Dolly Parton, A Marxist From 9 to 5
“The Very Radical Politics Of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’” — AJ+, 2019, 12:00 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmZtcHFtg9I
Dolly Parton wrote 9 to 5 at a time where workplace sexual harassment was legal and where workers were demanding more rights. This video applies conflict theory a la Karl Marx to the song and features concepts like class exploitation, alienation, and more. They also examine Parton’s other songs, revealing she has a history of musically advocating for oppressed working people.
How else might Marx or other conflict theorists illuminate Parton’s 9 to 5? What other popular songs critique capitalism?
From the video’s description: Dolly Parton is an American icon. But she stands, perhaps most importantly, as a timeless ode to the foundation of this country: the working class. In the inaugural episode of Pop Americana, Sana Saeed explores the radical politics of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” - the song, the film and the album. We threw in some Marxist theory too.