The Chill Wind Conspiracy
A chill wind blows, the gasbags now huff
“I don’t ever remember being in a climate where people were so afraid to even have a conversation about some of these issues,” fretted Robbins’ partner, Susan Sarandon — in a news conference to hawk a TV movie.
Only in dissent-stifled America.
Were government agents rounding up antiwar activists or censoring their latest pronouncements? No. Nothing so chilling. What’s got the wind-chill-factor folks so heated up is that other Americans — radio talk-show hosts and other opinion-meisters, as well as consumers — are taking exception to their antiwar arguments. Many aren’t buying their antiwar arguments or the entertainment wares that made their political views noteworthy in the first place.
Michael Moore was booed at the Academy Awards — amid a standing ovation as he picked up an Oscar! Former fans smash and boycott Dixie Chicks albums after one Chick told an English audience they were ashamed of being from the same state as George W. Bush! Robbins and Sarandon were (temporarily) disinvited to a baseball shindig! Madonna felt moved not to release an anti-Bush, antiwar video!
This is evidence of some dark night descending over the land? Humbug.
Bruce Springsteen calls the Dixie Chicks boycott “un-American.” But why is it “un-American” for some folks to take their views as seriously as our star-activists take theirs? Is some Americans’ “freedom of expression” less worthy than others’? The right to speak is not the right to speak without consequence. It’s not the right to define your listener’s proper reaction. If our celebs think otherwise, they’re more spoiled than we’ve imagined.
Some people opposed to the war no doubt have been afraid to speak up. But this “a chill wind is blowing” stuff is so much self-serving hot air. It puffs up the self-regard of those who do speak up — Look at me, I’m braving this “climate of oppression” — and excuses those who decide to stay silent.
April 27, 2003 - 01:04 PM on April 27th, 2003
I don’t remember hearing one word from Sarandon when Clinton bombed Serbia. Milosevic, the ruler of Serbia at the time, was an evil dictator, who had never taken any action against the US or showed any interest in our country. The date for the start of the bombing was just before the impeachment vote in the House of Representatives. Why didn’t Sarandon speak out on bombing a country that had done nothing to the U.S.? Their only crime at the moment was to defend their domestic peace against terrorist revolutionaries.
Sarandon in invoking anti war memories of the sixties as a stick to beat Bush with.
April 27, 2003 - 01:17 PM on April 27th, 2003
Sandy,
I remember Clinton’s timing well. Talk about “Wag the Dog.”
April 27, 2003 - 02:34 PM on April 27th, 2003
check out the “justice” the us soldiers are producing. Maybe it’s okay to do this in the eyes of america because of your law system and “morality”, and because you like to be the judge, the jury and the executors but anywhere else this kind of thing stopped 100-200 yrs. ago…
April 27, 2003 - 02:36 PM on April 27th, 2003
sorry, forgot the url: http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/stripped-iraqis.htm
April 27, 2003 - 02:43 PM on April 27th, 2003
I like the commercial for “ignorance is a blix” speaks out for americas thinking
April 27, 2003 - 02:52 PM on April 27th, 2003
The Iraqi Revollutionary Command Council introduced a series of decrees which call for the amputation of hands and feet as judicial punishment for theft. (Decree 59) Also the council decreed the branding of the forehead. Should we have done that?
April 27, 2003 - 02:56 PM on April 27th, 2003
just wanted to ask, do you have to be a politician to debate about foreign matters? Was reading your hate filled contempt for Ed Norton and started to laugh. You are whining because they are speaking out, using their freedom of speech. Saying because they are not politicians but actors that they can’t talk about foreign matters is just plain stupid. Are you all politicians? I think not. Still you are debating…
You said the same about Dustin Hoffman. Didn’t read about every star because it all seems to be a propaganda from “proud americans” and because of that they are better than the rest of the world and their lifes weight more than anyones elses. [ranting]And stop this political correct responses, they are dead boring and humiliating.
April 27, 2003 - 02:58 PM on April 27th, 2003
so because you didn’t torture or kill them, just broke their rights, you’re happy with your selves? Is that the case? Those were bad arguments sandy.
April 27, 2003 - 03:05 PM on April 27th, 2003
Look, I went to the site you posted. The military over there did state they got the idea from the people in the neighborhood. Alot of our juvenile courts use humiliation tactics against thieves, you know making people walk w/signs in front of the stores they stole from. Of course this hurts ones pride, it’s meant to. They were trying to steal rifles. I just don’t agree w/you plain and simple.
April 27, 2003 - 03:51 PM on April 27th, 2003
hello
you don’t find contempt when “anyone” refers to the President as a moron, idiot, f*cking idiot?
Celebrities can and DO say whatever they want. I can and WILL say what I want. If we didn’t have this forum where would the average American have his voice heard? I most cetainly can’t afford to take out a whole page in the Post or the Times.
Oh and by the by, I don’t think any of us write boring posts. These are voices and opinions written by all walks of life, how much more interesting do you want it?
April 27, 2003 - 03:56 PM on April 27th, 2003
Well with your mouth, I’m sure there will be a “special spot in hell” reserved for you..
April 27, 2003 - 04:01 PM on April 27th, 2003
Hey, I’m not fat!
Now you’ve really hurt my feelings and completely changed my whole outlook on life. Bless you..
April 27, 2003 - 04:19 PM on April 27th, 2003
Dude, I’m not even gonna argue w/you…just pull out of copy of Johnny Nash singing “I can see clearly now”….that’s what I’m listening to…bye
April 27, 2003 - 06:08 PM on April 27th, 2003
Sandy,
Way to go LOL=)
April 27, 2003 - 06:27 PM on April 27th, 2003
The guy I was arguing w/got deleted, I swear I wasn’t talking to myself…haha..
April 27, 2003 - 06:45 PM on April 27th, 2003
Springsteen, Robbins, the Dixie Cows, Sarandon and their ilk are trying to make people think that there’s a government mandate behind the one to one relationship between a celeb spouting anti-war rhetoric (or criticism of a decent man like G.W. Bush) and that same celeb’s decrease in popularity. They surely have the right to their opinions.
Just as importantly, however, is the fact that we have the right to not subsidize their opinions by not buying their “product”. What egos they must have to think that their adoring fans believe everything they babble and that the government is involved in their well-deserved loss of popularity.
April 28, 2003 - 10:57 AM on April 28th, 2003
In all the discussion about the boycott/cenorship issue with celebrities, I have yet to see a very basic cornerstone of capitalism mentioned – the age old concept of ‘what the market will bear’. Normally people think of it as referring to cost of things. One reason music CD’s stay at an outrageously high price, in relation to what it costs to make them, is that enough people are willing to pay that price. If that were no longer the case, for a long enough time, the cost would come down. But the market bears the high price. But it also applies to a product, or a person, simply losing their popularity, for whatever reason. Celebrities, products and trends have fallen out of favor over the years and people stop throwing money at them. They aren’t being censored, they just aren’t being chosen anymore as an option by consumers. It isn’t sinister – it’s the way of the market place. It could be that when people say they think this is sort of thing is censorship, or retaliation, what they really have a problem with is capitalism itself. Fair enough. I happen to think capitalism is the way to go. I don’t agree with socialism or communism.
April 28, 2003 - 11:08 AM on April 28th, 2003
mgm
You are so right, that thought had escaped my mind. This is why the bargain bins are full of cd’s that cost under $5. The artists has lost popularity or they’ve just gotten old. You can find DVD’s that aren’t even 5yrs old for under $10…you can’t stay on top forever and the consumer isn’t gonna be willing to pay $20 for a K.C. and the Sunshine band cd no matter what his politics are.
April 28, 2003 - 03:23 PM on April 28th, 2003
mgm –
I couldn’t agree with you more. The public really does want to spend their money on entertainment. People budget entertainment into their monthly budget’s all the time. From an entertainer’s perspective – they need to market something that the public WANTS to spend their money on. When that entertainer becomes no longer desired in the public’s eye – - the public will not spend their money on them. That is capitalism.
If someone was sitting here forcing you to buy their product – regardless of whether you want to buy it…that is socialism.
People need to keep in mind that a boycott is consumre-driven…whereas a blacklist is government-driven. There is a huge difference there. Also, freedom of speech provides for a person’s freedom not to be jailed or prosecuted, in a legal sense, for the expression of their opinion. The Constitution provides no such buffer between you and the public’s opinion of you.
Thanks, mgm – great point, thank you for bringing it up here.
April 29, 2003 - 06:55 PM on April 29th, 2003
The fact that these people think they are being censored is laughable. For one thing, practically everything they say is broadcast on TV and printed in the newspaper and posted on the net. Can’t they see the irony in that?
If they want to talk about “chill winds” they should look at the state of conservatives in academia, like my blogging buddy, John Lemon who feels that he has to blog anonymously, or face professional retribution.
April 29, 2003 - 09:47 PM on April 29th, 2003
I don’t think anybody here would argue that everyone has their right to an opinion. Hell, I don’t think anybody cares what you say…it’s when, where and how you do it!
If I want a good cut of steak, I ask a butcher.
If I want tupperware, I go to the tupperware lady.
If I ache, I go to the doctor.
If I want to laugh, I watch a comedian.
If I want to cry, any Tom Hanks movie will do…
I do not now or ever want political advice from a “movie star”, sorry it just doesn’t work that way.
PoliBlogger, you’re so right, they are definitely not being censored in any way shape or form. When they release a new album or movie and go on talk shows, all they want to do is promote their new project. Some of them get upset when you ask them personal questions, they say the media infringes on their “personal life” and they have no privacy…well sh*t, pack up your personal feelings about politics and hide that too…They want to speak out for America and we don’t even know who they are, we only know the image they’ve protrayed….a stranger doesn’t speak for me..
April 29, 2003 - 11:28 PM on April 29th, 2003
Sandy- you go girl!
April 29, 2003 - 11:34 PM on April 29th, 2003
Hiya common
LOL, I got a little wound up there for a minute..it’s about time I switch to Decaf..
April 30, 2003 - 08:43 PM on April 30th, 2003
Hi Sandy- Thanks for the belly laugh! I was kind of feeling a little ornery but saw your post- feel better now. Have a great day!
October 21, 2004 - 05:16 PM on October 21st, 2004
Poisoned Well
One factor that contributes to this deterioration is the way Democrats have talked about Bush, and about life in America under Bush. Europeans and others believe ridiculous things about Bush and about America because that’s what they hear.