Deep Thoughts, with Mulan

It’s been 12 days since Osama Bin Laden was killed, and we’ve been thinking a lot. Like really trying to figure out what’s happening in the aftermath of BinLadenfest 2011. No, that wasn’t a summer music festival. So, unroll your jean shorts and button them properly, please. We’re talking about the widespread celebrating that cropped up across the country.

The social media component of this…uh…event…included some interesting musical accompaniment: we heard Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” was being played on lock after the announcement of Bin Laden’s death, which is interesting. Interesting firstly because: Miley Cyrus as political messenger?!? Can’t unpack that all right now. And nextly interesting because the song is about Partying in the USA. 

Okay, now that the dust from all the jokes and confusion have settled a bit and after some reflection we finally know what we want to say in response to the partying. We’ve been reflecting on this situation and our final reflection is we need to keep on reflecting. In other words, like words that are sung, the song we should be listening to on lock has got to be: Mulan - Reflections.

Look at me
(Me/Mulan=United States/Americans)
I will never pass for a perfect bride
(We’re trying to do the right thing, right?)
Or a perfect daughter
(The world is judging us, we get it, it’s hard.)
can it be
I’m not meant to play this part?
(Are we supposed to be in charge here?)
Now I see
That if I were truly
To be myself
(Human, complicated, economically unstable, politically deficient)
I would break my fam’ly’s heart

Who is that girl I see
(America, we need to figure our shit out)
Staring straight
Back at me?
Why is my reflection someone
I don’t know?
(Yayyay murder? Party in the USA? I DONT KNOW YOU, AMERICA)
Somehow I cannot hide
Who I am
Though I’ve tried
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
(See, Mulan is questioning what’s happening. Thinking about it. Thinking hard)
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside
(Who are WE inside, America?)

Bottom line: Mulan is like realllly thinking about what’s happening here. And we should be, too. Granted, she then poses as a man to serve as a soldier for her family, but that represents a whole other problem. So, let’s just focus on reflections. You see, it alll comes back to Mulan.

Lyrics by David Zippel (other notables are Hercules and Tarzan, thanks.)