Controversy

I just got done watching Larry King Live tonight. His guests were the Dixie Chicks. I had to watch because I love their music. Now, I'm not much of a country music person, but their stuff I like.

Anyway, the focus of the interview was on the "incident" in 2003 when Natalie said that they were ashamed that Bush is from Texas. I still don't really understand why so many people got their knickers in a twist about that comment. Heck, I liked them even more after that was said. Of course, I'm typically anti-Bush about most everything, so I may be just a little bit biased.

This comment got way too blown out of proportion in my opinion. What happened to freedom of speech? I know that there are a lot of die-hard Republicans out there. The last presidential election confirmed that for me. But to take one tiny comment and blow it into saying the Dixie Chicks are unpatriotic and are on Saddam's side is ridiculous. Natalie even had a death threat made against her. I mean, I know there are closed-minded people out there (again, see the 2004 election), but to think out any sort of attack on someone, well, is exactly what is going on in Iraq, on both sides. The insurgents continue to plan attacks against Americans, and America is continuing to plan out attacks against the insurgents.

So, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised by the outcry of this one little comment. That sounds a lot more cynical than I had intended this post to be. I guess I've lived enough in my 26 years on the planet to basically have no faith in the human population in general, especially considering all the psychotic things happening all over the place. I don't just mean the war in Iraq, but everywhere in general. It always seems like there's some crazy person that does completely horrid things to other people. I have one such story, but that will be saved for a different post.

Getting back to my main point, the whole backlash against the Dixie Chicks in incredibly uncalled for. I don't mind that people disagree with what they said. I think disagreement is essential in democracy (even in the state it's in in America at the moment). I just think that sending death threats and having what basically amounts to a party crushing the CDs they've made. I remember seeing that on the news when it first happened and being appalled, because they were bringing bulldozers to crush the CDs. That's just pathetic. I would have more respect for people if they said they didn't agree with what the Dixie Chicks said and that's why they wouldn't buy their music. That's completely fine. But the fact that they crushed CDs just out of spite is totally useless in the long run. I simply cannot understand the motive for these types of things. Well, besides the fact that most people are followers, so if they see one idiot doing something and they have any agreement whatsoever with that idiot, they'll join in. Again, I sound incredibly jaded, which is just sad because I'm only 26. I'm supposed to still be able to see the good in people and be optimistic about the general public. But when people are teaching their kids to hate (as was referenced on Larry King tonight) it's just mind-numbingly sad.

When I started this post I thought it was going to be venting anger at the general public. I really didn't mean for this to turn philosophical and cynical, but that's where I ended up.