George W. Bush to The Iraq War Through Green Day's Song “American Idiot” in Speech Acts and Marx's Alienation Theory

Abstract

This study observes Green Day’s “American Idiot” (2004) as a critical response to post-9/11 American society and the Iraq War, aiming to analyze how popular music functioned as a spot of resistance to media manipulation and political discourse during the Iraq War era, particularly in relation to what MacAskill & Burkeman (2003) document as the controversial Weapons of Mass Destruction narratives. The research utilizes dual theoretical framework combining Searle’s Speech Act Theory (1969) and Marx's Theory of Alienation (1844/1975) to investigate both linguistic structures and sociological commentary within the song. The methodology involves detailed analysis of locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts within the lyrics, while simultaneously examining forms of alienation manifested through media control, false consciousness, and social relations. Findings reveal that the song’s effectiveness as political critique stems from the interaction between its linguistic structures and social commentary, with Speech Acts serving as a tool for challenging dominant narratives and generating political consciousness. This aligns with Herman and Chomsky’s (1988) analysis of media manipulation and Jhaveri’s (2004) examination of petroimperialist interest. Results demonstrate that locutionary acts function as basic statements of rejection while illocutionary acts directly confront what Kellner (2003) identifies as characteristics of post-9/11 discourse, with perlocutionary effects generating awareness of media manipulation. The study concludes that “American Idiot” operates simultaneously as a linguistic act of resistance and a critique on systemic social isolation in post-9/11 America, particularly in its challenge to media-propagated narratives that support the Iraq War. The impact of this study extends beyond historical analysis, contributing to our understanding of how popular culture, particularly music, can function as both a mirror of social alienation and an instrument of resistance through cautiously constructed speech acts, demonstrating continued relevance two decades later as Merchant (2023) papers.