Posted on 04/05/2003 12:32:00 AM PST by JohnHuang2
The liberation of Iraq is not in their hopes, the defense of our nation is not supported by them, President George W. Bush is not their president, and they're also ashamed he's from Texas. They show up on our televisions every night, we hear them on our radio, and we pay for overpriced tickets so we can see their faces projected on a wall in a big room in some form of entertainment.
We hate them more than we love them these days, and these movie and TV stars, directors and artists have shot themselves in the foot. I'm sure they hate us because of it.
With our war on Iraq, Hollywood and the music industry have become even more anti-Bush and opposed to the War on Terrorism than usual. There's not a thing wrong with that, and most people could really care less about political views. Yet, some celebrities have gone public with their politics and seem to forget which country they live in – a country that overwhelmingly supports President Bush at this time and the war in Iraq.
We all know about the Dixie Chicks and lead singer Natalie Maines' comments on the President during a concert in London: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." Yet, it appears that the rest of America isn't, and this past week, the Chicks got fried (pardon the pun). According to Country Music Television, because of a radio boycott, their hit song "Travelin' Soldier" disappeared from the charts just two weeks after hitting No. 1 (which is unheard of) and the sales for their latest CD dropped 42 percent.
During a Pearl Jam concert on Thursday, lead singer Eddie Vedder impaled a mask of President Bush on a microphone stand and told the crowd that he was against the war. Yet, concertgoers booed, told him to shut up, and many walked out during the performance.
Michael Moore, director of the documentary "Bowling for Columbine," made his position known during the Oscars, saying, "We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times. We live in a time where we have fictitious election results, that elect a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons," and went on to say, "We are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you." He was booed off stage.
There is another side to the political spectrum in Hollywood, but definitely not enough to balance it out. Arnold Schwarzenegger has reportedly come out with a pro-war stance. James Woods has done the same and said in an interview last month, "Our business is notorious for being almost lunatic liberal."
"Lord of the Rings" star Sean Astin said in an interview before the Oscars, "Before the conflict started I was praying for peace. Every day on bended knee and now I'm praying for peace and victory, and I wish them all God-speed and a safe journey home. We're proud of you, we love you, we're grateful to you, and you're in our minds and hearts and spirits every second."
Then there's also Dennis Miller who now has been appearing regularly on Jay Leno's "Tonight Show." On Thursday's show, he slammed Michael Moore, Peter Arnett, the Dixie Chicks, and came out in support of the war and President Bush.
There are more in the pro-Bush side, but the majority in Hollywood and music is anti-Bush: including Martin Sheen, Susan Sarandon, George Clooney, Barbra Streisand, Chris Rock and too many more that aren't worth mentioning.
In our society, we have freedom of speech. But, we also have responsibility that goes with it – specifically, understanding and dealing with the consequences that will result from controversial political statements.
Too many celebrities have either failed to understand this or have stepped into the political realm, knowing the expected response from middle America.
The flip side is this: Consumers, obviously, control the future of every celebrity and musician; we make them a star or we watch them bomb. Consumers have the right to drop a celebrity or an artist for any reason imaginable. However, these unbelievably rich snobs seem to forget that their career is a gift and not a right.
At the end of the day, average Americans control the livelihood of stars, and some stars' career will rise or crash and burn because of their political beliefs. Still, some are so outspoken with their beliefs and they're so blinded by celebrity to realize their bosses are not MGM, Capitol Records, Sony, New Line Cinema, or any of the music or movie labels. Their boss is the American people, and they have spoken.
We hate them more.
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