Dixie Chicks vs Bush

The mass media is a strong force in the fabric of American society. In our social upbringing we are constantly molded by sounds or images portrayed in the media. In this case I will discuss the controversy of the Dixie Chicks. At a concert in Europe, the lead singer Natalie Maines made a comment about being ashamed of the President being from Texas (their home state). In return the group suffered greatly materially and metaphorically. As news spread to the US about the comment made at the concert, the group began to be described as sluts or anti-American. This in fact was false. The group had a right to voice their opinion just as any other American citizen has. The sad thing was unfortunately they aren’t everyday American citizens and so paid a price for their actions.
The thought of mass media being the root of all evil is commonly thought of by the American public; however it’s not so clear here in this situation. The threat of big conglomerates to enforce their views and opinions on the public is apparent in most economists which is then passed on to the public. In reality it’s not so simple for this to take place; in Clear Channel’s position in the Dixie Chicks controversy there was a conflict of interest to take into account. Even if they wanted to cut the airtime of the group’s music to show patriotic support, they could not because they were also promoting the group’s upcoming American concert tour. In fact Clear Channel radio stations were the last to stop playing Dixie Chicks music on the radio. Also, I think it is important to note that even though their music may not be played on the radio anymore the amount of people who listen to their music or are fans of the group has not changed since the beginning of this controversy.