Natalie Maines, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, still doesn't get it. Her most recent foot in the mouth comments have her saying that she doesn't owe President Bush an apology.
Let me break something down for Miss Maines and all other bigger-than-their-britches stars and starlets who wax political. We don't care. We simply don't care about your opinion. Maines believes she was vilified for criticizing the President before the Iraq War. I believe that's hardly the case. It had little to do with what she said and more to do with where, when, and how she said it.
If she had truly been as brave as she thinks she is, she would have made that statement to a crowd of American fans who made her and her group famous. Instead, she did it overseas. If she had truly been smart, she would have criticized the president when asked. Instead, she blurted it out there continuing a string of celebrities who consider themselves more informed than the populous and important enough to be worth listening to.
Frankly, I think they read the same news I do. I think they watch the same TVs you and I do. So I don't feel that travelling in a bus and singing on a stage makes you much more important than I am. We both have one vote.
Don't think this is a Republican diatribe either. Hardly. I was just as sickened and annoyed with Toby Keith.
Congratulations celbrities. You've made your mark on the world. Now zip it. Natalie, Toby, I don't want your political opinions. Tom Cruise, I don't want to hear your whacked out beliefs. Bill Maher..I don't want to hear you period. Rosie O'Donnell, I don't want to hear your championing of Lesbian Rights and Gay Marriage Amendments.
To be fair, not all celebrities use their influence negatively. I greatly admire Lance Armstrong and Melissa Etheridge for using their celebrity to bring awareness and funds to fighting cancer. I admired all those, even Sean Penn, who helped after Katrina and tried to help fellow man.
But the vocal minority are ruining it for the rest. Sounds like the entire political landscape in America, doesn't it?
Monday, May 22, 2006
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2 comments:
Maines' biggest problem wasn't what she said or where she said it. Her problem is that she's a country music star.
A genre of music that has a fan base of conservative simple country folk for the most part. Thick in the red states. Fans who are very patriotic and who will stand behind their president and his decisions and at the time I'm not sure that it was very widely known how long this war would be once we started.
You just can't say stuff like that as a country music artist. Should it make any difference? No, but she obviously didn't think ahead and years after the fact is still paying for it.
Toby Keith just exploited 9/11 and the war for fame and riches with gimmicky country tunes that kind of insult the intelligence of some people, in my opinion. You can only write so many songs around a stupid catch phrase. And the fact that he's such a gigantic country superstar proves my point about Maines. Keith did nothing but write patriotic songs. They were terrible, but the country fans can't get enough of that stuff.
He's practically the Larry the cable guy of country music with more catch phrases that are set to music but a majority of country fans can't wait until his next video with the troops.
Toby Keith only does what country music has done for years in capitalizing on a catch phrase or pun.
But his use of a time of war to jumpstart his career is disgusting to me.
I still believe Maines two biggest problems were saying it overseas and saying when nobody cared. I'm certain she's not the only country music artist against the War and against Bush. But she's the only one dumb enough to throw it out there unsolicited.
I was a fan of Matt Damon's political stance. On Letterman he was asked what he thought about the war and he, paraphrasing here, said no one cares what I think. Everyone should think for themselves.
Thanks Matt. He gets it too.
FYI, insulting country music fans intelligence. That's funny.
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