Only Rock 'n' Roll?

info@reason.com (Brandon Turner) — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST

The fall of communism has been attributed to many factors, from the system's economic failings to the hard line taken by Ronald Reagan. Hungarian ambassador András Simonyi, who in November spoke at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, believes at least some credit is due to the influence of bloc-rocking beats.

Simonyi first encountered rock 'n' roll in Denmark in the 1960s, a time when Hungary was in the middle of nearly half a century of Communist rule. "Rock music represented freedom to me," Simonyi says,"freedom I first experienced in Denmark and missed very much after returning to Hungary."

One of few young people on his block who spoke English, he embraced the message of rock culture. "Given that rock already carried a revolutionary message in the free West," he says, "you can imagine what effect that music had in the un-free East."

The message of rock was heard even by those who didn't understand English. "Nonspeakers instinctively felt that rock music was about freedom -- the freedom to form your own band, the freedom to create your own music, the freedom to choose and listen to songs you like best," Simonyi says. He believes it was only natural for those ideas to "spill over into politics, reinforcing the freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and the free dissemination of ideas," all of which, he says, "scared the hell out of the Communist establishment."

Hungarian communism collapsed in 1989, and Simonyi, now 51, still believes rock can set you free. "Today, there is criticism that rock is imperialistic," he says. "Nonsense. Only dictators are afraid of rock."

Snow Job

info@reason.com (Brandon Turner) — Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 EST

Joel Hernandez wants his old job back, and employers and addicts across the country may have a stake in whether he gets it.

Fired from Hughes Missile Systems (now Raytheon) in 1991 when he tested positive for cocaine, Hernandez, who also had a drinking problem, reapplied in 1994 after joining Alcoholics Anonymous and giving up drugs. Hughes rejected his application, citing a company policy against rehiring former employees discharged for misconduct. But Hernandez contends he is protected as a recovered drug addict under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit agreed, and the Supreme Court is expected to rule on Raytheon's appeal of that decision soon.

"The 9th Circuit court's decision needs to be reversed," says Ann Reesman, general counsel of the Equal Employment Advisory Council. "The decision is very problematic for the employer's need to regulate the workplace. Any situation can be viewed as, 'My disability made me do it.'"

Hernandez's attorneys claim the case is "fact specific" and would not set a broader precedent. But Walter Olson, author of The Excuse Factory: How Employment Law Is Paralyzing the American Workplace (1997), believes the Supreme Court's track record of supporting neutral policies concerning employee conduct makes it likely that the 9th Circuit's decision will be overturned.

Reason Magazine - Contributors

Only Rock 'n' Roll?

Snow Job