Um… oceans_11, you DO realize that Saen is in agreement with you, do you?
Or were you addressing a generic “you” to an audience other than who you quoted from?
Hey, Natalie Maines has a right to say anything she wants to, just as Trent Lott did. NOBODY has suggested that either Maines or Lott go to jail. But both had to learn the hard way that there are CONSEQUENCES for the things we say in public. We all have the right to say any controversial thing we please. We just have to be prepared to face a possible firestorm afterward.
Nobody forced Trent Lott to say the things he said, and nobody forced Natalie Maines to say she was ashamed of her country and home state. Both chose to stand in front of a microphone and say things they HAD to know were going to offend people. Lott’s comments cost him his post as Senate majority leader, and Maines’ words may cost her some record or concert sales.
That’s life. I don’t feel sorry for either of them.
That’s NOT what she said. She said she was ashamed that Bush was from Texas. There is a huge difference. You can agree or disagree with her but don’t misrepresent what she said.
She should not have said what she said. I support free speech, but if you go to my neighbor’s house and talk bad about me, don’t expect me to be friendly towards you. If you feel the need to insult me, please say it to my face. And even though I have the freedom of speech, if I say that your kids are ugly, I wouldn’t expect you to often invite me into your home.
Texas is my home, and for the record, I am proud to have a Texan in the white house.
Well, it is nice to hear something along those lines. I know you didn’t say you love him, but it’s nice to see someone didn’t do the cool-popular-easy-‘enlightened’ thing and say he’s an idiot.
But that’s completely beside the point. Of course the Dixie Chick(s) had the right to say what they said - they haven’t been arrested for saying it or anything, have they? No charges pending as far as I know.
Of course, now the people who have made her rich and famous have the right to not buy their product. Usually people forget their “let’s boycott 'em” attitude over time and eventually they’ll have some breakthrough and they’ll “be strong and put this behind them,” but I hope people actually do boycott her/them for a while. Let 'em feel it where it hurts.
At the very least, “Behind the Music” now has their dark turning point moment to use in their story.
I once worked at a company with many city sales reps who drove from customer to customer taking orders, showcasing products. One unwritten rule was; no bumper stickers that may deter an order. A certain message may help secure or amuse one customer while turning away three others. The Dixie Chicks were playing to their audience in Germany–They knew most Germans were against the war and probably did not think their remarks would get back to the US. Their mistake–they pay—that’s the chance you take attaching your “product” to a polictical stand.
WillSantini,
I am with you bud! Texas is my home–I love Texas–I love having a Texan in the Whitehouse, and I support President Bush in his actions dealing with Iraq and the United Nations. I think he is doing a great job and if not for the terror of 9-11, I believe our economy would, by now be robust and his approval ratings would be even higher.
I once worked at a company with many city sales reps who drove from customer to customer taking orders, showcasing products. One unwritten rule was; no bumper stickers that may deter an order. A certain message may help secure or amuse one customer while turning away three others. The Dixie Chicks were playing to their audience in Germany–They knew most Germans were against the war and probably did not think their remarks would get back to the US. Their mistake–they pay—that’s the chance you take attaching your “product” to a polictical stand.
Sorry for the double-post!
[nitpick] Since then it seems as if Dan Quayle has been vindicated. “Dan Quayle was right Murphy Brown” yielded over 2,500 hits. Here’s a nice summary of the two biggest events
You know, the same piece of paper that gives Natalie the right to say she is “ashamed of the Prez” gives those dudes the right to organize a boycott & protest her words. Or is it some sort of wierd Bizzaro one way thing? :rolleyes:
Does the word “hypocrisy” ring any bells?
Dr Deth and others: no, I do not think that the Op’s view is hypocritical.
Yes, the Dixie Chicks have the right to say exactly what they think about George Bush. And these radio stations have the right to not play them if they like. It’s all there in the U.S. constitution.
However, I do not think that these radio stations should have used that right in this case. Although we are not talking about the Washington Post or the New York Times here, the media, which includes even music radio, has traditionally been the guardian of free speech. I do not think that a radio station, whom I would argue has some role in promoting freedom of speech should be censoring those who use their freedom of speech in this manner, especially considering that her speech consisted of a fairly mainstream sentiment (it wasn’t as if she advocated raping grandmothers or anything).
Having said above that I thought the OP was blatantly hypocritical, I’ll say now that I would greatly respect an artist that said: “Listen, fans of mine: I know you are highly patriotic, and what I’m about to say may hurt, or even kill, my career. But I love my country too. My country is not about starting wars; it never has been. My country will fight if attacked, and to aid another unjustly attacked. But I can’t stand to see my country starting an unjustified war. And because I love my country, I’m willing to hurt or lose my career to say this: I’m ashamed of what the US is doing right now.”
I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that artist, mind you. But an artist willing to publicize that message at great risk to her career certainly has the courage of her convictions, and would deserve respect for that.
- Rick
The job of a radio station is to put things on their air that their listeners enjoy hearing, because more listeners mean more advertisers, and the advertisers pay for radio stations. If the radio station’s audience doesn’t want to hear the Dixie Chicks, there’s no obligation for them to play them. If you make your argument that radio stations have some obligation to promote freedom of speech rather than to promote programming that listerners want, or that refusing to play music because it offends the potential audience is reasonably termed ‘censorship’, then it might be different, but “I would argue” with no supporting argumentation or cites is not overly convincing.
Frankly, I find the attitude that celebrities are entitled to get airtime, movie sales, etc. regardless of what views they espouse in public rather repugnant. Being “a star” doesn’t entitle you to one cent from the people who pay for you to be a star when you insult them or say something offensive to them. I find the hypocracy of some multi-millionare whining ‘McCarthyism’ every time they run into a problem that us ordinary Joes also run into. I know that if I used the position I hold at my job to espouse political views that offend the customers of my employer, I’d be on the street in short order.
But what about respecting the business savvy of a corporation that stops putting out a product that has overnight gone from being a major asset to a serious liability?
If the figure of 65% of Americans supporting the war effort is accurate, and GWB’s approval ratings in the 75% area, pulling a vocal critic of either from your production, whether it’s a movie or a playlist, is sensible business.
IOW, the rule is “Don’'t sh*t where you eat.”
If the “respect” question is directed at me, then I can tell you that while I think the corporation has every right to act as they did, I don’t think it’s worthy of a great deal of respect. Not that it’s worthy of disdain, either - it’s just going with the flow, as it were.
- Rick
(Actors?) In the song, the woman did walk away.
Oh and Bricker, just a comment on your ‘courage of convictions’ post - part of (IMO a big part) of the Dixie Chicks controversey is that it wasn’t a bold statement, but a self-serving one. She made the comment in front of a foreign audience whom she could expect to eat up a statement against Bush, probably expecting that it wouldn’t be heard back in the states, and she’s since disclaimed the statement. I think there would be less controversey if she had taken a stand against Bush or the war in a stand-up way, but the ‘behind-the-back’ nature of the comments and backtracking makes it look pretty sleazy.
Riboflavin, I agree. My comment was directed at a hypothetical courageous artist.