Irony is alive and well in San Salvador
Written by Kyle on Wednesday, July 02, 2008 in El Salvador
Feelin' amused
There we were, doing our normal grocery shopping in a local branch of Super Selectos, looking to buy more paper towels. This particular Super Selectos grocery store has a public announcement system that plays semi-recent music interspersed with Orwellian announcements proclaiming how satisfying it is to shop at Super Selectos. It is usually the kind of music that you vaguely recognize and is pleasant to listen to, but not good enough that you would actually stop your shopping and intently pay attention. It's kind of like elevator music but there's no substituting the vocals with pan flutes. This day, however, we found a reason to stop and listen when we heard the song "Freedom isn't Free (It costs a buck o' five)" playing on the loudspeakers. Feelin' amused
For anyone who hasn't heard this song, it is from the movie Team America; a movie about puppets fighting terrorism. Yes, in a public space, they are playing music from a movie that has puppets doing explicit sex scenes. Anyway, the song is a tongue-in-cheek mockery of the patriotic country songs that came out after 9/11. The chorus is something like this:
It costs folks like you and me
And if we don't all chip in
We'll never pay that bill
Freedom isn't free
No, there's a hefty fee.
And if you don't throw in your buck 'o five
Who will?
While we're listing to this song, all I can think is "Does anyone else really know what this song is about?" I mean, it's almost like hearing "Eat It" by Wierd Al Yankovic playing in place of elevator music. Either the people who pick out the music for the grocery store 1) don't know English 2) don't get irony or sarcasm or 3) have an incredible sense of irony and are the funniest people in El Salvador.
Whatever the reasons, the comedy gods were in full effect that day and turned a rather dull day into yet another unpredictable travel event. Freedom may not be free, but comedy is.
Comments on "Irony is alive and well in San Salvador"
I think we are actually headed up to La Palma this weekend. Don't know if we'll have time for El Pital. We'll probably save our climbing energy for Izalco!
we're going to try to get to Pital this weekend - we'll report back!
That's why you shop at La Despensa de Don Juan. Have you guys been to my hometown, Santa Ana? If not, should definitely check it out, especially the historic downtown.
Santa Ana, eh? As long as there is one Pollo Campero there, I'm in.
We actually live right near a Dispensa and shop there a lot. We prefer the Super Selectos for most things, but especially the produce. But I have to say that La Dispensa has way better prices on cereal AND they sell good ol' American Mac n Cheese!!! Accept no subsitutes!
That is AWESOME! Postcard went off the other day! Enjoy, if it ever arrives....
I think I saw the postal guy yesterday. By postal guy, I mean the one guy in El Salvador that delivers mail. Esperamos tu carta.
The song was played over the p.a. as high school senior stunt. Those wacky El Salvador kids! Don't ya just love 'em!
I've always loved Orwellian announcements at supermarkets and phamacies and K-mart and Shell stations with little TV's installed above the gas pumps telling you to go into their mini mart and buy a slurpee... Was anyone in the store laughing at the song besides you? Maybe they were just being patriotic to honor USA Independence Day....... I'm SURE that's what it was!!! :>)
Well it might be what you're thinking or sometimes people do know the meaning of the song, El Salvador has the freedom of speech right and you can hear or believe in anything peolpe want to. They have a political view or a reason why to put the song, or most of the time people just like the rithm... aweson trips!!!
Actually, I wish that these kinds of songs were played more in public spaces. I think in the same grocery store we heard the song "Jesus es un verbo, no es un subjunctivo", which was more or less banned in Honduras because it challenged people to act on their religious principles and not just go to church. Hooray for freedom of speach!
hahaa hello! its the first time i post a comment in u'r blog! i hope not the last one haha! i'm a salvadorean livin' up here hahaXD in San Salvador, i find u'r blog since you guys put the video of the soccer game haha well let me tell u that i very complacied (i hope thats the correct word XD! sorry for my bad english writting skills bt i'm doing my best haah) to you are having a good time up here and i'll be glad to recommend some places to visit.. here are one of them:
by Roberto at July 03, 2008 12:15 PMin La Libertad there's a place called "ATAMI" its a beach club very beutifull, the entrance pp is $10.00 ('cause its a litle private) but has a lot of excellent things like three sea water pool's, an excellente views also you can rent a cabaña ( i dont know how to say it in english XD) and the food is great.
another place i recommend u guys, is Cerro Verde where you can see the Izalco Vulcano right in front of u, its very beautiful, there also give u a tour into the park.
Another place is "El Imposible " forest! its a national park, is one of the natural reserves and its very beautiful, bt to get there u should call first to the tourist agency haha 'cause its a litle far.. and well i hope u didnt get borred haha.. my last recommend is to visit the department of "chalatenango" specceally the cities " La Palma y San Ignacio" there're lot of hotels and hostals up there very beautiful and you can go also to the highest point of all El Salvador, "El Pital" if i dont get wrong i think its abour 2,500 mts from the sea, up there u can campign or rent a room in oone of the hostals up there.. well i should say good bye haha, sorry for makin' you read a lot bt im proud of my country and i like to help all the foreign people who came up here to know where to go and where to hang out! ahaha so ... bye guys, thanks for ur time..