Re: barr roseanne? No, Skin sinead

[greg@Viewlogic.COM (Gregory Larkin)]

In article <9008280119.AA16116@hydra.unm.edu> you write:
|> Really-From: Lazlo Nibble <lazlo@hydra.unm.edu>
|> 
|> Excuse me?  What local custom?  What ego trip?

	The local custom of playing the national
	anthem before any event at the arena in
	question.

|> 
|> I've never been to a single concert where the National Anthem was played
|> beforehand -- it may be a custom at baseball games or Willie Nelson's
|> Fourth Of July Picnic, but it sure isn't a custom at rock concerts in
|> this part of the country.  (Maybe New Jersey is different.)

	So why does a rock concert have to be any different than any
	other type of gathering?  Does a rock performer automatically
	get the right to change things as they see fit?  Maybe Sinead
	has more to say than, say, a Japanese baseball team, but if
	either one of them comes to our country, wouldn't it simply be
	courtesy on either of their parts to respect the wishes of 
	their hosts?  This country has a sad history of bigotry against
	almost every nationality on Earth, and incidents such as these
	will continue it.
|> 
|> Sinead is perfectly within her rights to refuse to have her concert
|> prepended with "The Star Spangled Banner", just as you're within your
|> rights to boycott or unburden yourself of her music if she does so.
|> But, quite frankly, I think that the people who are protesting her "ego
|> trip" (some ego trip -- God forbid that an artist exercise any control
|> over the presentation of her work) are being jingoistic, idolatrous
|> fools.

	The funniest thing about this is that if an
	American performer were to travel to Europe and do the same
	thing, the performer would probably be criticized as 
	another "ugly American" by the Europeans, and with good
	reason.
	After traveling to Europe recently, I can tell you from
	experience that there are many "ugly Americans" over there
	and we should be doing as much as we can to foster respect
	between all countries.  I am not as outraged as you might 
	portray me to be, Lazlo; I just think that Sinead should,
	as an international personality, strive to promote respect
	among people.  Highly visible people should always be 
	conscious of their actions.  Lazlo, you don't sound like
	the kind of person who forms stereotypical opinions, but
	I'm certain that someone less educated than yourself could
	look at this incident and form some incorrect opinions 
	and make sweeping generalizations about other rock performers,
	or the Irish people, or whatever.
|> 
|> There are a lot of knee-jerk patriots floating around this country
|> lately.  Are these folks going to demand American flags on both sides
|> of the stage at concerts next?  Pledges of Allegiance by the band
|> before every show?  Red-white-and-blue fireworks shows after every
|> encore?  Are people just considered worthless scum in this country
|> nowadays unless they spend more time cowtowing to the symbols of
|> "America" than they do protecting and utilizing the rights and freedoms
|> those symbols allegedly represent?

	I think you are getting a little out of hand in your
	condemnation of anyone who disagrees with Sinead in 
	this matter.  Obviously, flags and the Pledge of
	Allegiance are not commonplace in most concert venues
	in the United States, but certainly it would not harm
	you or any performer if they were.  Anyone who objected
	to displays of your so-called "knee-jerk" patriotism
	could simply wait and enter the concert after the
	two minute offense to their individualism.  I didn't
	say that I would like for all concert halls to be
	tributes to the American fight for independence, I
	just said that if a particular area has a custom,
	then it should not be disturbed.

--
Greg Larkin (ASIC Engineer)
Viewlogic Systems, Inc. (The CAE Company)
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