I've been denying for years that I actually enjoy country music. I always found that there were too many songs about hound dogs and riding horses and the joy and bliss of being a redneck. But I'm going to let out a secret... I don't even mind a lot of country music. And you could even say that I really like a bit of it. Possibly. Maybe.
A few weeks ago I asked a question in my Social Studies class: Is politics personal? Some of the students were a bit confused about what I meant by this, so I contextualized it a bit more and asked the question again: Is politics personal? I received a variety of reponses, some yes and some no... some fence-sitters as well (not surprisingly). But responses nonetheless.
I then played "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks. For anyone who knows the song and the recent events related to the band, you know about the controversy over the lead singer's comments about Bush on the eve of the invasion of Iraq. She publicly criticised Bush and his decision to invade Iraq while on stage in London, England, saying:
"... we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas."
Considering the political position of many (but not all) country music lovers in the U.S. (being of the right-wing conservative stream), this didn't exactly go over very well. Radio stations across the U.S. killed their airplay, and people started boycotting them, their concerts, and their music. They received threats, and nasty letters, and were mocked by other people in country music. This is also the time when patriotic symbolism in country music videos went through the roof. But "The Chicks" definitely ran into difficulties. This is where the song comes in.
After playing the song and reading off the lyrics to the class, I asked the question again: Is politics personal? There was still a variety of answers, but they had definitely changed. Most of the students had no idea this was going on at all. So we talked about it a little more, and discussed the nature of our rights to free speech, rights of consumerism and to buy what we want, and the right to personal safety. The conversation took on a whole
This is a long story that explains how I do actually enjoy some country music, and I've had the Dixie Chicks in my IPod for weeks now. I listen to "Not Ready to Make Nice" often. It's unbelievably scary to think about the extremes of personal conviction and the fear that some people need to instill in others in order to keep opinions from being shared. You see it in a variety of situations, but you don't often hear it as publicly.
I've actually always enjoyed some country, and even though I kicked up a fuss about it at home when my mom played it daily, I really don't minda lot of it. I've even attended some country shows (not that I had to pay money for them, but I still went). Does this mean I've got a pair of designer Wranglers on order and that I'm getting fitted for my Stetson next week? Not so much... I'd still take some good Kanye West over Toby Keith any day... but once in a while, Toby Keith may not be so bad.
- T
Oh yeah, I only have 4 more full days of teaching before Christmas holidays... weeeeee!
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