Corey Taylor: America is Lacking Empathy + Congress Can’t Get Anything Done
In 2017, Slipknot / Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor released his angriest book yet, America 51. One of the major points in Taylor’s fourth book is the theme of empathy and how it’s currently missing from America’s social and political landscape.
Taylor takes aim at everyone in America 51, including Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, uninformed voters and the self-righteous “intelligencia.” It’s a scathing and provocative read, and Taylor also provides historical context backing up his commentary. Corey often brings up Ronald Reagan as an empathetic character in government, but he wonders if there's any place for empathy in our current government.
“When you can’t put yourself in somebody else’s shoes, how are we supposed to relate to each other, let alone talk to each other?” Taylor asks during our interview. “That is the very basis of our government. The way we run our government is by compromise, not by absolutes. Not by anything that resembles absolutes.”
Taylor adds, “You have a Republican majority in the House, in Congress, not to mention you have a Republican President and a fairly tipped, stacked deck with the Supreme Court, and yet nothing is getting done. [Trump] can’t even fill his cabinet, god damn it. All of the government positions that need to be filled. It’s uncanny, I’ve never seen this happen and I’ve lived through some shit.”
“You have to have empathy,” Taylor concludes. “A lot of people who hold an office now, they don’t empathize with the people they represent. They couldn’t even switch places with them for a day. Do you think Mike Pence could dig ditches for a day? Not even close.”
Check out our interview with Corey Taylor above and be sure to pick up a copy of America 51.
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'America 51' - Trump, Hillary + Corey Taylor's Angriest Book Yet