Hank Williams, Jr. vs. the Dixie Chicks

By Richard K. Barry

I can't believe I'm wasting keystrokes on Hank Williams, Jr., but I seem to be. Has there ever been a recording artist so devoid of talent who has simply crafted a career on the back of a famous family name? Well, okay, there was Frank Sinatra, Jr., and I'm sure there are others, but I digress.

You may recall that Williams' criticism of President Obama on a Fox News program last year led to ESPN dropping his "Monday Night Football" theme after 22 years. We know what his politics are and that's his business.

Anyway, he played to a crowd of nearly 8500 at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand last Friday night.

According to one report, the show went something like this:

For a good portion of the concert it seemed like Williams had moved beyond issues of politics and was putting the focus on the Bocephus party. But those made their way back into the show in a much more straightforward way later in the set.

Following the song “We Don’t Apologize For America” a chant of “USA, USA” broke out amongst the crowd. Williams smiled, telling the crowd that he was their mouth piece and adding:

“We’ve got a Muslim president who hates farming, hates the military, hates the US and we hate him."

Okay, the man is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's entitled to his opinions and I would normally pay no attention. I am reminded, however, how much of a fuss the right-wing kicked up when Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, and a native of Texas, made a disparaging comment about George W. Bush during a concert.

Specifically, at an event in London on March 10, 2003, during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, Ms. Maines said this:

Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.

I won't go into details about the over the top outrage from conservatives all over America, but, you may recall, it was intense. Some tried to suggest their concern was that the comments were made on foreign soil, but I don't think so.

What's the difference? It seems obvious to me that this is another example of that legitimacy thing. Conservatives believe that a conservative president represents the idea of America and any criticism is an attack on the ideals of the nation, however they frame them. An attack on a liberal president is apparently okay because he or she has no right to the job in the first place, certainly, they would say, Obama doesn't.

The Dixie Chicks expressed opposition to a war that was both unnecessary and has been disastrous, as well as their personal opposition to the man who made it happen. Williams' comments, stupid as they were, are in a different category of obnoxiousness all together, though there will be no backlash.

Partly, I'll admit,  there will be no backlash because when the Dixie Chicks made their comments they were at the top of their game as an immensely talented and popular group with a politically diverse fan base, and Hank Williams, Jr. is a hack with fans as stupid as he is.

The comparative response is still interesting.

As I recall, the Chicks made their comment just before performing this song:



(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)