Why the Dixie Chicks Got Exactly What They Deserved
The author of the article Top Ten Songs by the Dixie Chicks, published September 25, begins the article by stating "Hate me if you want, but I love the Dixie Chicks." While I would never dream of hating this nice lady, even for being a Dixie Chicks fan, I would like to address the issue she raised regarding what led to the decline in popularity of the Dixie Chicks.
I will first agree with the author that these three gals certainly are talented and know how to make hits. But with the statement that if one agrees with freedom of speech, they'll agree that the only mistake this group ever made was having a momentary lapse in business sense, I must disagree. That was one of the mistakes they made, but definitely not the only.
Natalie Maines did more than simply denounce our president on an international scale. She disrespected our country and its citizens on the same stage. This was a time when America needed unification and was rallying back from a horrible blow to its spirit, and she was more concerned with causing division and strife in the interest of spewing her own misguided, ignorant ideas.
She couldn't find it in herself to use her platform to criticize Osama Bin Laden for wanting to blow up our civilians and destroy families who had nothing to do with him. Or the Palestinians who danced in the streets in celebration on the worst day of many American's lives. Or Saddam Hussein for raping and murdering his OWN civilians and wishing all of ours the same fate. No, in her twisted mind, our president was more the cause for outrage than any of these legitimate ones. Most Americans were not ready to digest such ridiculous propaganda at this time, and this type of thinking was especially not popular among those that make up the country music fan base.
I was actually surprised and delighted at the public backlash these statements earned the Dixie Chicks. I did not feel bad for them in the least. They can claim that they were denied free speech all they want, but the fact is, they absolutely have been granted this right: it's not been taken from them, and they didn't get thrown in jail or executed for voicing this nonsense (as would have been the case for a citizen of pre-invasion Iraq). They simply learned a lesson: that your words sometimes carry consequences.
The consequences for this group was in the form of Americans exercising their rights as well: the right to spend their money on who they think deserves it, the right of radio stations to choose a listening audience over one artist in the name of business, and the right for those who were offended by their comments to use their own platforms to do to the Dixie Chicks what they did to George W Bush. I am glad
America held them accountable.
Natalie Maines said regarding her controversial remarks that "there is nothing more frightening than the notion of going to war and the prospect of all the innocent lives that will be lost." Not true, Natalie. Ask those who went to work on a Tuesday and had a jet crash into their building how frightening that notion is. Or how about the notion that an evil dictator who hates and wants to destroy the United States is gaining a following of many whose goal is the same? What about the notion that there are a great many terrorists and terrorist organizations who, with much patience and diligence, use all their resources and live only to carry out acts aimed to claim as many American lives as possible? George W. Bush wants to defeat the sources of this very real threat to his great nation, and one source was the previous Iraqi regime.
I'm not sure what innocent lives Natalie was referring to the prospect of being lost because of the war, but if she meant the Iraqi civilians, our soldiers actually aim to avoid harming them because it cares more about those civilian lives than their own leader did (now that's a president deserving of some criticism). And if she meant American lives being lost to the war, well, that is an aspect of war. But the loss of American life will far surpass that from the war if evil is left in power-evil with a focused goal of terrorizing and annihilating the United States.
By expressing more condemnation of our own leadership than those who seek to destroy our nation, the enemy is empowered. That, as I see it, is why the Dixie Chicks got (at least a little of) what they deserved.
Published by Superdork
I am a wife, and a mother of two children. These two roles are my favorite parts of being alive. I'm one of the most imperfect humans I know. And I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. View profile
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47 Comments
Post a CommentI see the paid government schills are hard at work here. The evidence of an inside job is overwhelming. Anyone with an avg IQ and a computer can find the evidence, Calling people names and putting them down doesnt change the facts. Jet fuel tops out at 1200 F. Explosions can be seen coming from the towers. Witness testimony to explosions prior to the 1st plane crash and my favorite, how the four corner beams of the towers all cut themselves at an angle like they were prepped for demolition.
Whoever wrote this article is crazy...
They had every right to criticize your president and a war that we now know had nothing to do with 9/11. Now sadly over 4,300 men and women have died in a foreign country for a war that should never have been. Dying for the rights of citizens that hate their presence and do not appreciate the cost that these soldiers are paying for their terrorist filled country. Our business was with Afghanistan who funded and trained those bastards.
I am so glad they said what they did. People all over the world will be listening to the Dixie Chicks and feeling their songs in their hearts for a long time. I doubt history will be as kind to Bush II.
Yep, freedom of speech--they have it and so does everyone else here. People also have the right speak out against what someone says when using the same freedom of speech. Or do only people who think George W Bush is evil have the right to free speech? I have the right to not like what someone says. I will go a bit further and say that I even have the right say something about it when I don't like what someone says. It does not negate the others' right to free speech if I do so. They spoke, they were free to do so; people thought they were stupid and gross for what they said, stopped buying/listening to their white trash music, and they were free to do so. It's that simple.
I live in Canada. Here in our beautiful and diverse country we believe in such things as Freedom of Speech and acting out against an unjust system where the citizens have little say over the commander in chief. We believe that you should express how you feel, no matter the consequences (remember when we stood up to him and said no to war?). I can't help but feel as though you're being a little (entirely) bias against the Dixie Chicks since you said yourself that you still respect and support George Bush (Lord knows why), and when they said what they did, the country also felt the same way as you, so they reacted by taking offense, rather than seeing it as a mere expression of opinion, the same way one would defend a family member...no matter how correct the statement is. However, in that sort of thinking, I can understand how you may feel.
The problem is, when people say things like "they should quit whining", they clearly know nothing about the situation, because the Dixie Chicks s
morgan letellier - your just a flag waving tosspot. your logic of a united nation echo that of a man called adolf hitler. remember him? your two notches down from "thinking like a nazi". different opinions (which has thus proved correct in the case of the dixie chicks) is not the diversity of a nation, it infact enforces its strength, it gives it that ability to question itself, to reason, to decide on what is best for all. not all leaders are correct and righteous, all make mistakes to different extents, but if all america followed one man sheepishly, the proud country would of been on its knees long ago. patriotism is a great quality but best not being blindly used.
Man, you could sail a yacht into that yapper of hers... Anyway, no one was denying Natalie her right to free speech, even if her statements were made on FOREIGN soil. If she had tried that at one of their concerts in a US venue, there would be a smattering of "boos" throughout the crowd. But I couldn't believe that she, her bandmates, and a slew of leftie celebs started whining that many of the Chicks' fans suddenly became ex-fans, a number of upcoming concert dates were being cancelled due to low ticket sales, country radio stations were taking them out of rotation, and public CD meltings were taking place. Janeane Garofalo (of SNL fame and not "Airhead" America) even went so far as to show outrage at these happenings, calling them "Nazi stuff." Riiight.....
at least thru this guy's article we know that someone in this country is sane (and patriotic). I've lost all respect for the dixie chicks. yes, they have freedom of speech. and the government didn't do anything to them. but it can't control how the public reacts, and the majority of the public was right this time.
I don't care whether or not the Chicks deserved it, I choose not to spend any more money on them, Barbra Streisand, Jane Fonda, or anyone else who uses the platform their fans' money provides to express views I don't agree with. Apparently, I'm not alone. They are not entitled to that soapbox; we pay for it. This has nothing to do with freedom of speech, and it's time people figured that out.
I always liked the Dixie Chicks music however i was never a big fan..that was until i heard the remark Natalie Maines made. I do not care what soil she was on, she has freedom of speech and since when should someone be punished for saying what they believe. She went out there and put her career on the line just to be honest and say what she thought. If you dont like what she said then dont listen to it. I have nothing but the up most respect for Natalie Maines.