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Andy O'Reilly Special to The Ebbtide With the war in Iraq, many people take the opportunity to speak out and let their stance be known. Politicians, entertainers and everyday Americans take advantage of our right to freedom of speech. I am in favor of freedom of speech, but I believe that some protests are in bad taste. When criticizing the actions of our government, people need to keep in mind that our country represents the very freedom that allows them to protest without repercussions. I would like to see these people protest in a country without our luxuries and see how far they get. It is the actions of the entertainers and celebrities in Hollywood that I would like to focus on. Hollywood celebrities are not only focal points of constant media attention, but they also influence ideas and create followings. In a sense, celebrities have the attention of the general population in our culture. Whether we as individuals agree or disagree with their opinions, they are still spoken to the media for all to hear. Celebrities are aware of their power and they know that they will be heard whether we want to hear them or not. It reminds me of the saying: "Whoever has the microphone will be heard." The risk is that it is the people who control a celebrities' media power and, ultimately, their paychecks. Depending on the reactions of the public, the effects can range from uplifting one's media stature to delivering a possible career-ending blow. In the times of war, outspoken celebrities tend to stay in support groups. Pro-war celebrities, as noted in Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly, include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Toby Keith, Kid Rock, and the rock group 3 Doors Down. The list of anti-war or anti-Bush celebrities include the Dixie Chicks, Susan Sarandon, Eddie Vedder, Michael Moore, the Beastie Boys and the rock group System of a Down. In the months preceding the war, many people in Hollywood took the stance of anti-Bush or anti-war. I personally think that many celebrities jumped on the bandwagon because they thought it was the "trendy" thing to do. After all, how many of the celebrities had any reasonable explanation for their strong stance? How many of these celebrity protesters have ever left the comfort of their Beverly Hills homes to observe the horrific conditions in the Middle East? As shown in the April 4 edition of US Weekly, many celebrities have gone overseas to personally show their support for our troops. Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Kid Rock, Tom Cruise and Arnold Schwarzenegger are a few of the small number of celebrities who have actually shown firsthand support to our military. How many of the anti-war celebrities have personally served in the U.S. military? How many of them lost a loved one on 9-11 or fighting for our country? With the war in full swing and casualties mounting, suddenly speeches of protest are running into fierce opposition. Many celebrities have seen the public appeal that they once held to now be in jeopardy. Natalie Maines, of the country group the Dixie Chicks, recently told a London audience: "We're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." The immediate reaction was devastating, even after a public apology by the singer. Country radio stations, including the large conglomerate Cumulus Broadcasting, have maintained a boycott of the group. Concert promoters in several large venues also pulled their support for the group by refusing to sponsor the concerts. In the week following the remark, Billboard reported that the group's latest single, "Travelin' Soldier," had plummeted 15 percent and has since continued to fall. In the following two weeks, the Dixie Chicks' new album dropped an astounding 35 percent on the album sales chart. Madonna seems to have learned from this, since the singer recently decided not to air the video for her new song, "American Life," which featured strong anti-Bush scenes. The most publicized scene of protest came from Michael Moore at the Academy Awards where he criticized a "fake president" and repeated, "Shame on you, Mr. Bush!" At first, there were a few cheers, but then they were overtaken by a large volume of boos as the Oscar winner ranted until he was physically removed from the podium. I witnessed the event on TV and was disgusted. Yes, there is freedom of speech, but I feel that he did it in a very distasteful manner. I felt that it was neither the time nor the place for him to try and force-feed his views down American throats just because he won an award and had a microphone in front of him. If he is that disappointed in our country's actions he should just leave. I would love to pay for a one-way ticket to Yemen for him; he obviously must think things are better there. The speech was immediately dissected and criticized by everyone from Jay Leno and Jon Stewart to Larry King and Bill O'Reilly. Facing a possible media backlash, the current trend in Hollywood is "No comment," as told by Jennifer Lopez in recent interviews. Another common reply is, "I support the troops." My question to all celebrities who like to hide behind that reply is how can you say that you support our troops when you disagree with every aspect of their mission and purpose? Is it really support when you protest their job and actions? If celebrities are going to say they support our troops, then they should mean it and believe in it. They should get out of their sheltered, little lives in gated communities and go visit our troops in the desert. At least know who they are. That is what support really is. Whatever a person in Hollywood's stance is on the war in Iraq, only time will show the lasting effect on careers. One thing I know is certain; if you abuse the microphone, you may soon find it turned off. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™ |
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