On March 10, 2003 Natalie Maines, lead singer for the country group the Dixie Chicks made this statement in the middle of a concert in England:
"Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."
Outrage followed. How could these women make such an unthinkable statement on foreign soil during the lead up to the Iraq War?! Either Maines was lucky or clairvoyant but millions of Americans would eventually join her in being ashamed by President Bush and the actions of his administration.
But that is besides the point. Maines made one stupid comment during a concert, big deal, you should have heard the stuff The Offspring said during a concert of theirs I attended! It's not like they got on national TV and totally made outrageous, unsubstantiated and overall boneheaded comments, right?
Fast forward to July 28, 2009 when every Mormon's favorite conservative talk show host, Glenn Beck rambled on about the current US President. He described the president as having proved "over and over again" to have a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture...I'm not saying he doesn't like white people, I'm saying he has a problem...This guy is, I believe, a racist."
You might be saying to yourself, "No, Glenn Beck is an honest man who loves his country so much and is smart enough to know such a dumb notion isn't true!" Alas, it is true. For those who can't believe Brother Beck would say something so inflammatory here is the clip, it's less than 30 seconds:
Now the double standard. We all saw what happened to the Dixie Chicks for making a random, obscure statement. People burned their albums, t-shirts, and other memorabilia (check out the documentary Shut Up and Sing). They received countless death threats and boycotts and this was after they apologized four days after the unfortunate remark concert saying:
"As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect."
So what gives? Beck proved himself an idiot by declaring that a half-white man who was raised by a white mother and white grandparents in a predominantly white community has a "deep-seated hatred" of white culture yet Beck never apologized. At least I couldn't find one and I even stomached his website for a few minutes looking for one.
FOX News released this wishy-washy "apology" for their employee's stupidity:
"Glenn Beck expressed a personal opinion which represented his own views, not those of the Fox News Channel. And as with all commentators in the cable news arena, he is given the freedom to express his opinions."
OK, fine, it was his opinion and we are free to make our own opinions heard. But why were the Dixie Chicks threatened with lynchings, sniper shootings, and had their names smeared through the mud for expressing their opinion? I don't see anybody burning Beck's books, t-shirts or any of other crappy stuff you can buy on his webpage like this tacky coffee mug available online for a paltry $19.95?
Wait a minute...Glenn Beck, a Mormon hero known for defending our faith sells coffee mugs?!Anyhoo, seriously, why the double standard? Beck's comments were a lot more unfounded than Maines's so why has there been so little outrage? Is it because the Dixie Chicks are women and he is a white man or is it because so many Americans still feel a little queezy about a black president or is there a whole other reason I am missing here?
But let's be honest, Beck does it for attention and money and it is that simple. He loves thinking he is some sort of hero to America and loves his bags of money. He knows he's a moron without a college education and though he can be self-deprecating, a quality we should all emulate (I'm serious, it is a good characteristic) he doesn't really care about anything as long as he gets attention and a paycheck. But in the words of the great American political icon, Sarah Palin, I wish he "would just quit makin' stuff up!"
4 comments:
I thought what happened with the Dixie Chicks was completely absurd. I don't like Glenn Beck. I don't think Obama has a deep hatred for whites. But I do believe he has associated with many who do have prejudiced feelings towards whites, which does make me question who Obama associates with and why. The best leaders are those who surround themselves with intelligent, hard working, and God fearing people. I don't believe Obama's long time preacher is any of those things.
I was totally embarrassed by Glen Beck's comments. It was an absolutely absurd thing to say. I agree that he must be hungry for attention...i think only desperation could solicit such an ignorant comment. I hope he gets a "thou shalt not judge" lesson this Sunday and rethinks the direction he's headed, because he sure needs to be reminded of that very critical Christina virtue.
As for the Dixie Chicks, I think they got a lot of flak because the nation was still riding the post-9/11 tsunami of hatred and fear at that time. Not to mention, most of their fans were likely from conservative, Bush-loving states. Offspring's fans are likely more of the "all politicians are butts" philosophy.
Either way, I don't think talk show hosts or famous entertainers should spout off any of their political opinions to the public unless they've established their own credibility on the topic first.
It still makes me sick to know that Bono is actually involved in diplomacy efforts... (sigh...).
correction..."Christian virtue" not "Christina virtue"... unless of course Christina has this Christian virtue... Oh never mind.
Most talk show hosts, regardless of their political agenda, say incredibly ridiculous stuff on a regular basis, thus I don't watch talk shows. Their arguments are circular and chock-full of fallacies, and their focus is more to entertain than to inform.
As for the Maines, I remember being more disappointed that she apologized than that people crushed her CDs (though naturally, the death threats and such were barbaric and inexcusable).
Maines said what she felt, and they responded how they felt. I don't think that requires an apology, unless, of course, you want to buy back the fans you lost. I heard that sometime later, Maines took back her apology, and if that is true (I don't really care to research it) and that how she feels, I respect that.
Should Beck apologize? If he feels sorry, and has a changed opinion, then yes. Otherwise, the apology is empty and worthless and merely a PR move, and I think we all see enough insincerity on TV as it is.
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