Friday, March 7, 2008

Listening to Barney the Dinosaur is Torture in Guantanamo

As a parent, I have successfully avoided torturing myself with Barney, but those detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, weren't so lucky. According to a Mother Jones report Barney, Eminem, Christina Aguilera, 2Pac, Rage Against The Machine, Metallica and that Meow Mix commercial jingle, were blasted on boom boxes to torture inmates. The music was played on levels just high enough to not burst eardrums and were played on repeat mode.

You really have to hear the original Mother Jones report because it is an audio report, complete with all the music played. There's even a playlist of torture songs and a great analysis on why songs were chosen.

Some of the musicians featured on the torture playlist expressed their disgust with their music being used. Others, like Metallica, felt happy to be part of the war against terror.
Sources : Mun2 and Mother Jones
Image Source : PBS Kids

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