The Dixie Chicks

[Deleted]

The song

Like the song. Like the Dixie Chicks. Like Freedom of Speech. They are all good.

Miss Maines made her comment: "We are from Texas and We are ashamed of President Bush." at a concert in Britain. I don't think many of the audience there were offended by the comment.

Some fans in the States were. Many were not. The Dixie Chicks sold out concerts in the Deep South (South Carolina, etc.) after the remarks. They have a very strong fanbase consisting of women who have no reason to have any great affection for Bush (the president).

Mr. Bush considers himself exempt from the law and the Bill of Rights. Why would he defend the First Amendment priviledges of Miss Maine? He doesn't defend the Constitution of the U.S.

[ahenobarbus]

Weren't there reports that the anti-Chicks campaign was organized by Clear Channel (which owes its rise to Republican-pushed deregulation)? It was not actually a spontaneous popular response.

[atpeacewithme]

I think they had to release this song as a way to avoid a future of being asked about this in every interview etc. They are laying it all out in order for everyone to move on, I think.

[alcyone]

Mr. Bush considers himself exempt from the law and the Bill of Rights. Why would he defend the First Amendment priviledges of Miss Maine? He doesn't defend the Constitution of the U.S.

Well, but the thing is that the First Amendment defends your right to speak freely without intervention by the government (or government entities, like schools). It in no way defends you from other real-life consequences of speaking your mind freely, and some of those may be negative. If I'm a customer service rep and I say what I think about a customer's ugly outfit, then I'm going to get fired, and rightly so-- my job depends on maintaining goodwill with the customer. Musicians and actors are the same; their speech affects their relationship with fans. The fans' reaction may be fair or unfair, but it isn't an issue of censorship or free speech-- and their trying to portray their self-generated PR difficulties as a matter of civil rights was a little low, in my opinion.

[kostgard]

ahenobarbus said:

Weren't there reports that the anti-Chicks campaign was organized by Clear Channel (which owes its rise to Republican-pushed deregulation)? It was not actually a spontaneous popular response.

Yeah, pretty much. There was the belief that the situation wouldn't have been as big as it was if it weren't for the (Clear Channel-owned) radio stations that fueled the anti-DC fires.

[Sunnyhorse]

Remember that when Maines said what she said, members of our government were making such charming statements as "You need to watch what you say." Sure, the reaction to Maines' comment wasn't official censorship, but many of us were (and still are) mad as hell about having our patriotism questioned when we protest the travesties being perpetrated and are sick of seeing like-minded people thrown out of/arrested at public gatherings with OUR elected officials because they're wearing the wrong T-shirt or carrying the wrong sign or making the mistake of raising their voice to Dick Cheney. What happened to the Dixie Chicks is just a symptom of a much larger problem.

[realitybug]

LOL, and remember that whole Toby Keith thing? Releasing a doctored photo of Natalie and Saddam Hussein. What an ass.

I really like that new song of theirs.

The fans' reaction may be fair or unfair, but it isn't an issue of censorship or free speech-- and their trying to portray their self-generated PR difficulties as a matter of civil rights was a little low, in my opinion.

I don't care if the fans didn't like what DC had to say. That's fine. But death threats and the like? That's WRONG. Sure, consequences of actions - people may not buy your merchandise anymore. Oh well, they really weren't fans of their music, were they?

What happened to the Dixie Chicks is just a symptom of a much larger problem.

People should be free to express their opinion without threats of death. People shouldn't be afraid. People shouldn't be intimidated into falling in line.

So good for them, for sticking to their guns. I would still be hurting from that, if my life and family were threatened. Not something you let go so easily, like someone stealing your candy bar.

[ahenobarbus]

The fans' reaction may be fair or unfair, but it isn't an issue of censorship or free speech--

It's not an issue of the first amendment, but that does not mean it's not a censorship or free speech issue. The question of free speech is much older and more far-ranging than the United States constitution.

[alcyone]

I don't care if the fans didn't like what DC had to say. That's fine. But death threats and the like? That's WRONG.

That is 100% true: death threats and property damage are unacceptable (and illegal, I believe). But it was my impression that the Chicks were complaining and crying "censorship" about all the negative fan reactions-- not just the psychotic, actionable ones.

It's not an issue of the first amendment, but that does not mean it's not a censorship or free speech issue. The question of free speech is much older and more far-ranging than the United States constitution.

That's very true, as well-- but doesn't "censorship" imply a dampening or silencing action that's coming from an official source? Boycotts, mob violence and other forms of popular action don't really fit that definition, although they may be similarly ill-advised.

The weird thing I found about the whole "censorship" issue was the reluctance to believe (as exemplified by the ClearChannel conspiracy theories) that the Chicks backlash was a genuinely popular reaction prompted by real people who felt distaste for the sentiments Maines expressed. I'm a pretty moderate conservative, but I definitely won't be buying any more Chicks CDs, and I'd absolutely choose a radio station that didn't play them over one that did (which makes apportioning airtime for the Chicks an economic decision by that radio station, not a political one). Lots of other ex-Chicks-fans I know feel the same. I don't feel as though that's "censorship" on my part-- it's just a listening choice I'm making.

Like any of Madonna's or Asslee's image shifts, this latest move of the Chicks' will ultimately be judged by record sales. If lovers of the new edgy, liberal image turn out to outnumber lovers of the old apolitical country-girl shtick, then that's cool by me-- and I congratulate them on their business savvy in jumping ship at the right time!

[Sunnyhorse]

If you read interviews with the group, you'll see that they had been wondering for a while how much longer they could/wanted to continue as a country group. Natalie Maines has been vocal about how, despite her dad's status as one of the all-time-great steel-guitar players, country isn't her favorite kind of music to make and how she had been trying to coax Martie and Emily into trying new stuff. If they'd wanted, they could have continued making country music for the alt-country crowd, who certainly don't share the views of the people sending them death threats (case in point: Steve Earle). Working with Rick Rubin on this new album represents a whole new world for them -- look at the stuff he did with Johnny Cash. It wasn't just some crass business decision.