03-18-2003, 08:53 PM
Aye, one should never accuse Americans of being soft-spoken :)
For the Dixie Chicks to make the statements they made was very stupid from a business standpoint. Country music is most popular in areas of the U.S. where a lot of people are very conservative. Bush supporters in Texas would feel very strongly about this; many have had the opportunity to hear him in person, voted for him as governor, and so forth. For them to insult the President in such a crass way will alienate a large number of their listeners. For radio stations to recognize that and run with it does not hinder free speech; quite the opposite. It brings a great deal of attention to what they said. If what they said resonates with enough listeners, maybe some people will even go out and buy their albums. Those like me who feel it was totally inappropriate might boycott. I prefer rock music though, so I never listened to them much anyway.
For the Dixie Chicks to make the statements they made was very stupid from a business standpoint. Country music is most popular in areas of the U.S. where a lot of people are very conservative. Bush supporters in Texas would feel very strongly about this; many have had the opportunity to hear him in person, voted for him as governor, and so forth. For them to insult the President in such a crass way will alienate a large number of their listeners. For radio stations to recognize that and run with it does not hinder free speech; quite the opposite. It brings a great deal of attention to what they said. If what they said resonates with enough listeners, maybe some people will even go out and buy their albums. Those like me who feel it was totally inappropriate might boycott. I prefer rock music though, so I never listened to them much anyway.