Why did the media make such a big deal about the Dixie Chicks?

Question

Freedom of speech is one of the main things about democracy and what are we trying to force on Iraq?

Answer 1

"Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

That's it... 15 words that embodied her own opinion.

I'm seeing "Dixie Chicks - Shut Up and Sing", the documentary about the incident at the Toronto Film Festival this week and I'm seeing the Chicks in concert in October. I'm a longtime fan of their music and I see nothing wrong with what she did. It was before the war started and opinions and tensions were high.

Sad times when a comment like that one elicits such violence and anger and hatred. I think the media really fanned the flames on the incident by not repeating the comment. Often, when I'd see the story reported they would just talk about Natalie Maines anti-American, anti-war statement. I've spoken with people who, when asked what she said start repeating all sorts of things, none of which are accurate.

Answer 2

I SO agree, I mean, I don't even listen to thier music at all but I saw thier interviews when this new album was released and it's so obvious that they were just used as scapegoats. God, havn't we all said, or at least thought, MUCH worse than the harmless things Natalie Maines said? Give me a break! There are people out there publishing child porn and bomb recipes on the web. And there are books at the bookstores with graphic accounts of the ways to slice & dice, or cook & eat a human body written by convicted killers. Freedom of speech is going to blanket those things while people persecute a music artist for some innocent comment that was only "AN OPINION"? It's very annoying.

Answer 3

I have a RIGHT to say almost anything I wish. I do not say many things that I am thinking, depending on the time and place. For example-I would not run down the aisles of a theater yelling "fire" as a joke. I would not go into a gay bar and insult gays. I would not go to church and ridicule christians and the belief in God. These misled singers have a RIGHT to say what they did. Now that they have said it-let's let them learn from that. Let them suffer the consequences. I, for one, would never buy one of their albums (I never did, anyway) and mostly, I would not attend one of their concerts because they stand to earn a whole lot more money from their concerts than from their albums. It's the music companies that make the profits from their albums. Anyway, in my opinion, Natalie Maimes doesn't have enough sense to pour piss out of a boot, so why should I take any of her statements on politics as something worth pondering?

Answer 4

The Dixie Chicks did not fall in lock step with the party line. The media elitists tell us how to think and when we do not comply we are ostricized.

Answer 5

I think they made a big deal of the dixie chicks because they are arrogant
and stupid.They go to a foreign country and make comments against the government that they,like the majority of all Americans,are not qualified to judge.War is something that only men that have gone throught it can understand.Civilians do not know the facts and neither do the journalists that as often as not embellish the facts and really report with their own particular bias.
Anyone that thinks we have unbiased reporting in this country is
fooling themselves.Ask the soldiers that are there and fighting this war.(And I don't mean these weak sisters that voluntarily join and then desert to Canada when the going gets tough)Most of our boys will tell you they believe in what they are doing and they also say its makes them angry because the news media doesn't report the real truth about what is going on.I served as a Marine in Vietnam,in a recon unit and I can tell you from experience,the news media hardly ever gets it right.
Freedom of speech doesn't mean you make traitorous state-
ments while our troops are in the field under fire,risking their lives
fighting for their country,whatever the reason.But the ones that never answer the call to arms,(Which is most of the American
public) sit on their butts and undermine everything the troops are doing by criticizing everything they do,when in fact they don't really know what
they are talking about.We have pieces of crap like John Murtha,Ted Kennedy & the rest of their ilk calling our boys murders and everything else.These are the so called leaders you keep electing to office.Ted Kennedy,who entered the Army in 1952 (after being expelled from Harvard for cheating),Is such a
dud he entered as a private in the Army and could not even make it past the rank of private in 2 years time.Those of you that have served understand how incompetent you have to be to not at least make it to the rank of private first class.This is a leader of our country? A great example of why we are in such trouble in this country.One of the many.Has anyone noticed that we are probably the only country in the world that will sit back and allow an invasion from a foreign country,allow hundreds of thousands of them to protest in our streets carrying foreign flags,and our so-called president ,congress and senate sit back and refuse to enforce the laws of this countries constiution.Bush is right now in violation of the constitution.He swore an oath to protect our borders and he just flat is not going to do that.But,have you heard one congressman or senator from any party talk about the constitutional violation that all of them are guilty of?No and you wont.They all work for the same people,and its not you!
The entire homeland security thing is nothing but a joke.Our BORDERS ARE OPEN! Its like the San Andreas Fault line.It isn't a question of if it will fall off into the ocean,its ,just a matter of when. My hope is that someone will be intelligent enough to get through to the American people and show them we no longer have representation in Washington.We have elected managers for the corporations that don't give a damn about what Americans want.I guess most of you are aware that congress just voted to give our
Social security benefits to illegal aliens? After congress has been stealing the excess funds from social security for decades,telling our kids it will not be there when they finally retire,now they want to give it away to people that have never paid into it.It wasn't meant to be welfare but that is how they want to use it,whatever they choose to call it.
America wake up!You have been sold down the river by corporations and big business in general.There is noone serving you in government.Why do you think nothing ever really gets done?
What are we trying to force on Iraq?If you don't understand what is going on there,you have the kind of mind that can't comprehend the danger of allowing a poisonous snake to get close enough to bite.Its only my personal belief,but I think the ones of you that don't get it and just wonder"why can't we just all get along"? It isn't far off.You are going to see first hand why we should have done something.As we speak Iran is working frantically to build their nuclear weapons and missles to blow our asses off the face of the earth.Kim Ill Insane has nuclear
capabilities now ,thanks to good old Bill Clinton that gave them10
billion dollars of our tax dollars to build their nuclear reactor .Congratulations Bill.
They have it now.Oh,then he gave China our latest multi-warhead
missle technology and gave them the only bearing machine in the world accurate enough to build the bearings.This goes on,no matter what party is in office,but noone is watching.The democrat and republican show keeps Americans on this blue state and red state crap while they are screwing us full bore.They present themselves as hard working servants of America.That is a joke.It goes on and on .I would have to write a book to cover all the problems I see ahead for this country if we don't wake up.I don't think thats going to happen.
This is much longer than I meant it to be and somewhat off subject.This is my first time at this,and I think maybe my last.I know it is useless. My experiences have shown,most people don't want the truth.They just want hear whatever is closest to their opinions.They want to be right.Everything I have said is verifiable if you want to take the trouble to find it.

Answer 6

They are entertainers,not political analyst.When you are on foreign soil giving a concert and you elect to make it a political forum to denounce your country it will anger most rational people.
From the answers you get you will see the far left trying to spin it about free speech,however we rational people have the right to support and spend our money as we see fit

Answer 7

The media agrees with them so of course they would readily report it. The problem is that the people who buy their recordings were not agreeing with them, which also is their right. Wise people who make a living off of the public shouldn't make waves.

Answer 8

Newspapers owners are only incidentally concerned with reporting the news. The real motivation is to sell papers. I noticed even you used the word "MAKE" and not "REPORT" in your question. Making the news generates more revenue than reporting the news.

Answer 9

because most people don't like to hear the truth about their president. they don't want to admit that their president could be wrong and that their sons or fathers or husbands are fighting for a war that's non-sense. maybe all the frenzy was done by the white house spin doctors to make the war strong and credible unlike what the dixie chicks said. and, the thing about freedom of speech in america is that once you're a celebrity this right shrinks...

Answer 10

Because country music lovers are typically more likely to be Bush supporters, so they, in essence, alienated a lot of their fan base.