This post is a reply to Ninja Viking’s brilliant post Five years later and you’re still complaining?. Please note that I am a proud conservative, and my opinions in no way are meant to represent those of the list members, nor the staff of Rantlister.com.
That was a damn good rant. However, I am one of the people that got pissed off at what ‘natalie mange’ said. Not at just the words, but the intent. She threw this country and our president under the bus at a concert in a foreign country during the worst possible time. You pointed out the timing, but the fact remains they were attempting to placate the anti-American sentiment their crowd held. Many of us conservatives enjoy the art of so many leftist actors and musicians, we just wish they wouldn’t use their fame as a launching board for their political opinions when we merely want to enjoy ourselves. Does it really all have to be about politics? And what sense does it make to alienate half your audience?
The Dixie Chicks did this to themselves. They showed the entire world their lack of class and integrity. I don’t think it would have been as bad had she said this at a state-side concert, but I’m sure at the time she knew better. No, she took the spineless route and spouted her crap to a bunch of people that agreed with her on foreign soil. And for all the comparisons to Vietnam the Iraq war has garnered, the one event of Vietnam that comes to mind is Hanoi Jane. Many people have still not forgiven her, and this comes to the heart of why so many still don’t want to hear anything out of the Dixie Chicks. Folks just don’t like it when you throw your country under the bus on foreign soil to advance your political agenda.
It will take much longer than 5 years for this to become a non issue. Hanoi Jane is finally back making movies after 30 years, and a lot of people still don’t want to see her. On the flip side, she is a hero to a significant portion of this country who applaud her for doing everything she could to stand up for her beliefs. The Chicks will also enjoy some of this brand of misguided hero worship, as they are already lauded for their ‘bravery’ in exercising their freedom of speech. So don’t feel too bad for them. An estimated 33% of this country will support them even if they tour and do little more than piss on the stage, simply because they want to stick it to people like me.
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Yeah you leftist artist, how dare you have an opinion!