Praise for Madonna
Recently Madonna decided not to release anti-war video to promote her song "American Life." "It was filmed before the war started, and I do not believe it is appropriate to air it at this time," she said. "Due to the volatile state of the world and out of sensitivity and respect for our armed forces, who I support and pray for, I do not want to risk offending anyone who might misinterpret the meaning of this video."
Wow. A celebrity with sensitivity and concern for someone beside themselves. Whether or not you agree with the decision to go to war, once that decision has been made I believe we owe it to our troops to be nothing but supportive of their efforts to 1. honorably acquit themselves on the field of battle and 2. survive. We are not talking about the decisions George Bush has made anymore. Now it's about the 18-21 year olds, barely more than boys, fighting and risking their lives and in some cases dying. Whether you are fundamentally opposed to war in any form, or whether you are opposed to this particular war, that's a sacrifice that deserves our respect. Period.
One pundit claims Madonna did this in order to avoid becoming the next target of a boycott a la the Dixie Chicks. ('K. Now that was dumb.) Since when has Madonna given a rat's ass about anyone's opinions but her own? Madonna is worth millions. Hundreds of millions. Do you really think she's making music to make money? Get real.
In all fairness to celebrities everywhere, Madonna is not the only one who has "real" views about the world we live in. I must admit I was very impressed at the restraint shown at the Oscars. I expected there to be a lot more political grandstanding than there was. The one tactless boob who turned his acceptance speech into a political diatribe was actually booed. It's too bad that it's the tactless bores we hear from most and that more moderate voices don't make themselves heard a bit more often.