The Dixie Chicks: God Bless Them
Their tag line for their movie, Shut Up & Sing is this:
SHUT UP & SING illustrates that freedom of speech is fine… as long as it's not exercised in public.
Is there any better illustration of the fact that free speech works in this country than three chicks who are so blatantly unaware of how free speech works who make a documentary showing off their ignorance?
The way the Dixie Chicks think free speech works, apparently, is that by me using my right to free speech to criticize them for using their right to free speech, I am somehow usurping their right to free speech. Their definition of free speech apparently is the ability to say whatever you want and not get criticized.
Does this qualify as irony at all?
P.S. "God bless them," for those that don't know, translates from Southern into English as "They're so stupid."
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Their problem wasn't that they were criticized, it's that they were demonized. And this was done for simply not falling in perfect lockstep with the powers that be.
Tom: Okay, so they were demonized. And this was an attack on their freedom of speech how? And no, saying that they were told they shouldn't say that is not a valid answer. The fact they were told to shut up didn't affect, in any way, their ability to say what they said. In fact, being told to shut up got them more publicity than they could have ever dreamed of. Do you really think they would have gotten on as many magazine covers otherwise? See, this is what people who get pissed off at what other people say fail to understand. By trying to shut someone up, you just shine a big spotlight on them, and more people listen. This is true whether you're the Dixie Chicks or Martin Scorsese or Body Count or whoever.
My only point in all this, amigo, is that free speech is FREE SPEECH. The only defense against free speech you don't like is more free speech. If there was really some kind of attack on free speech going down, then their movie and DVD would be getting banned by the government. Then we would all have a friend to talk to.
Widge, i thought that Southern for they are so stupid was 'Bless their heart(s)'
Indeed, Mr. Man. Either phrase has been known to be used towards the same end.