The events that occurred on the eleventh day of September in 2001 altered life as we know it. No longer would Americans breeze through security in airports nationwide. No longer would security be taken for granted, period. The whole view of the public was shifted. Patriotism instantly took over the nation after the twin towers were destroyed. However, not everyone supported the war that would ensue under George W. Bush’s presidency. At this time, music gave people a voice in politics. As we found in the documentary, “Shut Up and Sing!” the Dixie Chicks, a country music trio, were not on the side of a Middle Eastern invasion. In fact, lead singer Nicole Maines expressed her displeasure with the war, saying she was, “ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” Needless to say, people were outraged by the comment made by the lead Dixie Chick at a concert in London. Though many people may have agreed the war was not the right move for the United States, country fans nationwide were outraged at the artists bashing their president. The Dixie Chick’s reputation was shattered and their music widely boycotted. The first amendment is supposed to guarantee citizens have the power of free speech, so I myself find the penalties suffered by the country artists to be unjust. The issue was the sensitivity of the people, country music fans in particular, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The fact was that the Dixie Chicks did not say they didn’t support the troops, they did. Nicole was simply angered with the president’s decision to engage in war. Patriotism post 9/11 was at an all-time high, and Nicole’s comment on stage was poorly timed. I personally do not think Nicole was wrong for saying what she said in London, and I think the people’s reaction to her comment were over the top.
As previously mentioned, music gave artists a way of expressing their thoughts, feelings and emotions. After 9/11, many artists wrote songs mourning the loss of those who passed in the terrorist attacks, and some wrote ballads for sticking together as a nation. This may be why people were so taken back by the Dixie Chicks lack of support for their president.
The success of a musical artist is entirely based on the support and following they obtain. This in mind, post 9/11 music fans were a very sensitive and patriotic group of people, especially country music fans. When Natalie Maines made her seemingly anti-American statement on stage, people were instantly furious. Outraged, country music fans who once praised the Dixie Chicks now threw away their CD’s and boycotted their music. Freedom of speech did not even play a factor in limiting the people’s hatred for the Dixie Chicks, despite many people nationwide having similar views.
I think the actions of Natalie Maines were not wrong. She said how she felt, and stood by it. She did not want her country to enter what turned out to be a long and anticlimactic war. However she made it very clear that she supported our troops through and through. Natalie was not alone in her stance; many people did not want to enter war. As rapper “Lowkey” talks about, America’s actions have done a lot of damage to a lot of people, just as the terrorists did to the United States. And if revenge was our only goal in going to war, maybe we should have thought about it differently.
Music post 9/11 regarding the war on terror reminds me quite a bit of the music that was made during the Vietnam War era. Musicians would write and perform songs opposing the war, and some even led rallies themselves. Music served as a sort of rallying cry and a cause for action. Joe McDonald sang a song called, “I Feel like I’m Fixin’ to Die” which he would go on to perform at the legendary “Woodstock” concert. Also on the Vietnam anti-war play list was “Rejoyce” by Grace Slick, “Two Hangmen” by Terry Talbot, and “It Better End Soon” by Robert Lamm and Terry Kath, just to name a few. People were not shy about expressing their opinions about the Vietnam War. This shows how drastically things have changed since the 1960’s, and how freedom of speech has shifted.
The Dixie Chicks were not the only notable names who spoke out about their political opinion. Kanye West, a very popular figure in the rap game, spoke out against the president on live television in one of the most awkwardly unexpected broadcasts of all time. He said simply, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” While not proven to be true or false, one would think Americans would be outraged by this common. But what would follow Kanye’s comment was rather peculiar… nothing. No one was angry, no one boycotted Kanye West’s music, and Kanye’s career continued to thrive. So why was Natalie Maines ridiculed while Kanye West was brushed off? There are a few potential answers to this. For one, it was not unusual for Kanye to publicly voice his opinion and act with a degree of immaturity. Another reason may be the fan base. If Kanye West was a country artist, maybe he would have been under more scrutiny. But the fact is that rap fans enjoy controversy, so George Bush hating black people may have just seemed like a tidbit of funny news. A last reason Kanye’s remarks may not have been as big of a deal as Natalie’s is the timing. Natalie made her comment about the President very shortly after troops were deployed to the Middle East, when Americans were in a hard place, emotional and sensitive.
The story of Natalie Maines and the Dixie Chicks is a frustrating one because it did not have to turn out the way it did. The comment about President Bush marked the beginning of the end of the Dixie Chicks career. Many Americans agreed with the Dixie Chicks, in that war may not have been the answer. But regardless, the country music stars were hit hard by the reactions of once loyal fans. I personally am glad that Natalie Maines said what she said and stuck by it, and did not tell the people what they wanted to hear for the sake of business. All Americans are entitled to their own opinion, and they are also entitled to speak freely.
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