Dixie Chicks and Dear Mr. President

Anytime I foray into popular culture I am at a disadvantage because I am by choice out of touch with much of what is going on these days as most of it is a cesspool and something that I choose to avoid at all costs. This is not to say I am not aware of what is going on via the news (like I know that Paris Hilton went to jail but have no idea why she is such a part of our culture) but much of what is popular is just not on my radar.

So I am perusing the music videos "On Demand" and I see something called "Dear Mr. President" by the "artist" Pink and since it had some sort of political overtones I watched it. All I can say is where the hell are the folks that had it in for the Dixie Chicks and why did I not hear about anyone having an issue with this song? The lyrics go something like this:

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
...
What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine

All the Dixie Chicks did was make some statement in a concert in West London about being ashamed that President Bush was from Texas. Note that I am ashamed that the Dixie Chicks are from America but I digress. Pink is singing this song all over Europe (in fact the video that I watched was from her "Live From Wembley" dvd. Where is the outrage over what I would say is a more damning statement that what the Dixie Chicks said (note the Iraq War, hatred of gays and past drug use references). Where was the backlash from this song?

This should say something about what is going on in this country and what the artists that kids are listening to believe and are saying openly at concerts and albums. First off, it should be obvious that anyone who believes that President Bush is cracking down on free speech should see something like this and realize that is a load of crap. Pink as an "artist" gets to say what she wants about the President and I wonder how many supporters of the President buy this crap for their kids? Do we even know what kids are listening to?

Final thought. Joe Rothstein, writing on the website US Politics Today notes:

"I'm traveling in Europe. And everywhere I go I hear Pink's song, "Dear Mr. President."
In France. In Germany. In the Czech Republic. Everywhere.
It's constantly on the radio. You hear it in small shops. People talk about it. Young and old. The song has captured the continent.
...
What does it mean that this song's so popular in Europe? What does it mean?'

Yes - what does it mean? It means that artists like Pink are saying things about the President which play into the preconceived notions of most of the Europeans (or at least fans of hers) - that he hates gays, is lazy, is a war monger and of course is a drunk and an drug user. Why not throw in a reference like "Bush = Hitler" or something like that - really drive the point home. Parents be wary of what you bring into your home.

Maybe I should pen a nice song called "Dear Mrs. Pink"? Or is it "Ms."?

My guess is the fans of Pink are not as patriotic and US loving as the Dixie Chicks' fans are but I wonder if Natalie Maines is sitting in her mansion wondering why Pink got off so easy. I am too.

Outspoken Roman