After watching "Shut Up and Sing," what are your thoughts on the Dixie Chicks? Were they the victims or victimizers? What kind of inductive or deductive reasoning played out in this movie? Any noticeable fallacies?
What do you feel is the ultimate goal of the Dixie Chicks in shooting "Shut Up and Sing?" What was their purpose in creating this documentary?
55 comments:
After watching "shut up and sing" by Dexie Chicks,I considered their words like that of the prophet.At thesame time,I try to imagine the type of courage the artists have. Also,I think about how sensitive and critical they were in their comments about President Bush's Administration.Well,I think they grabed enough information about Iraq war before the truth of the whole story unfolded.This's why I'm not suprise about people's initial reaction becuase the Administration fooled them.In fact in the event,they were victims because all the accusation the media and pro-Bush leveled against them turn out to fasle.
I think Dixie Chicks employed method of iductive reason while investigating Iraq war.This explains why they weren't making guesses becuase with metod of induction,they arived at most reliable information about the war.
In any case,there are fallacies like,Hasty generalization made by the media.Example is Bill O'rally's comment which revealed how he made conclusion with little information about the whole situation.Prejudial language also existed during media's analysis on the issue.Fallacy of word ambiguity also occured when the Artists used abriviated words or terms like FUDC which wasn't clearly defined to their audience.And personal attack, which occured as they direct their comments to President Bush.Example is comment like: I"m ashemed that the President came from my State, Texas".
In the movie, I think Dexie Chiks's goal is to defend thier values in order to make sure that the truth about the war is unfolded.That's why they didn't allow people to buy them over with $26 million.And their purpose of creating the documentry is to show how selfish and unreliable some politicians can be.
Where to begin? I found this documentary extremely powerful. I have great respect for each of the Dixie Chicks and their determination to not back down or shut up.
In my opinion they were neither "victims" or "victimizers". They group, annever once took a stance of being victims of their circumstance, nor did they attack or retaliate in any way. As a group, they had the backbone and the strength to stand up for what they believed in and not cater to outside opinion. They stood fiercely behind the freedom to speak and artistically express themselves, regardless of how others reacted. They did not recoil and go away quietly either.
Addtionally, when the death threat was made toward Natalie, they as a group, made a conscious decision to go out and sing. Natalie and the band held to their convictions even in the face of tremendous adversity. I have often asked myself if there is anything I feel strongly enough about to die for? It was clear to me that Natalie was willing to put her life on the line knowing that she could possibly die as a result.
The Dixie Chicks, and specifically their manager, Simon Renshaw, used a lot of "inductive reasoning" throughout the film. They repeatedly came together to look at the facts, the data, and drew conclusions about what to do based on the information made available to them. Furthermore, through observation, the audience came to their conclusions and formed opinions about the nature of their character as a whole entity.
Sadly, I believe that a number of those who expressed disdain for the Dixie Chicks used them as scapegoats for their own peronsal frustrations. In my view, many of the people expressing hatred were the underdogs. Many of them appeared to me to be from the south, working class white folks who saw the fight as a platform to vent their own feelings of dismissal or insignificance.
The Dixie Chicks were attacked more times than I can count. Fallacies were thrown about like toxic confetti. When Pat Buchanan said: "they are bimbos", I felt the hair stand up in anger. The comment he made was clearly one of "personal attack." Another example of a fallacy was during a discussion between the band and their manager, Simon said: "Tracy Lawrence is a wife beater and was given another shot." Here, I see the use of "pointing to another wrong" fallacy because making a reference to the actions of another in this instance had nothing to do with the Dixie Chicks or the matters at hand.
Finally, I am not exactly sure what the "ultimate goal" was in the band making the documentary. If it was to make themselves vulnerable and to let the general public have a better idea as to what the whole situation meant for them; the film was very effective in doing so. I think they wanted to have the opportunity to let us in and show their process as a way of humaninizing the whole experience. Also, as a viewer, I was given a wider perspective and insight as to what really happened to them.
As a result, my respect and admiration for them has grown ten-fold. They will be added to my collection of the others who have made themselves known with great artistry and integrity.
The Dixie Chicks made history during a volatile time and came out intact with greater conviction and strength. I can only hope the same for myself and anyone else who would face this level of adversity with such dignity.
I could easily continue on as y'all can probably see, I have strong feelings about this film. However,I better stop here, and leave room for others to have a turn to talk.
May all of our voices have the freedom to be heard...
Lisa
The Dixie Chicks are a talented country band. Even though the media attempted to destroy them, the Dixie Chicks still continued to expand their career. The Dixie Chicks were the victims because they were ruined because of a small comment they made about George Bush. There is supposed to be freedom of speech in this country. However, when one attempts to speak freely, he/she is always afflicted. Right when the Dixie Chicks were rising to the top, the media put a hault to their success because of the comment on Bush. the Dixie Chicks public image was ruined. The amounts of money the Dixie Chicks were getting went down. All of this because of a comment made. The words spoken were not even slander towards Bush. The type of deductive reasoning one saw was when the media took the comment the Dixie Chicks made, and they attempted to expire the Dixie Chicks. There was also inductive reasoning in the film when the Dixie Chicks painted there bodies, and posed for the magazine. There were a large amount of bandwagon fallacies, and red herring fallacie. The media used bandwagon fallacies everyday when they reported on the Dixie Chicks. The ultimate goal of the Dixie Chicks is to let everyone know what really happened after they made the comment about Bush. The Dixie Chicks want the world to see how even though we have rights, people with power can take that power away. The Dixie Chicks goal is to also make individuals aware that the government can ruin a person.
Hi Lisa,
I think at the end of the day, the word freedom should really be analyzed. This film has shown that we are not truly free to speak our minds, at least about some people. That is one of the biggest fallacies of our society, freedom and the other is privacy. Those have been long gone and we are just catching up to what has been taken away. The Dixie Chicks and Don Imus show that we are not free to say exactly what we think.
Hi everyone,
One more thing, I loved the picture on the magazine. It was the total embodiment of all the group had experienced, value assumptions, hasty generalizations and unwarranted assumptions. The picture was a fact- a representation of what was true and real in their lives. A summary of what they had experienced and perhaps to a certain degree were still dealing with. Life can truly be harsh.
After watching the Dixie Chicks documentary I was able to identify a few fallacies throughout the movie. The first fallacy was band waging an example of this would be when all the radio stations refused to play the Dixie chicks music after Natalie’s statement about Bush, than so called fans followed by dumping their Dixie chick’s albums away and held protest and rallies. Next Personal attack was when Natalie said "I am ashamed that the President came from my state Texas." Also there were many personal attacks aimed at the Dixie chicks but the one that stands out to me when some man called them "bimbos."
The Dixie Chicks were victims of how the media can take what you said and turn around and use it against you to make a mockery out of you. Even though the Dixie Chicks were victims they still stood up for what they believed in which was "Freedom of Speech." Also in the end they came out on top and better than before because they did not back down or let the media overshadow them and the funny part is that at the end of the movie Natalie stated her comment about Bush again and received applause and standing ovations.
Both inductive and deductive reasoning was shown throughout the film. An example of inductive reasoning was when the media tried to but a stop to the Dixie Chicks career which turned out to be false. An example of deductive is the entertainment weekly magazine cover that the Dixie Chicks did. Finally the Dixie Chicks main goal was to show that you should stand up for what you believe in.
Sandye, I agree with you that we are not free to speak our minds. Every time a person speakshis/her mind, he/she gets the short end of the stick. The United States constitution states that we have freedom of press, along with freedom of speech. That is not the case though. The constitution is blurry, and not solid.
Sandye,I agree with what you said.Truely,citizens have limited freedom to speak out their minds.Dexie Chick is a classic example because if truely, we have the right to say our minds,no one would prosecute them for expressing their feelings.
Hi Sandye,
I think it is interesting you put Don Imus and the Dixie Chicks in the same sentence regarding the issue of "freedom of speech." In my opinion, they are two completely different discussions to be had. While it is true that each of these scenarios involved words that were expressed in the public domain, they can hardly be compared.
Additionally, freedom is just as much a matter of one's perspective as it is regarding what one is allowed in this great land of ours. And, you're right, the film explores the fact that people are not "free" to say what they want to say in a variety of circumstances.
Furthermore, on the other side, I believe "freedom of speech" gets thrown around a lot in response to someone making a truly hateful comment about a person or a group of people. For example, I hear offensive words on the radio daily, and the retort is often, "freedom of speech."
Yes, I agree the word "freedom" in and of itself could stand some thorough analyzing. I imagine it means something different to just about everyone.
Thanks for your post,
Lisa
Lisa,
Thank you for recommending this DVD to Ms. Wanzo. Your post displays your passion for the Dixie Chicks and everything they endured over the years. I agree that their manager used inductive reasoning to assist them to move forward in their career. Natalie and the group took a very high risk placing their lies in harms way. I don't know if I am strong enough to do the same thing. Hopefully, no one we know will have to make that choice.
I believe that the Dixie Chicks were neither victims nor victimizers. Natalie Maines’s statement, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas," was a comment made while the Chicks were touring in Europe. As she said over and over in the documentary the comment was not planned. Natalie made the comment at the spurt of the moment. She did not know that her comment would cause such a stir. I believe Natalie would have done nothing different. She was very outspoken in the documentary and I believe that is her true nature.
I noticed inductive reasoning when Sony Music Company was worried about the Dixie Chicks new album not selling after Natalie Maines’s controversial statement. I also noticed inductive reasoning when the extra steps in security were taken due to death threats made against the Dixie Chicks. The other members of the Dixie Chicks also used inductive reasoning when they did not comment on Natalie’s comment.
Deductive reasoning was used in this syllogism; Natalie Maine is unpatriotic. Natalie Maine is a Dixie Chick. The Dixie Chicks are unpatriotic. I believe this is a good example of deductive reasoning in this film.
The main fallacy I saw in the documentary was the fallacy of appeal to bandwagon. Natalie used this when she said, “Your either with us, or against us.” This was also used when radio stations pulled their music from their play lists, conservative political commentators organized boycotts and protests against the groups sprung up almost over night. I also noticed personal attacks when Toby Keith called Natalie ignorant and said she was not a songwriter. Natalie used circular reasoning when she said’ “We don’t support the president, but we support the troops.
A fallacy of inductive reasoning in the documentary I noticed was when a politician had said’ “When entertainers’ step into politics it could be bad for business.” This was a false cause.
I believe the ultimate goal of the Dixie Chick’s in this film was to show how speaking against a popular momentum could get you into trouble. The popular momentum was the president of United States during a time of high popularity. The Dixie Chicks purpose in releasing this movie, I believe was to show how you could be in high favor one minute and a traitor the next.
I totally agree with Jonathan when he said, “The Dixie Chicks wanted the world to see how even though we have rights; people with power can take that power away.” This has been shown throughout history not only in the United States, but worldwide. The only real difference between our country and the rest of the world is that a person in another country could be killed, or locked up forever for speaking out against the government. In America we tend to forgive and forget. This was shown in the film.
Hi Joy,
I appreciate what you said regarding the "band wagon" fallacy for sure. There was so much fallacious behavior from the start to end of the film. It was if this particular fallacy was contagious. One organization the "Free Public" got the train going regarding banning the Dixie Chicks and just about anybody was willing to jump on. From the radio stations, to the common person on the street, to the most ardent fan; all seemed to join into the campaign against the group.
I really liked it too when Natalie made the same comment about Bush on stage and it was sort of tongue in cheek and all in fun to a roaring applause. I agree with you that they made a strong statement about standing up for what you believe in. I hope I show the same respect to myself. It showed great inner strength from each of them. When they won six or eight times at the last music awards, I felt they were vindicated, and all I could do was cry with joy!
Thanks for your post,
Lisa
Remembering back when all the chaos happened; I couldn’t understand why was it so terrible that an artist viewed their opinion publicly, as artists typically do anyway. When southern white America started overreacting; I was shocked, like wow, they act like that toward their own kind? I couldn’t believe it; I’ve only seen them act that way towards blacks and other minorities. I thought no one was safe from their violent ignorance. But later I understood more once journalists and other government officials tried to articulate the anger the country music listeners felt; I guess they felt since they put Bush in office and he was a “good ole boy” that they had been betrayed by their own. I wonder if it were a person of color that said the same comment would there had been the same uproar if any at all?
Any noticeable fallacies, yes everyone we discussed in Thinking for yourself, plus more. The bandwagon fallacy is the one that stood out the most. Most of the people didn’t know what was actually said; they just smashed, burned and destroyed the CDs because everybody else was doing it. Anti-American, rather than Anti-Bush or Anti-Oil or Anti-Bush Greed, the people held the singing group in contempt.
Their purpose of the Dixie Chicks was to uphold FREEDOM OF SPEECH. This right is often lost when war is on the line of what the heck we are SUPPOSED to be fighting for. These girls had to stay strong together. They had to make sure their careers were safe, their message was clear. And, their ultimate message was, American speaks of freedoms that aren’t free, but when someone feels differently from the masses we’re taking away the very freedom we’re suppose to give them. It happens all the time.
After watching “Shut up and sing”, by the Dixie Chick; I got angry because the Dixie Chick was persecute it. When only one member of the band name Natalie Maines spoke how she feels about W.G.B who is the president of the United State. Natalie comment wasn’t all that bad to me. All she said,” That she was a shame that W.G.B was from Texas and that she didn’t agree with the war in Iraq”. Her statement was what a lot of people felt about the war. That why I didn’t make any sense to me. That the media make a big deal about it; there was even a world wide protest going on at that time. For the Dixie Chick to be persecute by the medias was a much bull and for there so call fans jump on the bandwagon by throw away their music of on television. They only show themselves to be followers.
I’m glad the Dixie Chick put this movie out. It let everyone know that they can, themselve be persecute it they speak out against someone that the media likes and, it also everyone know that they are not really free in American.
Hi,Kash
I agree with you when you said,” American speaks of freedoms that aren’t free, but when someone feels differently from the masses we’re taking away the very freedom we’re suppose to give them. ”(para3k)I couldn’t say better than what you stated in your response about how you felt about the Dixie Chick movie “Shut up and sing” !Way to go
Lukwana- I really understand what you’re saying. Despite the communities convictions of Natalie, the entire group sacrificed their careers to stand their ground in that freedom of speech is vital to American life.
After watching "Shut Up and Sing" I was wondering anyone who didn't know them very much and know what happened about them and what their thought? After watching this movie, do Dixie Chicks gave you some respect or do they just fool around with you? However, personally after I watch this movie, I listened their popular songs and I really enjoyed it but other than that I didn't know anything about them.
But I still have a lots of respect of them when they courageous exercising of their freedom of speech because they are sample of America (freedom of speech) So, since you know more about them and you might have more respect to them.
Also, there are several emotion moment in this movie, such as when they sing in the studio, you might not know the song name but the music can give you some emotion and powerful music.
Hello - Lukwana and Alestri
I understand both feeling of about Dixie Chicks, Lukwana said got angry because the Dixie Chicks was persecute it and Alestri said got a great respect for each of the Dixie Chicks because their determination to not back down or shut up. Well, Dixie Chicks just gave their own freedom of speech as American they can say anything of they want, either you are their fans or not, support them or not. They might give you a feeling as respect or angry, however this is a freedom of speech and this is America (style)
This documentary about the Dixie Chicks seemed to me to be an explanation to the fans of their intent, which was not to harm and to explain the predicament they got themselves in and to show the world that it did not beat them.
This was an excellent example of how Natalie’s inductive reasoning was ahead of her time. Natalie had observed the circumstances surrounding the war and reviewed the patterns and her theory was that this war was uncalled for. To me the only problem was the timing of the statement; it was when President Bush’s approval rating was at an all time high. He had everyone on the bandwagon with his war stories and his appeal to fear and other emotions to get the American public to agree with his action to start a war. At this time Natalie’s comment was received very negatively and considered Un-American. The fact that she was out of the country did not help, we like to keep our dirty laundry at home and under the rug.
I think the government, used this opportunity to further their cause. These “Chicks” were perfectly positioned and did the wrong thing at the right time to effectively promote Bush’s cause.
The movie itself was an appeal to the emotion; it seemed that they were trying to evoke sympathy for their cause especially since it turned out that they were not wrong.
It was interesting to see the public sentiment turn on the “Chicks” from great and Emmys to Un-American and death threats. The continual poisoning of the well by the media did not help the cause, they just seemed to fan the fire and keep it burning each time it settled down.
I believe that Natalie and the group was a victim of ignorance. Natalie had no clue of the influence that the comments she made could have, so this turned out to be a learning experience. Lesson #1 is that Freedom of Speech is an ambiguous statement and to be very careful of what you say and not so much what you say , but about WHO. I do not think it would have been as much a problem if it were the Mayor or Governor. Lesson #2 is one perceived move and all that you have built in your career and life can be ruined, no matter how sorry you are and Lesson #3 is even if you are right, make sure you are ready to endure all of the fall out and consequences.
In conclusion, Natalie performed sound inductive reasoning that was later proven deductive reasoning. Unfortunately she was ahead of her time and the timing proved to be nearly fatal to their careers.
I enjoyed the fact that the “Chicks” did not let this setback stop them and did what came naturally to them and that was music. They are wonderful musicians and that will take them back to where they need to be if they “Shut up and Sing”.
I wondered where my comment was, unfortunately I posted it on the other page. OOPs.
Hi Kash,
The comment you made about everyone in the group sacrificing for the error of one person. They also never spoke against her in public or private. I believe she was also a bit arrogant in her constant stand and I was totally floored when she made the comment in the end. It made me wonder if she was ready to make the type of sacrifice of their career they just experienced? Or was she just making a point?
Hi Lisa,
To clarify my statment using the Dixie Chicks and Don Imus. The issue to me was that both thought they were free to say what they said as guaranteed by the Right to Free Speech. Please be clear my issue was not with what they said but with freedom of speech. That would make a wonderful argument. Where has free speech gone? Is there such a thing as privacy? It is really interesting how we are slowly losing these rights.
sandye i agree with you because i also feel that we only have freedom of speech to a certin extent AND WE DO GET PUNISHED when do speak are mind
my thoughts on dixie chicks was that i really didnt care cause im not a really big fan. i thought they all have huge hearts because they stood together though the hearest time in their caeer.
they were the victums to everybody who loved bush at that time but for me i didnt care when they daid that cause i feel the same way.
the purpose to me is that the dixie chicks created this movie because they wanted people know that they dont have to be affraid to say what ever they want even if half the world is going to have you.
I thought the Dixie Chicks are very strong and smart after watching “Shut Up and Sing”. In the film, from the beginning they were the victims; but at the end, they were victimizers.
Obviously, they used inductive and deductive reasoning. Every time they on the meeting or discuss something were based on the empirical of inductive reasoning. Their manager would collect some blogs and data from internet and media. They would assume the point of public view about them. Moreover, the media, radio and politicians used deductive reasoning to attack the Dixie Chicks after Natalie said the common about President Bush. Actually, she says it because she is anti-war, yet she is not anti-America and anti-troop. But media, radio and politician use it as a weapon to against and destroy them.
Appeal to bandwagon is a kind of fallacy that often used in the film. For instant, The audients whatever they like the Dixie Chicks or not, they were fooled around by the fallacy. Some of them even didn’t know what happen; they just follow the most popular public opinion. They burned and destroyed the Dixie Chick’s CD. Furthermore, the poisoning the well was displayed in the film. Why the radio refuse to play the Dixie Chicks music although their songs were wonderful at that time. The Dixie Chicks were against by what they said; and then whatever they say or do will be wrong and distrusted.
I think this film goal is that they wanted to prove they’ve never mistake about their common to President Bush; and they try to fight back to media, radio and politicians. They really did “whatever you do for me, I do the same to you.” At the end, they did very well and smart to use public opinion to win this fight.
Hi Sandye and Jonathan,
America’s exceptional status as freedom speech nation is being challenged by those day. As an immigrant from the country that doesn’t allow people have freedom of speech as me, I assumed that the United Stated would be the most freedom country in the world. The Dixie Chick’s issue is a very good example that really impact on me. I agree freedom of speech is not actually free now. Sometime, we get to pay whatever we said.Indeed,the freedom of speech just as Jonathan says that “The constitution is blurry, and not solid."
Hi Sandye and Jonathan,
I agree with you both because the constitution is limited when "FREEDOM OF SPEECH" is invovled. Just look at Natilie she was voicing her opinion about the president Bush just because she is a celebrity she caught hell behind what she said. Overall the consitiution should be revised to say "you have the freedom of speech but if you say something that others think is offensive you'll catch hell."
After watching "shut up and sing" by the Dixie Chicks, I thought it took a lot of heart to say something like that about the president. Before watching this film I never heard of the Dixie Chicks, but it reminded me of Barry Bonds, even though there two different situations. I say this becuase even though Bonds tested negative for steriods, the media and baseball fans still victimized him. And even after Natalie apology to the president, they also were still victims.
There were a lot of fallacies, but the two that stood out of to me were Hasty Generalization and Bandwagon. Hasty Generalization was made by the media and ex-fans of the group. Bandwagon came across when all the radio stations refused to play the Dixie chicks music after Natalie's statement and people followed by dumping the Dixie Chicks albums away.
They believed and stood up for "Freedom of Speech." The inductive reasoning in the film that I seen was when the Dixie Chicks painted there bodies and posed for the magazine.
I guess the goal of the of the film was to show how things really happen after the comment was made about the president and to show how people with power can take our rights away.
I agree with Jonathan and Sandye, we are not truly free to speak our minds, and this film truly proves it.
After watching the Dixie Chicks, I realized one needs to be careful about what they say in public because some people will take offense as well as misunderstand what is said. For an entertainer, there are consequences when their statement(s) are viewed politically incorrect. It doesn’t mean that they can’t speak their mind but it could results in opposition.
I believe the Dixie Chicks are the victims because of they questioned a value assumption where Natalie made a negative statement about President. She publicly said she didn’t support President Bush’s decision regarding the Iraq War and she is ashamed to say he is from Texas. An inductive reasoning that comes to mind is Natalie’s statement (above) on how she’s against the war. She based her conclusion on the anti-war rally observations. The deductive reasoning that played out was the Dixie Chicks viewed all this media coverage as more publicity. Publicity stimulates pubic interest for the group even though it wasn’t positive interest in the beginning but over the years and as Bush’s popularity poll declined, they were victorious and even joked about saying the same statement in London where everything began.
There were several fallacies but most apparent one is appeal to bandwagon. Folks in Texas said they would stop purchasing and listening to their music. While the radio stations jumped on the bandwagon and boycott the Dixie Chicks’ music.
I believe their main goal in producing this movie was to inform the public that everyone has a voice and it only take one voice to begin the process where we as citizens of this country can question the government’s actions. However, there were several messages in their movie but I’ll point only a couple of them. The first message is to go ahead and take the risk to follow your beliefs. The next message is your family and friends are your support system (your life line) when things are at its low point; one must hold on tight to that life line and over time things will work out.
Sandye-
I too think Natalie was a bit arrogant; she continually voiced her unwanted opinion. But, like one of the girls said, they would have never had so much publicity. You know in that business there is no such thing as bad publicity.
Sandye-
I too think Natalie was a bit arrogant; she continually voiced her unwanted opinion. But, like one of the girls said, they would have never had so much publicity. You know in that business there is no such thing as bad publicity.
I thought that the documentary of “Shut Up and Sing” was really interesting. I believe that the purpose for the Dixie Chicks to do this documentary was to let people get in their world and see what they see.
I don’t think that the Dixie Chicks were neither victims nor victimizers, I just think that they said what they felt and everyone responded to their comment whether to agree or disagree. However, some people went overboard when they threatened Natalie’s life. I mean it wasn’t that serious.
In this documentary there was a lot of “inductive reasoning” because they based a lot of decision off of observations. I also heard a lot of fallacies, such as the “personal attack” and “slippery slope” fallacies. In many television programs the Dixie Chicks, especially Natalie, were called “Dixie Sluts” and “Bimbos,” which is clearly a personal attack. Also, the media and many American people who disagreed with Natalie’s comment said that because they were against Bush, then that would mean they were against America. This is clearly a sign of the “slippery slope” fallacy.
I thought this documentary was a good way to open people’s eyes to question whether or not we really have freedom of speech in this country. Anyway, I applaud the Dixie Chicks for standing up for what they believe.
Hey Jonathan,
I thought your comment on this post was interesting especially when you wrote, "The Dixie Chicks want the world to see how even though we have rights, people with power can take that power away." I was kind of thinking the same way when I was watching the documentary. It is interesting what a person could go through, like the Dixie Chicks, just for having a different opinion than those with power. Good observation.
The Dixie Chicks movie was real good. I remember the incident and recall the phrase “we’re ashamed Bush is from Texas”. My reaction was “wow these girls will say what’s on their mind” given the fact that most of the south where they are famous are republicans. Of course my theory was right when the backlash occurred all in the south. The burning of CD’s over a free speech comment went way too far. I learned about who they were and what they stand for. This actually got me to download some of there music.
Having the radio stations and fans turn their backs on them, the Dixie’s were victims of freedom of speech being denied. In the United States the media and fans somehow forgot that people are entitled to have their own opinion. The opinion may not be what others want to hear, however it’s an opinion.
The inductive reasoning pattern here occurred before the Diane Sawyer interview. The Dixie’s and there manager were writing down some questions that they knew Diane Sawyer was famous for, might ask. The Dixie’s also began to pre determine answers to these. Statistics and probability occurred during the ticket sales. The Dixie’s assumed that since some of their shows sold out in the past and their South Carolina show was successful, ticket sales would not be a problem. This did not occur since sales were very slow in many markets.
The bandwagon fallacy is very obvious in most of the movie. After the comment the press reported that the Dixie’s were turning their back on America. This in turn caused many people in the south to jump on the bandwagon that the Dixie’s turned there back on the USA. People began protesting at the concerts and burning there music and posters in designated public areas. Appeal to false authority is when people assumed and commented the Dixie’s hated the USA by being ashamed Bush is from Texas.
The goal here was to show the right to freedom of speech. In the chaos, the Dixie’s stuck to their guns about their opinion, while the media and fans just tried to bury them. The twenty six million dollar offer not to tour turned down, did not make the Dixie’s lose track of who they were.
The purpose of the Dixie’s making the movie is to show that we are entitled to free speech and have a right to express an opinion. The Dixie’s never lost sight of who they are or changed for the sake of pleasing the media.
Dear Alestri
Very nice article written about the Dixie Chicks. I have to agree with you about Natalie’s decision to go on stage with the death threat. Natalie made the conscious decision going on with the show, and not letting the threat scare her away or quit the Dixie’s all together.
I agree with what Jonathan is saying. We supposedly have freedom of speech to say what we want to say, but it seems like when one tries to utilize that right, there is a big controversy. Freedom of speech allows us to say what we want to say and how we want to say it, so I don't see why there was such a big problem with Natalie expressing her opinion on Bush. I honestly don't know why it was such a big deal because she was amongst people who felt the same way. It wasn't like she went up to the White House to say that? I just think people wanted to ruin their image, but they were still able to rise up from the downfall.
As I watched the "Shut Up and Sing" documentary on the Dixie Chicks, I was waiting for it to be over. It just seemed like there was such a big controversy over what was said for no reason. We all supposedly have freedom of speech and it is defined as "the right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion, etc." With this definition, Natalie should not have been treated the way she and the Dixie Chicks were, for what was said.
As the documentary went on, I felt as though the Dixie Chicks were victims because a majority of the people were against them. All they were doing was expressing how they felt, which didn't seem like a big deal. All Natalie said was, "we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." She didn't call him names or say anything else, so it shouldn't have been blown up to what it was. Natalie had people threatening her life because she expressed her opinion? That was crazy to me because she was just saying what a lot of people at the concert were thinking.
Inductive reasoning was evident when the Dixie Chicks sat with their manager prior to going on interviews or talking with people. They sat down and brainstormed ideas for possible questions that they would be asked, as well as practicing how to answer them. Deductive reasoning was used by the radio stations and the media to attack the Dixie Chicks and make a bad name for them, so people wouldn't support them.
Personal attack, appeal to bandwagon, as well as appeal to fear were several fallacies that I noticed in the documentary. The Dixie Chicks' character was attacked several times by people who were upset at what was said. They were called so many negative names, which was a personal attack on them. Appeal to bandwagon occured throughout the documentary because the media, as well as the radio stations told the public to boycott the Dixie Chicks, and like little puppets, everyone followed. Rather than people thinking for themselves, they just hopped on the bandwagon and started to dislike the Dixie Chicks. Appeal to fear was evident when Bush was talking about the Weapons of Mass Destruction because he made people fear for their lives. Rather than saying what he knew, he had everyone believing that we were in danger, so there was nothing we could do but support him.
The main goal for this documentary was to show that we didn't have as much freedom over our speech as we had previously thought. It was also to show us that although everyone was against them, they were still able to rise from it all and continue in their success. They didn't get all their support back, but in the end they weren't left with nothing.
I believe that the Dixie Chicks were neither victims nor victimizers. Natalie Maines’s statement, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas," was a comment made while the Chicks were touring in Europe. As she said over and over in the documentary the comment was not planned. Natalie made the comment at the spurt of the moment. She did not know that her comment would cause such a stir. Due to the extroverted nature of Natalie i believe she would not hide her feelings in a quest for political correctness. She was very outspoken in the documentary and I believe that is her true nature.
I noticed inductive reasoning when Sony Music Company became worried about the Dixie Chicks new album not selling after Natalie Maines’s controversial statement. I also noticed inductive reasoning when the extra steps in security were taken due to death threats made against the Dixie Chicks. The other members of the Dixie Chicks also used inductive reasoning when they did not comment on Natalie’s statement.
Deductive reasoning was used in this syllogism; Natalie Maine is unpatriotic. Natalie Maine is a Dixie Chick. The Dixie Chicks are unpatriotic. I believe this incidence is a good example of deductive reasoning.
The main fallacy I saw in the documentary was the fallacy of appeal to bandwagon. Natalie used this when she said, “Your either with us, or against us.” This was also used when radio stations pulled their music from their play lists, conservative political commentators organized boycotts and protests against the groups sprung up almost over night. I also noticed personal attacks when Toby Keith called Natalie ignorant and said she was not a songwriter. Natalie used circular reasoning when she said’ “We don’t support the president, but we support the troops.
A fallacy of inductive reasoning in the documentary I noticed was when a politician had said’ “When entertainers’ step into politics it could be bad for business.” This was a false cause.
I believe the ultimate goal of the Dixie Chick’s in this film was to show how speaking against a popular momentum could get an individual or a collective group into trouble. The popular momentum was the president of United States during a time of high popularity. The Dixie Chicks purpose in releasing this movie, I believe was to show how you could be in high favor one minute and a traitor the next.
Sandye, I agree with you. There is no such thing as freedom of speech, which is evident. I mean we do have some sort of freedom of speech, but it is very limited. I also agree with what you were saying about Natalie because although she apologized for it, I don't think she meant it. She just did it to do it, hoping that it would help their image, which it didn't. As you were, I was too shocked when she repeated the statement, "we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas," because it seemed like she didn't care about the consequences or about what had happened to the group as a whole, after saying it the first time. She was also selfish, but I like how she didn't care about what people were saying about them.
After watching the documentary,"Shut up and Sing,"I was amazed that i enjoyed it, being that i didn't think i was going to before watching the movie. I've heard of the Dixie Chicks before but really wasn't interested in them or their music; however, after watching this movie, i kind of liked their music, and how they still went on doing what they had to do even though them came through some struggles. It also opened up my mind to new things and to not just be stuck on one type of music, or music presented by the same type of artist. I've heard a few country songs growing up and liked them, but was closed minded to listening to country because i knew the people around me and my peers didnt listen to that type of music.
Therefore, this is an example of people like myself being stuck one a one minded track and not go explore what else is out there.I believe watching this movie was a great experience for me to see waht other music is playied today than the music im used to listen to. Even though i knew there was other music out there, i was blinded my the people who were singing it.
I blieve that the Dixie Chicks were the victims. I don't think tht they deserved all of what people wre doing. After all, there is freedom of speech.Since they were @ an anti-war concert, i believe that Natile's comment was revelent to the moment, its not like they were just talking on the radio and she made the comment. Natile also said that she said the comment to make the crowd cheer and be happy that they were there and get them going, but instead it got theym going in the wrong direction got them; a directin that made people go against them.
An inductive reasoning that came about to me was,he girls thought that since all their other concerts sold out, then the rest of them would too; however, it went the other direction, sells started to get slow.
There were a couple fallacies that i did notice.The Bandwagon was presented, when the comment was made, the fans thought that they had turned their backs on America, and people strated disliking them. Which people thought they turned their backs on the U.S. Also Red Herring, because most thought the comment was irrelevent to the concert that why many got mad.
I fill that the ulitmate goal of the Dixie Chicks shooting "Shut up and Sing" was to let their audience know the struggles they went through. I believe their purpose in creating it was to let others know how they were being treated for those who didn't know.And waht really went on between them.
I don't listen to country music, nor am I a fan of it, so prior to "Shut Up and Sing", I didn't know who the Dixie Chicks were. The documentary was somewhat interesting and I liked how they spoke their minds, initially not caring about the consequences.
I thinking the Dixie Chicks were both victims and victimizers. Yeah, they were victims because everyone was against them after the statement was made by Natalie because of the media's influence, but they were also victimizers because Natalie didn't have to repeat what she said to cause more problem. When she said, "we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas," it caused a major problem, so why repeat it again?
When the Dixie Chicks sat together with their manager planning out what questions could possibly be asked in the interview and possible answers, this was an example of inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning was when the media made a bad name for the groupd Dixie Chicks as a whole, rather than just Natalie. They may not have all felt exactly the same way as Natalie did, but because of what she said they assumed everyone in the Dixie Chicks felt that way.
Appeal to bandwagon was evident when the radio stations began pulling Dixie Chick songs off of the air and when the media told people to boycott them. People hopped on the bandwagon and followed suit. Appeal to bandwagon was also evident when Natalie said that the people were either with them, or against them, implying that people should either follow them, or not.
Personal attack was also evident by the Dixie Chicks as well as the people. The Dixie Chicks said they were ashamed that the president was from Texas, which was attacking his character. It's not his fault that he is from Texas and that he made very stupid decisions throughout his term. The Dixie Chicks also suffered from personal attacks when people called them bimbos and dixie sluts, but also when they wore shirts saying 'FUDC'. There were personal attacks on everyone throughout the movie.
The ultimate goal of this movie was to show up that when everyone is against us, we can still overcome. They lost all of their fans because of Natalie's statement, but they still had fans at the tour in the end. They wanted to let people know that backing down is bad and we all should fight for our rights. I also think the purpose of the movie was to let everyone know how Natalie's statement affected the Dixie Chicks afterwards.
Richard,
I agree with you, im not a big fan either, but after watching the movie i actually started to like them being that they went through mant struggles and stayied together through the whole time. They came up with decisions together to help the group. And i also thought it was great when one of the sisters said that being that Natile felt it was her fault they everyone started to dislike them and if she wanted to stop singing, the other sister said she wouldn't mind because they were sister and she would stick by her side. I think that great for her to think that way. Also they wern't afraid to speak their mind and say waht they felt at different times during the movie.
I thought the Dixie Chix documentary was pretty good. I had no idea that they went through all of this, my only original perspective was through what the media would show. I would just see little snippets on Entertainment Tonight about the “Dixie chicks being unpatriotic” or something like that. Now that I’ve seen the documentary, I have a lot more sympathy for how the Dixie Chix were treated by their fans.
I think that the Dixie Chix mostly did a lot of deductive reasoning throughout the movie. They had to apply widespread ideas and thoughts to specific aspects of their own lives. They had to confront closed mined feelings directly because it had an immediate effect on their careers and personal lives. Their record sales were plummeting, they had no radio airtime, and Natalie actually got a death threat. All of these things were being thrown at them because general ideas of super-patriotism were being imposed on to their individual lives.
I noticed a Straw Man fallacy that was being used to portray the Dixie Chix in a certain way. I think any of the negative words written on their naked bodies for the Entertainment Weekly cover can represent a Straw Man fallacy. There are things like “Dixie sluts”, “traitors”, “big mouth”, and “Sadam’s Angels” are all personas that were used to display the Dixie Chix in negative ways.
I think the ultimate goal of the documentary was to show that the Dixie Chix were just regular people. It showed that they had their careers, their families, and they didn’t plan on creating any of the mess that turned out. It showed that they were regular people, without political motivation on their performances, and the ideas they had to overcome as regular people as well.
After watching the documentary, I gained a broader insight on the Dixie Chicks. I had heard of there story and I always wondered if they had made more than the one comment. Now I know that they didn't. Thanks for supplying the answer.
I have much respect for anyone who makes a conscious decision and stands firm behind it. But my respect for this female group is doubled because of how welll them came together as a team. Many times when people are used to a certain lifestyle, they wil do anything to maintain it. Even if it means selling out someone else. I especiallly like the part when one of the group members said that if Natalie said she was through making music, then she too would stop making music.
At first, I considered the Dixie Chicks to be victims but when I think about it, in order tobe a victim you have to except what happens to you and we all know these girls didn't goout without a fight. Nor did they choose to victimize anyone else in order to redeem themselves. I salute the way in which they conducted themselves.
I don't recall whether the Dixie Chicks had done any research on mass weapons in Iraq. so I cannot say whether they used inductive or deductive reasoning. But I can say with certainty that the media and citizens of the world used deductive reasoning. They all came to the conclusion that Dixie Chicks were triators with no proof at all to support their claims.
Noticeable fallicies icluded: prejudicial language from the media,appeal to the bandwagon because many of the people interviewed said they liked the Dixie Chicks yet when they saw everyone throwing their CD's away they did the same, misleading euphemisms by Bush and Powell, Strawman and poisoning the well by Free Republic who took the one statement to invalidate how the band felt about the soldiers and then proclaimed that because of that one statment the band should be banded, hidden premises by the country music stations, circular reasoning and Red Herring in the statement "She says my songs are ignorant....",and word ambiguity by Simon Renshaw.
I feel their goal was to let the world know that they felt they had no reason to appolize. They also showed that if you truely believe in something and stand up for what you believe in, you can and will overcome all obstacles.
I agree with you Sandye and Nash when you say that Natalie was outspoken. But I also think that sometimes one has to be that way in order to be heard.
Ting, I agree with what you said about the documentary being used to also show that the Dixie Chix kind of had the right idea all along. The documentary went through the years from when Bush’s approval rating was sky high to the decreasing rate it’s at now. It showed how public opinion started to head in the same direction as people realized more about the war.
When i was watching the Dixe chicks movie i noticed that my feelings for them changed. At first just hearing their music was bothersome to my ears, and the lead singer came off as obnoxious. A little annoying, not sure why. As i continued to watch i started to develop a lot of respect for the girls as a whole, especially the lead singer. Heather was it? I think it takes more courage than a lot of people can imagine to speak out how she did, in such a public manner, knowing what it could do to your career.
While at first i feel they were victims, it's clear that they were playing victimizer by the end. Normally i wouldn't condone that, but who was the victim? George Bush? That's fine by me. Some people deserved to be victims, especially considering what was said isn't that big of a deal. Americans, yet again, showed their ignorance in reaction.
I think the ultimate point of the movie was just to give people their side of the story. It was to let us know exactly what went on behind the scenes. Many of us knew the Dixie Chicks as country singers who said they were ashamed of Bush and then disappeared into the darkness. The movie allowe dfor us not only to see what darkness they 'sunk into' but why, and what they did to get out.
I believe the movie "Shut Up and Sing" was a great documentary. The Dixie Chicks were victims because most people disliked them after Natalie made a comment about the President George W. Bush. Inductive Reasoning was used by blaming and punishing the enire group for the comment that was made by one band member. In that case, everyone suffers the consequences of one persons ersonal opinion. Personl attack was used against the Dixie Chicks by all media. The media over exaggerated the whole situation. Society then jumpped on the bandwagon by boycotting, protesting and distroying Dixie Chicks CD's they owned. The ultimate goal that the Dixie Chicks was trying to achieve was for the public to have an oppotunity to see what really takes place behind the scenes. The documentary shows what happens when the media cameras are not rolling. The reality of what is said from both sides is shown with out being editted or scriptted. The documentary was created to show people that you should not always believe what the media tells you. The importance to think for yourself is very critical before making judgments about an issue.
The documentary of “shut up & sing” really shocks me. I think it brings us a very meaningful message. In fact, I feel very proud of Dixie Chicks about their way to exercise their constitutional right to free speech. As I did research, I found here
http://reclaimthemedia.org/arts_activism/the_sexist_backlash_against_the_dixie_chicks
saying that a consortium of 306 radio stations told their affiliates not to play the Dixie chick’s music. And also, several disc jockeys that did not adhere to the ban were fired. I think this was just so unfair for someone who just want to express their own opinion in public. In fact, the documentary shows that the media use lots of prejudicial language fallacies to criticize Dixie Chicks and that, in my opinion, really reveals sexism. They said, “ I think they are Ditzy Twits.” “They are the dumbest, dumbest bimbos I have seen” “They hurt our ‘men’ fighting over seas” “Callow, foolish women who deserve to be slapped around.”
Then the media continuously shapes and perpetuates societal norms. And this language normalizes sexist, stereotypical, and judgmental attitudes, such as “They are ignorance and the don’t know what they are talking about.” “I am ashamed the Dixie Chicks play bluegrass.” I was shocked again when I saw a woman telling her 2 years old son to hate Dixie Chicks.
However, Toby Keith did not face the same treatment from the public for this defamatory picture nor did he get banned from radio or boycotted. This really brings to question: if a man had said these same words as Dixie Chicks, would the result have been the same? Did the Dixie chicks pay a higher price for speaking out? Well, no matter what, they had already showed us that they are strong women who had challenged the injustices women are confronted with.
One of the thousands things I really don’t like Bush administration was that they always use prejudicial language and circular reason fallacies. One example of this in the documentary would be: “we know that they have weapons and mass destructions. We know that they have active programs. There isn’t any debate about it.” Here, instead of providing evidence, they just keeping saying the same thing in a different way.
Hey Joy,
I agree and disagree with you. I agree that we are limited in our freedom of speech but only when it comes to putting someone in danger, like the whole "FIRE!" in a crowded building example. While the Dixie Chicks did catch a lot of BS for their words, it still falls under freedom of speech. We just must acknowledge thjat although we are legally allowed to say pretty much anything (as long as it isn't a threat or endangering someone), there will still be consequences.
Hi Shawn! I agree with you completely on the fact that people took the freedom of speech to far. Individuals do not have to burn CD's to prove how they feel about an issue. It is very true that each person is entitled to free speech and the right to express an opinion. The Dixie Chicks like you peviously mentioned, did not lose sight of who they are by not change to fit to what society wanted them to be. They stuck by one another through it all.
Hi Saydye, Jonathan, Magnus:
In my opinion, if the constitution says that we have our right of freedom speech, then we got it. However, in many of the times, we don't’ really speak out our mind because of so many different reasons. One main reason might be the price we can not paid and therefore, we are afraid to speak out. Like the Dixie Chick, before they say “we are ashamed that president Bush is from Texas” they must understand the consequence and price they would have to pay. Since they could afford the price and they were not fear, they did not close their mind and just “shut up & sing.”
The entire controversy that stirred up after a member of the group Dixie Chics made a remark about president Bush provides a platform upon which questions and notions of “to dos” and “no no’s” can be examined. One of the questions that begged throughout this controversy and one that the documentary “shut up and sing” tried to explain or tackle was “who victimized whom?” Were the Dixie Chics, Natalie to be precise a victim of an infringement on civil liberty? Or did Natalie push her luck too far? Unfortunately I am yet to find a clear resolution for my thoughts. I have always pondered on the defining point where free speech transitions into an offensive statement and the case of Natalie seems to provide such dual connotations. Was it wrong for Natalie to abash the president of her country publicly without feeling any remorse? However, I have strongly believed in the policy of calling a spade a spade, I also champion free speech, but caution rather than swiftness to dissent publicly should be a mantra of all wise individuals.
The statement of Natalie became a storm in the teacup, one that threatened the solidity of her fan base and raised eyebrows across the nation. I do not believe the punishment fit the crime. The circumstance during which and under which her statement was made is a factor that I have strongly believed should be utilized during our individual judgments and evaluation of he actions. Shouts about the lack of patriotism by the Dixie Chics was an attempt on syllogism and a band wagon fallacy that also presented itself during this tumultuous time was that of “you are either with us, or against us.” Such generalizations only cripple the individualism that this nation truly champions. When it was all said and done, when the fro and to toss of a Band that decided to be outspoken was all over, it was important to use this event as a weighing scale of what actions warrant certain response; an attitude that follows the law of “for every little action, there is a reaction.”
The Dixie chicks were indeed the victims. They were the victims of the many fallacies in the world. They were the victims of the band wagon fallacy, poisoning the well and many other fallacies. However they didn't act like helpless victims. What I liked about them was their strong united front. The other two dixie chicks rallied around Natalie and supported her through the whole ordeal. I feel that played a large role in their come back. The Documentary showed the public the other side of the situation trying to let them know how it felt to be the person ganged up on and threatened. THey addressed such things as tehm being called bimbo's and other degrading things by showing themselves with their fanilies and working to maintain the career that provides for those families. I hope the documentary serves as reminder that there is always another side to the story and to gather all the facts before making decisions.
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