When are musicians and other celebrities going to learn that when we pay to see them in a concert or some other forum, we are paying for their talent, not their political views? Case in point, an MSNBC report that quotes singer Don Henley during a concert:
“Given what my good friend Linda Ronstadt —” Henley started telling the crowd, but he was cut down as the audience erupted in boos, reports the Orange County Register. Henley responded: “Whoops — Orange County, we used to be able to have civil debate in this country. Not anymore.”Yes, Mr. Henley, we do have civil debate. But if you or other celebrities want to make your personal opinions known then do it on your own dime. By performing for a fee in a concert your talent is being rented by ticket holders for their entertainment.
The last concert I attended featured several Christian bands and I was fairly confident that as a Christian I shared their beliefs. But that's not why I attended. I went for the music, to share the experience with friends, and simply to be entertained. When scripture was shared I was not surprised because it related to the music. Likewise there was no surprise when the concert sponsors came out for a word with the audience because they subsidized the concert expenses and thus paid for the time they took.
Being a celebrity should not give any special privilege or concession to a person's opinions. I am not a celebrity and if I want people to know my opinions I can submit editorials to media outlets, pay for time or space in the media, create a Website, or any of a myriad of other things. If a celebrity wants to do the same thing that is fine with me. But don't subject the audience to something they didn't pay to have. Doing so only creates another version of e-mail spam or junk postal mail and alienates people.
