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MADONNA'S HYPOCRISY, ANTI AMERICANISM, AND INGRATITUDEor "Boo Hoo and Wah- Wah, Says Madonna: Americans Aren't Buying My Record" May 2003
If you have read the introduction to this site or my "detailed reasons for hating Madonna" page, and yes, I would advise you to do so, you are already aware that I have hated Madonna for years (literally). I had no intention of making an anti- Madonna site until Madonna's "American Life" album was released along with all the accompanying brouhaha, particularly Madonna's condemnation of American society, American capitalism, and American involvment in Iraq. Yes, Madonna has only herself to thank for the creation of this site!
In the spring of 2003, Madonna released a new album called "American Life". Madonna, by the way, does not speak for the American people -- for two reasons among several: she married a Brit and has been living in Britain for a couple of years now, and she's always bragged on about her Italian roots. For the past year or so, Madonna has been trying to win over the British public. She continually states how much she prefers Brits to her fellow Americans. I find this highly interesting, considering that in the 1980s, Madonna's attitude towards England was not favorable (see quotes she gave in interviews to the press while with George Harrison for promotion purposes for her flop film Shanghai Surprise). For all Madonna's supposed love of all things British, they apparently do not fancy her (and good for them):
Further, Madonna continues to say or do things that people in England find condescending or arrogant. Take for example the fact that Madonna criticized the British for being lazy:
Not only is Madonna an unpatriotic American, but she is apparently an equally poor Brit, and just as disloyal and ungrateful. Madonna admitted that she re-made her initial music video for the first release off her new 'American Life' album, since the first version of the video had her tossing a grenade into the lap of a George W. Bush look-alike. Madonna stated in various interviews that she decided to scrap that version in light of the fact that she didn't want to be disrespectful to American troops serving in Iraq, and that kind of thing. Madonna, is, of course, lying. The real reason Madonna pulled her 'American Life' video is that that M t.v. (Music Television) refused to play it, leaving Madonna to find a way to 'save face.' The primary reason, though, is that she was afraid of a Dixie-Chicks-like backlash. Here Madonna has this new album she's trying to peddle, and it would be absolutely naive to believe that Madonna is not concerned about her record not faring well. As proof of this, consider: During the time of American Life's release, Madonna was making the talk show rounds, she had a guest appearance on the t.v. show "Wil and Grace," and she had a photo shoot for W magazine? Hmm, could it be that this is a round of publicity to sell a few more new albums? Madonna does not routinely go on television to be interviewed, or for any other reason. She usually only does so when she has a new record of movie to push. (Update: as of August 2003, Madonna is now appearing in commericals for "GAP" jeans, further proof that her television appearances are calculated to shore up lagging album or concert sales or to make herself appear relevant and marketable.) Madonna thought that taking an anti-war stance in her new video would create controversy, but that this controversy would be a source of good free publicity for her and her new record, but much to her dismay, she realized that it could result in her album's sale going down the toilet. In the past, Madonna counted on controversy, mostly of the lewd and sexual sort, to bolster publicity, which results in more record sales. Madonna naturally denied the true reasons for yanking her American Life video in an interview on American television network NBC. Madonna claimed in that NBC interview that she lost money by pulling the video. Well, yes, I am sure that money was spent on production of the original version of the video, so she may have lost some money. However, Madonna stood to lose far more money if her video offended too many Americans who would then refuse to buy the album because of the video. Madonna could always recoup the cost of the never-played video if sales of the American Life album were good (which they were not). I do not recall Madonna mentioning in this televised NBC interview (that was later placed on the web) the fact that M t.v. refused to show this video, probably because she felt this would damage the image she has created of herself as an all- powerful media mogul. I read, during the month of April 2003, that rock singer Bruce Springsteen stated at his website that he's angered by the 'lack of freedom of speech' supposedly caused by the backlash against anti-war celebrities. Madonna made similar comments in one interview:
Yes, Madonna, I am entitled to my opinion as well as to my freedom of expression, and I am one American who is practicing American democracy to say that you are a shallow idiot, an ugrateful twit, and a traitor to the United States of America, and I have absolutely no intention of buying a CD copy of that drivel called American Life. Real people know that many celebrities are not overly intelligent. That's a gimme. However, I am afraid that some average Americans might buy into the "Madonna and Bruce" argument. The Madonnas, Dixie Chicks, and Bruces of the celebrity world need to realize that backlash and boycotting against their products is not anti-free speech, nor is it anti- democracy. Quite simply, your everyday American is practicing his or her right of free speech to say, "I am not buying products by celebrity 'X,' since he or she is a backstabbing, anti- American traitor whose values do not match my own.' That's right, it is the American public who is behind the boycotting and negative sentiments. If it were true censorship, the American government would have to be behind it. However, the American government is not imposing cenorship on Madonna, Bruce, or the Dixie Chicks. It is sad that such a basic point is lost on some Americans. The American government is not dictating to privately-owned radio stations or record stores that they cannot carry albums or products by anti-war, anti-Bush administration(*) famous types. Dixie Chicks, Madonna, and the rest should move to China and try to make anti-Chinese government music videos and public commentary so that they can discover what censorship really is. (Saddam-ruled Iraq and possibly current-day Cuba would've been other good choices.) I am not opposed to entertainers who speak out responsibly and intelligently on topics that truly mean something to them, and if they do so, for example, in their song lyrics or whatever their medium is (e.g. film or painting instead of music). However, there are quite a number of rich and famous who do not realize that they are out of touch with ordinary citizens, and that they need to stop misusing their positions of fame as pulpits to preach liberal social and political propaganda in legitimate news outlets to the rest of us. I really was not happy to see national, well- known American news channels showing clips of actor Sean Penn in Iraq speaking out against upcoming coalition presence there, let alone anything Madonna had to say about the Iraqi people or Saddam Hussein. So perhaps the media bear some responsibility in this phenomenon as well, or maybe the media honestly believe that Americans really care what Sean Penn, Madonna, and all the rest think of celebrityhood think about American foreign policy. Or maybe the media think that we, their viewing audience, take celebrity comments on the nightly news just as seriously as we would those of Rumsfeld, Bush, or Powell. My observation here is not new, but it bears repeating: How can any celebrity complain about being "censored" when he or she is expressing this sentiment on a nationally broadcast television program to millions of citizens? MATERIALISM & FAME Madonna really exposes her hypocrisy by placing messages against materialism, fame and greed on her 'American Life' album. Obviously, she has made her fortune off the very concepts and culture she now says she does not support. Some may say, "Madonna has grown older, so maybe she has matured and truly repudiates greed and celebrity these days." Sorry, ain't buying it. I do not believe it for a moment. If Madonna was sincere about any of this, she would have dropped out of public life completely, a la Greta Garbo, or Madonna would give all of (or most of) her money away to charity (and not just give away a few thousand or a million for tax write- off purposes; isn't she currently worth something like $300 million?). Madonna would have already given away her "mini cooper" car instead of singing about owning one on the "American Life" track. Madonna would not be trying to place her daughter, Lourdes, in pricey, exclusive boarding schools if (a) she was serious about not being materialistic and (b) if she was a good mother who actually cared about her daughter. Madonna would not be buying, owning, selling and keeping the money from the sale of $10.9 milion dollar homes, or owning two or more mansions at the same time, if she was sincere.
Madonna would not be showing up for appearances, as she did in England, as it was reported in the news, in a bullet- proof BMW or some other equally expensive car, but that is exactly what she did:
If Madonna was not still trying to hype herself, and if she was not slamming America, the nation that made her success possible, she would have no need for a fancy car with 'bullet proof windows' in the first place. Instead of actually shunning wealth and fame in reality and in practice, Madonna makes an album and music video promoting herself and promoting her album so that she can earn more money.
If you are looking for anything deeper than that, you must be a devoted Madonna fan. Everybody else sees what a fake, money grubbing bitch Madonna is. Furthermore, it really is not necessary for Madonna to preach the virtues of modesty, thrift, and meekness, since we already have Jesus (you know, that Guy from Nazareth) for that. The Beatles sang "Can't Buy Me Love." It is not as though the world has not heard these messages before. Madonna is even repeating herself on this theme: she already sang about love triumphing over money in her 1989 song "Express Yourself" where she sings
The music and cultural critics, both professional and informal, sat up and took notice of Madonna's latest hypocrisy:
Reuters reports that Madonna told an interviewer for the British Radio Times that
It was bad enough that Madonna was sacreligious early on in her career, that she was a self centered, egotistical tart, tramp and floozy and that she subjected us all to her raunchy, X-rated endeavors with nude photo spreads in Penthouse her Erotica CD and the Sex book and that she was a slut in her private life as well. I wrote her off years ago for being a blasphemous, arrogant whore. But rejecting the United States of America and what it stands for is just the last straw, particularly since she became successful thanks and due to American capitalism and its consumers. I am tired of her and her crap. No matter what your nation of origin, or your position on American, British, and Aussie military action in Iraq, do not feed Madonna's bank account (or her ego) anymore. Stay away from the American Life record. * I believe that many of the celebrities, who of course tend to be liberals, were probably only using the Iraqi conflict as an excuse to lambast President George W. Bush. I have to wonder if any of them are genuine anti-war protesters at all. Related information: Hollywood confuses criticism and censorship, by Jonah Goldberg Examples of Madonna's Hypocrisy Regarding Materialism Madonna's Twisted Values: The Pop Princess gets American materialism all wrong, By Brian Doherty Boycott Hollywood (Madonna is on their list) Famous Idiot.com(Madonna is on their list) Why Saddam Hussein is Madonna's new No. 1 fan [source: Slate/MSN].
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Iraq's former leader, Saddam Hussein, Used Madonna's New Album for Propaganda Purposes Why Saddam Hussein is Madonna's new No. 1 fan [source: Slate/MSN] By Emily Nussbaum; Madonna on Americans: they're "rude and obnoxious" (No, Madonna YOU are "rude and obnoxious") Music superstar Madonna's appearance on a British talk show was reportedly edited - after she called Americans "rude and obnoxious." [source: Q102 radio station site, via World Entertainment News Network, 2003] |
Pictured
at left: my main reason for making this site, Madonna's "American
Life" album.