“Teenage Wasteland” and “Soul Position”

In class the other day, we talked about the theme of running away from your problems in “Teenage Wasteland.” We talked about how running way was not a good long term solution to a problem or a good long term coping mechanism. Indeed, we all know you can’t run away forever and that your problems will eventually catch up with you. Yesterday, I listened to a song that commented on this very problem. The song is called “Run”, by “Soul Position” and it talks about the necessity and eventual consequences of learning to “run away” in the inner city. It begins by pointing out the importance of running away in a violent environment. In this instance it talks about running away from guns and shooting and everything that “threatens peaceful existence.” The artist believes that running is necessary coping mechanism in life in the inner city. Donny also runs away from the problems that interfere with his “peaceful existence.” However, later on in the song, the artist points out that in other areas of life, running away causes serious problems and threatens the peaceful state of life that everyone seeks. The artist states that running away can make ones life less fulfilling and less happy. He closes by stating that in the end, he “wishes we hadn’t learned to run.” He says that running way has not solved any of our problems. Anne Tyler makes the same point in “Teenage Wasteland.” Neither Cal nor Donny solved any of their problems by running.