Shut Up and Sing: Free Speech and the Media

I recently came across the movie trailer for “Shut up and Sing”(see above video). This is a documentary on how the Dixie Chicks were attacked for expressing their negative feelings about the US president, George W. Bush. This controversy most likely gained so much attention because it was a direct statement about the president (most celebrities express their opinions through their music, for example). Also, the Dixie Chicks are from Texas and have many fans there. The people in the South were George W. Bush’s primary supporters; therefore they were not happy when the musicians they supported denounced the President. The media clearly took one perspective in this situation. They aired stories about the angry mobs, the radio stations that banned the Dixie Chicks, and the speeches by members of government. Many people in America share the views expressed by the Dixie Chicks; however their views or emotions about the controversy were not all over the news. This then gave the general public a negative impression of the group and their record sales declined significantly.


This presents the following questions; does free speech exist in our media and society? Does free speech only exist when it goes along with the views of the government, the media and society? And if so, then is it really FREE speech? Technically, anyone should be allowed to say what they want as long as it does not encourage violence or discriminate a specific group. Everyone should be entitled to their opinion. However, we live in a society where opinions that go against the norm can ruin a career or warrant death threats. This demonstrates how the image portrayed by media is affected by the government, and its impact on the opinions of the general public. When the media supports the censorship of free speech, they are in direct contradiction with what they should stand for. If the media refuses to support free speech, does this mark the end of free speech as we know it? Are we destined to only receive one pre-approved version of the truth? People should not be afraid to lose their careers or their lives because they have a contrasting opinion. Hopefully, the media has not scared people away from expressing themselves, because free speech is essential to the development of our society.

(link to youtube video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tD25wLywcDI)