I don’t know if they are victims of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy like Bil Clinton was but they are victims nonetheless. Natalie Maines, the Chicks lead singer made some nasty remarks about George Bush a few years ago and almost overnight the Chicks’ sales went down. They received less airtime and their concerts had many unsold seats. This was, according to them, an unfair backlash for exercising their free speech right. Some in the music industry seem to agree:
“I think people are paranoid,” former Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart told Reuters. “I think that if they speak out, they think they’re gonna get whacked by the government. It’s pretty oppressive now. Look at the Dixie Chicks. They got whacked.” al-Reuters
I don’t expect much from the entertainment industry and it is evident that Hart does not understand that actions have repercussions. How could he know when many in the entertainment industry routinely get away with acts that would land the average person in jail? His assertion that the Chicks got whacked lacks a fundamental understanding that everyone has the right to choose. To Hart, the backlash was unfair because Maines is allowed to say what she wants regardless of the rights of others.
The fact is, the people who did not like what she said have freedoms as well. They are free to choose not to buy the Chicks’ music and not to attend their concerts. Radio stations are free not to play the Chicks’ music. Free speech carries with it responsibility and while no one will argue that Maines has every right to say what she wants people have to realize that those who hear her words are free to react the way that they want (barring violence). The KKK has the right to spew their hatred but I doubt they feel put off because people are appalled by what they say. Likewise, Maines said something that a lot of people did not like so those people exercised their right not to support her and the group. The Chicks should not be surprised or offended. They should appreciate that the people did the very same thing that Maines did and that is exercise their rights.
Of course, with the left it is not about people exercising their rights. Maines and her ilk (like Hart) believe that the elite among us have the right to say and do what they want and the rest of us should sit idly by and allow that to happen. How dare we peons speak up or react to what our masters have said or done?
George Bush said that he was not offended by what Maines said. He also added that they should not be offended if people decided not to buy their music. Bush has this right and he actually took the high road.
I can’t blame Maines for being upset. It must be hard having a popularity lower than the person they hate.
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway ♦ Maggie’s Notebook ♦ Stuck On Stupid ♦ Cao’s Blog, The Florida Masochist ♦ Conservative Thoughts ♦ Wake Up America ♦ Rightlinx ♦ Faultline USA ♦ Right Celebrity ♦ Pentimento ♦ stikNstein… has no mercy ♦ Blue Star Chronicles ♦ The Pink Flamingo ♦ Renaissance Blogger ♦ Dumb Ox Daily News ♦ Right Voices ♦ Gone Hollywood
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