Interpretations:If Day For Winnipeg

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I broke my own rule

This song is about the capital riot

Obviously ⇂⇂↋ suᴉɥsuǝZ ʎɯɯᴉᒋ (I look like John Linnell so they say, but Mr. Linnell is very far away (talk) 20:39, 30 October 2021 (EDT)

the rise of white supremacy

Occasionally TMBG writes about "topical things" though usually it's not as straightforward as this. The Capitol riots were such a terrible event that TMBG felt compelled to write a song about it, topical-ness be damned. I think it's also broadly about the rise of white supremacy in the United States though "If Day is for everyone" implies that regardless of nationality everyone should remember the atrocities of Nazism lest such things happen again.

The line "Here's a new song for our zero piece band/And everyone else who's survived" implies that nobody survived.

Godwin's law states that the longer an online conversation goes, eventually a comparison to Nazis/Hitler will be made. By breaking Godwin's law, the singer is saying that they feel guilty for not calling out white supremacists by avoiding the comparison. Mike Godwin himself tweeted "By all means, compare these shitheads to the Nazis. Again and again. I'm with you." with regard to the Charlottesville rioters. Giants Boi (talk) 09:58, 5 November 2021 (EDT)

Song mentioned in January 2020

As confirmed in the page on BOOK, this song was mentioned by the band in January 2020. This means it cannot be about, or inspired by, the Capitol Riot of January 2021 (at least in the form the song was released in). However, the song so closely fits the Capitol Riot I think we can conclude the band was writing about a similar fictional but anticipated event which they correctly regarded as inevitable.

It's popular, now it sucks

I like to interpret songs on a rather general scale because I want to get to the principles that lie therein. The imagery used in the lyrics is overtly political, but I want to take a look at what the song is saying at its root.

"Whoever cared about topical things But now that this day has arrived Here's a new song for our zero-piece band And everyone else who's survived"

The first line is not a question. The word "whoever" is being used as a general noun. I think the operative phrase here is "cared about." The "topical things," as far as I can decipher, is a matter of general interest. The best I can interpret the first line is that, "There are some things that hold importance to the general public." Flans goes from general to specific in the next line. "Now that it is If day, I present to you something that is so niche, it ought to appeal to no one." And that isn't to say that the claim here is that "If Day" is not appealing. This is a case of extreme hyperbole - The significance of "If Day" is so esoteric that those who truly understand it are as few as possible. The number stated being "zero." He has written a song for a band with no members in honor of "If Day's" survivors. As stated by Giants Boi above, the implication is that nobody has survived. The band has no members because they are all dead.

"If Day is for everyone Not just for Winnipeg If Day is for everyone from now on If Day is for everyone And they're coming for us If Day is for everyone from now on"

It's a case of cultural appropriation. The POV character declares "If Day" for literally everyone. He has helped himself to the "fun" experienced by those who actually had to face the Nazi invasion. Now that he's done so, he's in deep trouble for it. The "they" in the next to last line are those who actually do appreciate "If Day's" significance.

"Hey, I'm guilty Put on the cuffs I've broken Godwin's law Master of the obvious, I confess"

Now, Godwin's law states that any forum that attracts enough contributors will eventually include a Nazi analogy. If it's broken, that means there was no Nazi analogy. So, this "If Day" celebration has had arguably the most pivotal element removed from it. He knows that he's turned a significant historical event into a party and sanitized it of any meaning. He admits it. And all he can do now is say, "Yup, that's what I did all right."

"It all began as an agitprop stunt Costumes and chants from a crowd Now broken chairs and some thousand-yard stares And thoughts no one dared say out loud"

So, what used to be genuine activism devolved into rioting. The "agitprop stunt" and "chants" were an attempt to inspire some form of change. But now all they do is smash furniture with no political commentary whatsoever. They don't dare admit it, though. The "thoughts no one dared say out loud" are whatever they would be chanting if they understood what "If Day" was about.

Now, the principles I've tried to uncover have to do with the loss of meaning in any enormity. The more people who learn about it, the further away you get from the people who experience it, and the smaller the impact it has on the perception of those who later find out about it. Although, this is not a linear progression, given that, even within the realm of the song, there are people who indignant enough to come after the guy who wants to turn it into a party. Jme2007 (talk) 13:44, 9 March 2022 (EST)

Agitprop

I think what's behind all these Jan 6 interpretations is the lyric "It all began as an agitprop stunt / Costumes and chants from a crowd" read in conjunction with "Who ever cared about topical things / But now that this day has arrived". I think the "day" and the "agitprop" lines are better read as references to If Day itself. The song's more about the looming threat of neo-fascism generally, not so much any specific news event.

- Stareadactyl (talk) 07:44, 12 February 2023 (EST)

White supremacy, still

I personally don't think it matters that the timeline isn't right for this song to be about the Jan 6 riots. To me, the sentiment that it's about the rise of white supremacy still holds 100% true. More specifically, it's a warning that any fascist ideology must be taken seriously as a threat, because if it's not, the rate at which facets of their beliefs crawl their way into the fabric of government and society is alarming. The section that begins with It all began as an agitprop stunt... calls to mind the Sylvia Plath poem 'Mushrooms,' which also deals with Nazism and its rise up through the cracks of society. White supremacists were considered fringe quacks by most of society - everyone interpreted their getups as costumes, their rallies appeared to be nothing more than stunts, etc. Therefore, they were brushed aside, allowing them to function unchecked and gain an unprecedented foothold in society. This then inevitably leads to violence - hence the broken chairs and thousand yard stares. I think this is an incredibly poignant bit of writing from Flansburgh, and of course depressingly prescient. Unsuspectingprey (talk) 03:25, 7 April 2024 (EDT)