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Proud to be...

Proud to be...

Date: Jun 26 2006

Intro

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The hallmark of country western music is its celebration of patriotism. Country western music videos are filled with images of the U.S. flag, soldiers leaving their families, and all sorts of Norman Rockwell-like images of small town America.

In fact, country western music may be the only American music genre that does not tolerate criticism of the United States. This differs from other music genres, such as hip hop, rock and – to a lesser degree – pop. Artists such as Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, U2 and many more have criticized certain aspects of the United States. But when criticism comes from a country western group, it causes controversy.

For the past few years, the Dixie Chicks have been stirring up controversy through their comments about U.S. President George Bush and American patriotism. Listen to Logan and Amanda talk about the Dixie Chicks.

Dialog

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Logan

Logan

Amanda

Amanda

Logan:  So, did you hear about the lead singer from the Dixie Chicks, she’s always been kind of like in the political spotlight since 2003 with the whole Bush thing. Have you heard about what she’s been saying about, ‘Why do you have to be patriotic? Why can’t you just be proud of where you’re from?’

Amanda:  I have, and she has taken a tough hit. Because, Dixie Chicks were all the rave, even for people that were not even country music fans.

Logan:  People loved them.

Amanda:  Yeah, I admit, too, I do not care for country music, generally speaking, and then the Dixie Chicks came out and it turned me, totally changed my mind about them.

Logan:  Mm hm.

Amanda:  And she took a tough, tough hit. Like you said, three years ago, before they opened and she said that she was embarrassed to be from the same place as President Bush. And there were country stations, and all the media, actually banning and boycotting them and their craft.

Logan:  Right.

Amanda:  Them as a band, their music…

Logan:  People said their sales were going to go down.

Amanda:  ...cd sales slacked.

Logan:  Exactly.

Amanda:  Absolutely. They had all these demonstrations down in Texas where they had bulldozers, and the fans were bulldozing over their cds and posters. It was crazy!

Logan:  They say, ‘If you’re from Texas, don’t…’

Amanda:  Don’t mess with Texas! That’s right.

Logan:  There you go.

 

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Discussion

During a concert in London in 2003, Dixie Chicks’ lead singer Natalie Maines said to the audience, “Just so you know, we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.” This comment stirred up a lot of criticism about the band. Many people in the U.S. boycotted Dixie Chicks albums, and some radio stations refused to play their music.

Last week, in an interview with a British newspaper, the Dixie Chicks complained about patriotism. They said that they do not understand why people are so patriotic. “You can like where you live and like your life,” they said. “But as for loving the whole country…I don’t see why people care about patriotism.”

Patriotism and nationalism are very similar, but different in an important way. Patriotism is more about the positive feelings you have for your own country, while nationalism includes the belief that your country is better than other countries.

 

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