Celebrity boycotts act against free speech

Bowling for Columbine” director Michael Moore has received
a lot of press lately because he referred to Bush as a
“fictitious president fighting a fictitious war” when
he accepted an Oscar last Sunday. Moore has since pointed out that
all the other documentary filmmakers in his category agreed to join
him on stage, even though they knew that Moore was going to lash
out. Moreover, many in the audience booed Moore’s naysayers
as he accepted his prize.

Recall a time when organizations were devoted to chastising
celebrities for their supposed anti-American sentiment. Remember
when right-winged Republicans led witch hunts, urging others to
boycott certain celebrities for their political beliefs. And
don’t forget the consequences: artists’ careers taking
nose dives because they did not hold the majority’s
viewpoints. To most, this is nothing more than a remembrance of the
McCarthy era, but these are all markers of the current political
climate in which many celebrities find themselves.

In fact, Moore and other celebrities have come under fire for
recent political activism or for simply making unpatriotic
statements. Much like the Red Scare, these are tenuous times when
fear can easily lead to hysteria. We must remember that
compromising our civil liberties puts us at risk of becoming the
same type of fascist regime to which we’re so vehemently
opposed.

On Feb. 9, 1950, General McCarthy made a speech in which he
claimed to have a list of 205 people in the State Department known
to be members of the American Communist Party. Over 320 people in
the entertainment industry who refused to name the supposed
communists were deemed anti-American by the House Committee on
Un-American Activities. Needless to say, their careers went into a
tailspin.

If history teaches us anything, the McCarthy era should have
taught us that such irrational finger-pointing causes more harm
than good. However, there has been a recent alarming trend in which
celebrities are being punished for exercising their civil
liberties.

Numerous Web sites have sprung up, such as celiberal.com or
boycott-hollywood.us, posting blacklists and criticizing
celebrities for being anti-American. And while these sites claim to
be tongue-in-cheek, some celebrities have felt very real effects.
United Way of Tampa canceled an upcoming event featuring Susan
Sarandon after getting dozens of complaints from donors and others
about the actress’ opposition to the war.

Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks proclaimed at a London
concert, “We’re ashamed that the president of the
United States is from Texas.” As a result, the Dixie Chicks
suffered public destruction of their CDs. What’s more, many
radio stations refused to play their music and some of their
sponsors backed out of agreements with the trio.

During a time of war, different rules apply. However, the
political fervor that times such as these generate often upstages
the very principles for which we’re fighting. I find it quite
disturbing that there is a growing belief that celebrities do not
have the right to express anti-war sentiment.

A posting on one of the Web sites containing a list of
anti-American celebrities commented on United Way’s
cancelation of the event featuring Susan Sarandon, writing,
“freedom of speech is something everyone in this country
enjoys. However, this is proof in point that exercising that right
does not insulate you from consequences of your speech.” In
essence, what this quote is saying is that any harm done to a
celebrity’s career as a result of his or her politics is
justified.

Another site urged its patrons to “stop buying or renting
their (anti-American celebrities’) movies, music albums,
books and products or services they endorse.”

This backlash against celebrities’ free speech isn’t
isolated to a few obscure Web sites. No doubt, there is ample
support for these Web sites.

One alarming statistic reveals that 68 percent of Americans want
celebrities to keep their opinions to themselves, harking back to a
time when a certain alcoholic general did his best to destroy
communist celebrities’ careers.

Respect for diverse opinions is one of the things that makes
this country so great. Once our rights and opinions are infringed
upon we begin to look less like a democracy and more like a police
state.

Those creating these lists of anti-American celebrities and
those boycotting entertainers argue that people in the public eye
should keep their mouths shut because their views do not reflect
majority opinion. The Oscar that Michael Moore took home for
“Bowling for Columbine” suggests otherwise.

Sizgorich is a fourth-year English student. E-mail her at
[email protected].