Natalie Maines Manifesto

Why do I hate Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks?
It’s not because of their music (I don’t have an opinion) and it’s not even because of her comments about President Bush (that she is ashamed that he is from Texas). I hate her because of the way she handled the subsequent fallout from that remark.
First, she reacted the way everyone who says something controversial reacts. She said “I didn’t plan it, it just came out.” Bullshit. And “I didn’t think it would become such a big deal.”
It’s clear that she felt this way personally, made the remark because she was trying to get over with a foreign audience and I do believe she never thought her comment would escape that venue, but she should have known better.
After her remarks started a big shitstorm in the U.S. a lot of the group’s former fans rebelled, protested their concerts, etc. She seemed shocked by this too. She even used the old free speech argument. Yes you have free speech, but that only protects you from being jailed by the government, and clearly she wasn’t assassinated or incarcerated for what she said. Free speech does not prevent people who dislike what you said from yelling back and calling you names, although the death threats were a bit too far.
The country audience they had once appealed to is very conservative and supportive of the President. She alienated them. That’s why they stopped buying their albums. And that’s why country music stations stopped playing their records.
When asked why their latest album wasn’t a huge commercial success one of the other Chicks said they don’t care because the most popular music usually isn’t very good. Does that mean their album that sold 10 million copies wasn’t very good? If so, maybe that’s why people didn’t buy the follow up.
And I feel bad for the other two girls in the group. It’s clear to me that they wish she hadn’t said what she said, and that they just want to let it go. But Maines refuses to let it die. The other night at the Grammys her acceptance speech consisted of a sinister laugh and a comment that millions of people turned off their TVs.
It was up to the other two girls to thank the deserving people.
And she seems to think that their recent accolades are in spite of the reaction to what she said, but in fact they’re because of what she said.
Before her anti-Bush remarks the Dixie Chicks were a country group. Then she alienated her core audience which allowed them access to a much broader audience. Plus, they got tons of free publicity because everyone in the media is so liberal. All the voters on these awards are Hollywood liberals, not country music fans.
At the Grammys she should have thanked President Bush.