Not ready to make nice?
I found this comment from BB-Idaho on a post on The Griper’s blog.
Eartha Kitt, whose voice and appearance never seemed to age, insulted Mrs Lyndon Johnson about her husband’s conduct of the VN war. In her case, that was also a protected right, but she was effectively ‘blacklisted’ by the entertainment media of the time and had to work in Europe for many years. It is interesting that we as citizens can complain freely, in fact it is a duty. Entertainers also have the right, but need be responsible to their careers as well, as indeed those with private power relationships, as office and workplace environments need be thoughtful in their criticisms.
I was thinking about this the other day in relation to the Dixie Chicks (remember them?). When Natalie Maines flapped her gums about how they were embarassed that President Bush was from Texas, it created a furor back in the US. Part of it was because the comments were made in London, capital of an ally in the war. Part of it was because of the timing–a few days before the invasion of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
Of course, there were other entertainers expressing similar sentiments at the time. But the Dixie Chicks were a country group, and country music fans are more conservative. There was also some feeling that the Dixie Chicks were being somewhat rude, since GWB had invited them to perform at his inauguration in the days before they were famous.
The group, through a spokesman, issued a non-apology apology a few days later. Album sales plummeted, radio stations ceased playing their music, and concert ticket sales (in the US, at least) virtually ceased. Then the group appeared nude on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, and gave an interview to Diane Sawyer, where they wailed about censorship and death threats.
Censorship, of course, was not what was happening. Censorship is a government sanction; private citizen and businesses are free to make their own decisons about what to buy and what music they feature. Death threats are also part of fame; as Jonah Goldberg once wrote, his couch received death threats (the couch provided deprecating comments in some of Goldberg’s writings).
It didn’t help, either, when Maines et al let everyone know that they weren’t really sorry, and that they really didn’t like country fans, and had always wanted to be the kind of group that got invited to the Hollywood parties where the really cool people hang out and the cocaine flows like water. Country music fans got the message, and the group’s 2006 album was a commercial success, but concert ticket sales continued to lag their critical acclaim, especially in the southern US.
Back to BB-Idaho:
Opinion, as you note, is some times based on emotion; thus it triggers emotional response: even devolving into that type of argument known as Godwin’s Rule. Now us bloggers, we can say any doggone thing (and do). Our only responsibility is to avoid being victims and perpetrators of that doggone rule.
True dat. But we do need to be on the lookout; there have been proposals to “license” bloggers, and the leadership of the Democrats in the congress are hoping to pass legislation to force “fairness” on talk radio stations. As the major newspapers continue their slide to bankruptcy, and even the networks are slashing jobs in the news divisions, we have to make sure that the free flow of information and opinion is not held to the whim of the government.
December 28 2008 08:18 pm | American Politics
December 28th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
yes, that word “censorship” is very misused. and often used to mislead too. as for the idea of the fairness doctrine that only attempts to force an opinion upon the people who would not listen voluntarily.
January 11th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Agree. The Dixie Chicks weren’t censored (or blacklisted), they suffered the commercial consequences of their actions, like any other enterprise who chooses to wade in the political or culture wars.
I personally like their music and wasn’t offended by their injudicious ranting, but then I’ve never paid much attention the blathering of entertainers. I don’t care what these people think and I find it hard to imagine anyone with half a brain taking their opinions into consideration on weighty issues.
Ahhh…. Godwin’s Rule, the ever present bane (saviour?) of all hot thread discussions. I haven’t been called a Nazi yet, but I’ve had every other nasty name in the book thrown at me. As a blogger, I try to let people have their say, but on one of my posts I deleted a good ten comments that were beyond foul. Censorship? Absolutely not, it’s my place and people should behave or they will be ejected.