Pearl Jam Walkout

[scooper]

Didn't he say he would leave the country if Bush were president?

[gstelmack]

Originally posted by Craptacular
My point was that celebrities, public figures and Joe Schmoe should realize that not every forum is a good place for them to spew their political views.

Just to single this out and emphasize it: this is where I think the key issue lies. If I go to a concert, I want to hear MUSIC, not political views.

Hollywood, the entertainment industry, and Madison avenue are so far off on this right now it's not even funny. They are so anxious to get messages out that they don't care what they tag along to. My wife and I are considering dropping TV services because even family shows are starting to have exceptionally racy commercials that we don't want our newborn to see. We might be willing to let them watch the show, but the ads in between are just getting way out there. Same with the movies. We go to see "Shanghai Knights" (fun flick, btw, if you like Jackie Chan buddy movies) and get treated to ads for horror films. Show me ads for comedies and action movies (since I'm seeing a comedy/action show) not horror movies. I might take a 13 year-old to see Shanghai Knights, but I don't want my 13 year-old seeing some of the previews that are on beforehand. The stuff they are letting through as "suitable for all audiences" isn't.

[CAsterling]

Received this in an email today - it pretty much covers my opinion of celebs (music/actors or whatever) and their opinions.
(assuming picture comes out)

[Killebrew]

About being for or against celebs spouting on politics:
Lyricists are in a different area than mere celebs, at least lyricists that attempt to write deep or topical lyrics. Throwing Vedder in the same celeb boat as Julia Roberts or Mel Gibson is short sighted.

About Pearl Jam:
Damn I always hated that band.

[dawgfan]

Originally posted by Craptacular
For example, let's say that I'm brought in to give a speech on traffic safety at a conference. Attendees are paying $350 for a one-day session that includes myself and three other speakers. My turn comes up, and I start spouting off about how it's about time we went after Saddam and his henchman, that we should go after Syria next, that protestors should be abused, and that the U.N. is a useless piece of crap. A number of people in the audience start shouting in disapproval. Should I simply tell them that they should leave, or that they shouldn't have bought tickets if they didn't want to hear about anything and everything that I believe about subjects that are completely unrelated to the topic they expected to hear? They paid to hear me talk about traffic safety, not my views on the war. Do I have the right to free speech? Of course! Would that be a proper forum to espouse my beliefs? No way!

Not a very good analogy. The key difference here is you are not a celebrity, and I assume in your field you are not known as someone who mixes politics with your job, so others at the conference would have no idea you would be apt to give a political speech in that context. Secondly, there's a huge difference between a public entertainment performance, i.e. a concert, vs. something like a traffic safety conference in terms of expectations.

Public figures like Limbaugh, Moore, Vedder, etc. have never been shy about expressing their opinions. My point remains that most fans of these figures should be aware that when seeing them in a public setting like a concert, speech, seminar etc. there is a distinct possibility that a political message may get thrown into the mix. Let the buyer beware - part of the package you get with Pearl Jam is their belief in expressing their opinion on various hot topic issues.

People may not like seeing Vedder do what he did because they don't agree with him, or perhaps they do agree with him but would rather he focuses on music and not trying to preach. I respect that opinion, but I also think Pearl Jam has every right to express themselves how they wish - let the concert ticket buyer beware.