A rchive Date
[ 05-05-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ U.S ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/jenkinson.html
I almost feel sorry for the Dixie Chicks
By MICHAEL JENKINSON -- Edmonton Sun
May 5, 2003
Of all the various antiwar comments made by celebrities over the last few months, my favourite came from George Michael, who remarked that today's musical artists simply don't have the gravitas necessary to put together a proper antiwar, pro-peace protest anthem.
"I'm begging, I'm hoping that there will not be a Band Aid 2 because the reality is that very, very few people in the industry now, that you're hearing on the radio, make their money from their own hearts and minds," he said. "They make their money singing the words of others, and so therefore the weight of something called Band Aid 2 would be incredibly slight."
Yup, this from the guy whose career was made after dancing around in a day-glo sweatshirt in the video for Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. I guess back in the 1980s when I was a teenager and listening to this song, I somehow missed the fact that the full title was, "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go Off to War-War to be Killed-Killed by a Warmongering Prez-Prez. I suppose if he at least wrote his own lyrics, though, that's OK.
But the point of this column isn't to beat up on George Michael. That's just one of the ancillary benefits. No, the actual point here is to marvel at the general ridiculousness about the whole "antiwar celebrity" phenomenon which we've all been treated to recently.
I mean, the backlash against the Dixie Chicks was so enormous that I almost started to feel sorry for them. According to news reports last week, security has been enhanced for the American leg of their concert tour, which one American wag has dubbed the "Dixie Chicks Right-Wing Conspiracy Victim" tour. This after sales of their latest record plummeted, their airplay dropped by a reported 30% and a Louisiana radio station ran over their CDs with a tractor.
And for what? Dixie Chick Natalie Maines said at a concert in London, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
That's it. Maines didn't say, "Just so you know, I think the White House should be nuked by Saddam Hussein" or "Just so you know, I think Osama bin Laden was right to blow up the World Trade Center."
As far as criticisms of the U.S. president go, then, what Maines said was pretty tame. And I happen to like Bush, was supportive of the war and wouldn't know a Dixie Chick song to save my life.
But that one comment was enough to send the entertainment media into a frenzy and put the Dixie Chicks into serious damage control mode. You can surely bet that their publicists and management team, watching their airplay and sales drop, forced them into their teary ABC Primetime Live interview and compelled them to pose naked on the cover of Entertainment Weekly last week in an attempt to spin the story back in their favour.
Not surprisingly, the backlash against the Dixie Chicks spawned its own backlash from other celebrities like Mike Farrell of M*A*S*H fame and Bruce Springsteen, who spoke up for the Chicks's right to free speech.
Fair enough. They're absolutely right. The Dixie Chicks have the right to say whatever they want. And the public has the right to be offended by it and choose to not buy their records. It's what makes democracy tick.
Wrapped up in that nice little democratic package, though, is a big double standard. Pop culture is often criticized for being shallow and vapid. Heck, I just did it above regarding George Michael, who himself criticized today's pop music as being shallow and vapid.
But, as a general rule, when a celebrity says anything the least bit deep, philosophical or controversial, everyone jumps down their throat and calls them names. (Hey, I just did that, too. Sorry, George. Michael, not Bush.) This is particularly true if the celebrities in question would generally appeal to what is considered a fairly conservative, middle-of-the-road fan base.
Of course, the Dixie Chicks could be accused of putting another double standard into play. Band member Emily Robinson touched on this one when she told Entertainment Weekly, "People need to put this in perspective: we are a country-music group. Something was said. But we're not making foreign policy here."
In other words: we're celebrities so take what we say seriously, unless it gets us into trouble, in which case we're not politicians, just entertainers.
Double standards aside, it's a silly controversy. Let's all move on, please.
Michael Jenkinson can be reached by e-mail at mj@the-newsroom.com. His homepage is at http://www.the-newsroom.com. Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@edm.sunpub.com
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