Bob Dylan: Slavery ruined America

When asked about parallels he sees between Civil War-era America and today, Bob Dylan offered his frank opinion.

 His Dylanesque response reminded me of the Pulp Fiction scene when Samuel Jackson's character (Jules) rebuked John Travolta's character (Vincent) by stating:

If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions.

Bob Dylan straight no chase:

"Mmm, I don't know how to put it.

It's like . . . the United States burned and destroyed itself for the sake of slavery. The USA wouldn't give it up. It had to be grinded out. The whole system had to be ripped out with force. A lot of killing. What, like, 500,000 people? A lot of destruction to end slavery. And that's what it really was all about.
 
This country is just too f--ked-up about color.

It's a distraction. People at each other's throats just because they are of a different color. It's the height of insanity, and it will hold any nation back -- or any neighborhood back. Or any anything back. Blacks know that some whites didn't want to give up slavery -- that if they had their way, they would still be under the yoke, and they can't pretend they don't know that. If you got a slave master or Klan in your blood, blacks can sense that.

That stuff lingers to this day. Just like Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood."

Bob, tell us what you really think...

Seems the Croatians took great offense at being lumped together with Nazis and slave masters: The Croatians are suing for racism and because of strict Freedom of Speech rights across the pond, the law suit is moving forward.

Europe's free-speech laws are stricter than those in the U.S., and the suit will move on to the next stages. Slate reports that it could take up to 18 months to settle, and if Dylan is found guilty, he may face a fine and formal sanction.
 
With America's First Amendment rights, it can be hard to see how a comment like this would generate litigation, especially for a musician who instantly became known as a champion of the civil rights movement. Anthems like "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'" were synonymous with anti-war sentiments and the free-love iconoclasm that arose during the 1960s.

Once again:

If  his answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions.