“We all want justice,” said a man on bicycle. He was very probably right. Was he talking about the complexities of the judiciary system? Was he talking about the extraordinarily public and high-profile Oscar Pistorius trial over the shooting of Reeva Steencamp, and its verdict this week? Or centuries of other controversial cases? He could have been, but mischievously on this occasion, he wasn’t. He was simply saying to me, just two weeks ago, that he felt slightly homesick during a tough Alpine bike trip we were both on, and was thinking of his huge and loveable pet labrador poodle. Justice was the name his family had given the dog. I saw his picture. Oh yes, who wouldn’t want Justice? Unfortunately neither legal or social justice, nor that constant companion, injustice, are so fluffy and cuddly. But they are expensive, can follow us constantly, and sometimes appear to be barking mad.
Do we all have an innate sense of justice, or injustice, or is that something instilled in us from an early age? Perhaps we all have a sense of it from early days in the classroom, of when, for example, a teacher punishes fairly or unfairly, or when a referee on the football pitch awards a penalty or gives out a yellow or red card? Or when a nation watches a TV talent show, from Opportunity Knocks to X Factor (I apologise for even mentioning the latter), and the less talented contestant wins? Or when, in the workplace, supposedly based on equal opportunity and meritocracy, an appointment reveals nepotism or prejudice? These and many other contexts have fuelled the anger, joy and passion behind thousands of songs, the very source of what we’re seeking this week in your musical nominations.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” said Martin Luther King, hitting the nail right on the head. From slavery to religious persecution, dust bowl poverty to inner city rioting, injustice stirs up a collective passion like wildfire. As well as in song, it has been powerfully expressed in film and books. Henry Fonda and others in the film captured the turning wheels of reason and prejudice superbly in the 1957 film 12 Angry Men, even though it now seems archaic to have an all-male jury. And Gregory Peck had no finer performance than in his role as Atticus Finch in the 1962 film version of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
But of all courtroom film scenes, among the most passionate is Spencer Tracy’s defence of an idea – evolution – in 1960’s Inherit the Wind. It was based on the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial, which resulted in John T. Scopes’s conviction for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to a high school science class, contrary to a Tennessee state law. In later scenes Tracy confronts his Bible-bashing opponent with analogies about rocks and sponges (highly recommended), but in this clip he lambast the very courtroom denying him due process. Powerful.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” said William Gladstone. Whether specifically about the lengthy and expensive legal system, or any context of fairness, your justice and injustice songs are all valid. Most people know the bitter, angry taste of witnessing injustice, or the stomach-churning experience of being on the receiving end of it. But occasionally there is also triumph and joy when the right thing is done.
So do the right thing and put forward your own cases and evidence to this week’s guru, Marconius, keeper of the RR vaults, and who, of all RR judges, it is hard to imagine any who are more thorough or fair-minded. Bear in mind there has been a previous topic about law enforcement - but with that mainly concentrating on police activity, you still have plenty to nominate. So put you song choices in comments below or optionally too in the Spotify playlist by last orders BST (11pm) on Monday 15 September for the final, wise judgment of Marconius on Thursday 18 September. The guru’s decision is final!
To increase the likelihood of your nomination being considered, please:
• Tell us why it’s a worthy contender.
• Quote lyrics if helpful, but for copyright reasons no more than a third of a song’s words.
• Provide a link to the song. We prefer Muzu or YouTube, but Spotify, SoundCloud or Grooveshark are fine.
• Listen to others people’s suggestions and add yours to a collaborative Spotify playlist.
• If you have a good theme for Readers recommend, or if you’d like to volunteer to compile a playlist, please email peter.kimpton@theguardian.com
• There’s a wealth of data on RR, including the songs that are “zedded”, at the Marconium. It also tells you the meaning of “zedded”, “donds” and other strange words used by RR regulars.
• Many RR regulars also congregate at the ‘Spill blog.
