Posted on 07/24/2004 6:38:20 AM PDT by Clive
There is no need to bother reading Plato or Aristotle when you can listen to the insightful songs of deep thinker Linda Ronstadt or watch the splendid and original movies of that noted political philosopher Whoopi Goldberg. Indeed, I for one have decided to abandon all of my reading on government and history and instead base my beliefs on the lyrics of early AC/DC albums.
Whoopi, of course, lost her enormously lucrative deal with Slim Fast after she made abusive and gynecological comments about President George Bush in front of a live crowd.
Linda Ronstadt was asked to leave a Las Vegas hotel last week and never perform there again after she praised Michael Moore during one of her concerts and urged her captive audience to see his movie.
I am amazed. Seriously. I'm amazed. I thought Linda Ronstadt was dead. Her career certainly gave up the ghost hundreds of years ago. Should get a bit of a kick-start now. Opponents of Bush claim that all this is censorship and that artistic and political freedom has been jeopardized. Not quite.
Some of us remember Vanessa Redgrave. She was a leading light in something called The Workers' Revolutionary Party. The joke went thus: "There are no workers, it's not revolutionary, but it's one hell of a party."
Indeed, the only labour union that the WRP ever influenced was Equity, the much-feared industrial powerhouse association of, yes, actors.
Then we had Marlon Brando -- who had never heard of Slim Fast -- and his actress friend pretending to be a native at the Oscar ceremony. Not to be outdone, Sting dragged a Rain Forest aboriginal around for a while and the poor soul looked as bewildered as a celebrity without a personal chauffeur.
Susan Sarandon and her common-law partner proudly announced that they were, well, common-law partners and that they had a child. They then told us that they voted Democrat, didn't always attend classes at school and would stamp their feet unless they were allowed to stay up late.
It seems that if you've ever recorded a pop song or appeared in a movie you have a perfect right to impose your political or social view on the public. As long as they are liberal political and social views. And imposition is what it is. In Linda Ronstadt's audience, for example, were many hard-working people who had saved up their dollars for an evening out. There was an exchange of trust and money at work.
Those unsuspecting men and women had a right not to be harangued by a millionaire with a guitar. The reason so many of them booed and shouted was not so much that they disagreed with the woman but that they were there to be entertained, not patronized.
One wonders how a Ronstadt, an Affleck, a Robert Downey Jr. or a Sheryl Crow would react if a Republican zealot cornered them on the street and delivered a lecture on why the Democrats were utter hypocrites. It wouldn't happen of course.
Before Bill Clinton's name was even mentioned a bodyguard would no doubt have clobbered the working stiff and told him to know his place.
Not long ago a rather humble actor and director named Mel Gibson dared to make a movie about Jesus Christ. No politics, no intrusive behaviour. Yet before the movie or even the script had been seen he was being victimized from Hollywood to Broadway. There's freedom of speech for you.
Charlton Heston was another who suffered. This time the man was certainly political. Right wing. Goodness me, does the fool not have a publicity agent? Heston happened to be one of the first public figures to march with the civil rights movement and is one of the most thoughtful men in his profession.
Didn't matter. As a Republican he was marginalized.
So much so that the liberal thespians' favourite son, Michael Moore -- another who has apparently never heard of Slim Fast -- exploited the man's Alzheimer's disease in one of the most repugnant interviews ever recorded.
By the way, AC/DC are not political. Far too down-to-earth to be that. But to borrow the immortal words of one of their ballads, "For those about to make total idiots of themselves, we salute you."
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"I thought Linda Ronstadt was dead."
Only her brain is dead. Her digestive system is thriving.
Most of her is.
These people remind me of neglected children who do naughty things, simply to get attention: Bad attention is better than NO attention.
Fantastic article bump!
PING! and good morning to everyone in the canteen! I know there alot of articles of this nature out there right now, but I thought this was very well written and you all might enjoy it as much as I did. How is everyone today?
Ditto BUMP!
One from O Canada who gets it...eh?
Thanks for the ping PAtriotGirl!! :o)
Great article, really nails it.
See, some here have a handle on what it's all about. ; )
The big reason these people do the things they do, Linda Ronstat, etc. is because they are incapable of really thinking things through.
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