situation in the relationships in society. However, capitalist country Antonio Gramsci the fact about the imbalance situation writes: occurred in the society especially The proletarian revolution proletariat could not be put behind as cannot but be a total revolution. It the workers in the development of consists in the foundation of new industrialization are facing the modes of labor, new modes of exploitation, alienation, production and distribution that are discrimination, etc. We can take peculiar to the working class in its example of workers in the factory.

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