Silencing the Left in Modern America

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Silencing the Left in Modern America

“Just so you know, we’re ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas.”

-- Natalie Maines on tour in England

The crowd erupted in cheers. Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks band had just excited two thousand fans in a small London club with her anti-Bush statement, only one week before American forces entered Iraq. The Dixie Chicks finished their concert riding the high of their audience’s support. Little did they know the trouble these fifteen words would cause. When Maines and the other Dixie Chicks, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, returned to their hotel in London later that week, their manager received a call informing them that the Associated Press found out what they had said. Their manager consoled them, “…don’t worry. It’s going to blow over in three days.” But it didn’t. Unwittingly, the Dixie Chicks found themselves in a maelstrom of angry political and social debate. Their country music fan base, predominantly conservative Americans, felt alienated by their statement. Opposition came in many forms: on the Internet, on the radio waves, on television, from individuals, and from corporations. The size and nature of the hostility to the Dixie Chicks and other celebrities is unprecedented. The boycotts, censorship, and threats all point to an alarming new trend arising from the latest war in Iraq.

During the 1950s, Americans held a deep-seated fear that all that they had fought for in World War II – namely, the freedom of the world from fascists – was being lost to the worldwide communist revolution. As a result, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was reestablished to monitor the behavior of radicals dangerous to the nation. Mostly us...

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...john_lennon.html>. 15 November 2004.

Kot, Greg. “Musicians’ protests of Iraq War create conflicts within industry.” Columbia Daily Tribune 30 March 2003 .

Krugman, Paul. “Dixie Chicks and Clear Channel Communications”. New York Times. 26 March 2003.

Lee, Zach. “Sticks and stones vs. opinions.” The Daily Cougar. Volume 68, Issue 124. 2 April 2003.

Maguire, Martie, Natalie Maines, and Emily Robison. Interview with Diane Sawyer. Primetime Thursday. ABC. New York. 24 April 2003.

“The Dixie Chicks Come Clean.” Entertainment. May 2003.

“What Music Stars Are Saying About The War In Iraq.” Radio One Global . 26 November 2004.

Wiener, John. Gimme Some Truth: The John Lennon F.B.I. Files. The University of California Press, Berkeley: 1999.

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