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The greatest song about accepting your struggles as key to making you who you are, while also refusing to pass that generational trauma on to your own children, is Johnny Cash / Shel Silverstein’s “A Boy Named Sue”

*Bonus points for implicitly understanding the trauma of being misgendered.

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[-] key@lemmy.keychat.org 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The song to me feels more to be about how the intergenerational cycle of abuse isn't a 1-to-1 transfer of trauma rather than being about any refusal to continue the cycle. Sue's trauma is about chronic mocking/bullying resulting in an insecure need to prove his masculinity via violence. His father's struggle isn't specifically elaborated on but it's clearly present and ultimately comes down to a similar relationship with violence/masculinity. His abandonment and rash naming decision caused his son a lot of struggle in his life and his father's reasoning for doing that was because of his own life's trauma.

The conclusion to the song was Sue coming to understand and appreciate his father's decision even if the trauma Sue experienced prevents him from repeating the decision. Which underscores the way intergenerational trauma and violence often isn't a straight line. Sue didn't decide to become a great father who would keep his children free from the need to constantly prove themselves physically. Sue merely decided not to name his son Sue.

[-] Hello_there@kbin.social 14 points 1 year ago

Only I some versions. In some the singer decided to name their child sue as well, perpetuating the trauma

[-] Ragnell@kbin.social 18 points 1 year ago

This is known as "ruining the song."

[-] thisbenzingring@wirebase.org 1 points 1 year ago

gotta make sure that boy is tough!

[-] fidodo@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Wait, why? The reason the first father named him sue was because he abandoned him, so is the other version saying that they're also going to abandon them?

[-] Thorosofbeer@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

You should check out the song "Patches" If that's what you're interested in.

[-] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Patches, I'm depending on ya son...

That song hits hard in a town that was farm heavy

[-] Offlein@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Patches by Dickie Lee or Patches by Clarence Carter?

... Or Patches the Clown by Deadbolt?

(All great songs.)

[-] speck@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Just reading the name Patches brings a hit of emotions. Great song

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this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2023
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