Chinese media says Nickelback song is Western propaganda ‘seducing’ kids to join Occupy movement

By Laurel Chor

Oct 21, 2014 | 5:39pm Hong Kong time

You can’t make this shit up. In fact, we wish we had thought of it before the universe handed it to us, because it’d make for hilarious satire.

Chinese state-owned newspaper Global Times just published an op-ed written by Farman Nawaz, a Pakistani author, marvelling at the cleverness of the Western propaganda machine and at their hypocrisy in promoting change through “violent agitation” in Asia rather than through their beloved elections.

How does he prove his point? By talking about the latest single and accompanying video released by Canadian band Nickelback (yes, Nickelback) called “Edge of Revolution”, by which “a new generation, especially teenagers, are seduced into agitating against the state,” writes Navaz.

The horror! Kids are being force-fed Nickelback?!

The song’s video shows a classroom of obedient kids watching a compilation video of scenes from different countries’ civil unrest. Eventually, turned into enraged political activists by the videos, the impressionable kids start throwing papers, overturning desks and screaming in unison.

At one point Chad Kroeger, the Nickelback frontman, leads the children in an aggressive duet: “What do we want?!”

“We want change!” the kids reply.

“How are we going to get there?” sing-roars Avril Lavigne’s husband.

“Revolution!” the kids chant bank. (Full lyrics here.)

To be fair, if you’re a delusional official in an authoritarian government, this is about as explicit as it’s going to get if you are on the lookout to accuse the Western entertainment industry of egging on popular uprisings.

The author doesn’t reference Occupy Central directly, but he says that the song is trying to “export the Occupy movement, blended with a dash of violence, to Asia”, where the West has apparently given up on inefficient diplomacy and is instead supporting armed and/or fundamentalist groups. (Scholarism maybe? Those teens are sure scary with their umbrellas!)

So really, the Canadian government should stop funding their consulate here and just stage free Nickelback concerts all year round.

The author missed the real point of the song though: it’s terrible, and Nickelback should retire.