Whatever happened to free speech?

[ravagon]

Originally posted by Willem

Should musicians keep their mouths shut regardless of how they feel about an issue? How's that for special treatment? The general public can say what they want, but a public entertainer can't have an opinion. That sounds fair!

I really don't understand this at all.

(1) People in general, including the category of public entertainers, are entitled to their own opinions about pretty much anything.

(2) People in general, including the category of public entertainers, are entitled to express their own opinions about pretty much anything as long as such opinions aren't an incitement to commit violence.

(3) People in general, excluding the categories of public entertainers and just about everything else public, are not subject to public appearance nor are their careers/livelihoods elevated/depressed by public reaction or image.

(4) Those categories of people whose careers/livelihoods are subject to public appearance occasionally have to be careful that they don't do anything so abyssymally publically stupid that their career/livelihood is detrimentally impacted.
Sometimes known as plain common sense.

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Willem


And good music like Bruce Cockburn, Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Barenaked Ladies, Crash Test Dummies.

and Celine Dion, too!

Anyway, are you going to even bother answering my question, or should I stop paying attention to this thread?

[Imran Siddiqui]

The views of groups like the KKK infringe upon the rights and freedoms of other people, so no they shouldn't have that right.

Ah, so now we see where you stand. You say 'free speech' when you are for censorship of another groups' VIEWS themselves, SIMPLY because you don't agree with them! Jeez, McCarthyism at its finest.

So, if you were a radio show host, who had FULL control over the music, and a group that you play on your show said something praising the KKK, and your callers called in saying they don't want to hear the bigoted band, you'd keep them playing?

[Pyrodrew]

Originally posted by Willem
John Lennon as someone mentioned?

Considering there are far more people in America than Canada there are bound to be more cases of people exercising their freedom of speech here. Think %, in fact in terms of market size you owe a few more examples to catch up.

And if you want to relive McCarthy history then you should have done that to begin with.

The US has a long history of someone stepping in and dictating what gets presented to the public, one way or another.

And you prefer someone stepping in & dictating to radio stations what is presented.

[Japher]

DJ Quick, Anthrax, 2 Live Crew, Beastie Boys, Naughty by Nature, Aerosmith, The Doors, CCR, The Greatful Dead, Janis Joplin, Elivs, and Robert Johnson never challenged free speech?

Really?

Free Speech allowed these people to become what they are and remembered as, and formed the music world into what it is. Perhpas the Dixie Chicks are facing what they faced, and face much more of it. Yet, I think their retraction has pretty much said that they give, and they want the cash. They will not become the likes of these great Americans........................ bite me!!!! (had to add that, I am drunk... must sleep, happy St. Pats! Your all great.)

[Willem]

Originally posted by Ming
Not even close... And even if they went to the records companies... They could always find a new record company...

Hell they could probably afford to start their own. And yes the radio stations and the record companies are tied into the same business. Or perhaps my twenty some odd years as a musician and hanging around with musicians has taught me nothing at all. No airplay, no exposure. No exposure, no album sales. Music Business 101 Ming, maybe you should look into first before you try and ridicule someone who might know a bit more about it than you do.

Are you now saying that musicians again deserve special treatment and people shouldn't be allowed this basic freedom/right?

And I'll ask it yet again, is the general public allowed to have an opinion without someone trying to sabotage their careers, but musicians aren't? Not buying their CDs is one thing, but this campaign stops just short of a vendetta IMO. And only because they had the audacity to speak their mind, just like anyone else is entitled to.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Jaguar Warrior

and Celine Dion, too!

Anyway, are you going to even bother answering my question, or should I stop paying attention to this thread?

Oh give me a break, I'm getting it from five or six different sides at once. Wait your turn!

[Imran Siddiqui]

And I'll ask it yet again, is the general public allowed to have an opinion without someone trying to sabotage their careers, but musicians aren't?

I dunno, why don't you go into work and start saying Hitler was right and the Holocaust was correct. You'll start to see plenty of people start to sabatoge your career, with you being fired soon enough.

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Willem


Oh give me a break, I'm getting it from five or six different sides at once.

I wonder why.

[Willem]

Originally posted by ravagon

Sometimes known as plain common sense.

Well yes, that certainly has been lacking on both sides of the issue.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Jaguar Warrior

I wonder why.

For simply feeling that fellow human beings, musicians in particular, are being unfairly and harshly treated. Sorry if that's a crime in your part of the world.

[Ming]

Originally posted by Willem
Music Business 101 Ming, maybe you should look into first before you try and ridicule someone who might know a bit more about it than you do.

Radio business 101... If people don't listen, you are out of business...

25 year as an advertising executive... I buy time on radio stations... but only on station people actually listen to.
Maybe you should look into something first before you try and ridicule someone who does know a bit more about it than you do

And I'll ask it yet again, is the general public allowed to have an opinion without someone trying to sabotage their careers, but musicians aren't?

Again... If you are a public figure, what you say in PUBLIC may effect your career. Broadcasters get fired all the time for saying things that the viewers don't agree with. Politicians go down in flames when they don't watch their mouths. All public figures live under the same microscope... and musicians should be treated differently?

And AGAIN... people have the right to boycott products/companies for not agreeing with some action on their part... you seem to be saying that musicians deserve different treatment than other suppliers of goods and services.

They don't...

[Willem]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

I dunno, why don't you go into work and start saying Hitler was right and the Holocaust was correct. You'll start to see plenty of people start to sabatoge your career, with you being fired soon enough.

So by trying to speak out against a war that they don't believe in, the Dixie Chicks are now at the same level as Hitler? Now that's tolerance!

[Ming]

Here you are whining because some radio stations won't play their music, and fans are boycotting their product in a visible fashion... and how they are trying to ruin a bands career...

Yet on the other hand... you are saying that radio stations should ruin themselves by playing stuff their listeners don't want to hear...

Again... a double standard on your part. Musicians are people too... They have to except what their actions bring them. Just like everybody else

[Willem]

Originally posted by Ming


Yet on the other hand... you are saying that radio stations should ruin themselves by playing stuff their listeners don't want to hear...

I'm saying that radio stations shouldn't be one of the first on the bandwagon. Some of them are even leading the parade. That's just down right sleezy in my books, especially when just a few days before they were drooling over the band. What the fans do is their business, but those radio stations should at least have the decency of not inciting their public, which some of them clearly are doing.