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By
WADE GOSSETT
We seem to have learned nothing over the years. It is 2003 and I'm writing this while the war in
Iraq is going on. Whether you think this is a war to liberate Iraq or an imperial exercise, we should all agree that the
right to dissent vigorously and vociferously with one's government is not only a privilege but often the responsibility
of citizenship.
Yet "patriotic" corporations are trying to smother any dissent even when it hurts their pocketbook (a very strange
phenomenon in a country that prides itself on the hard-headedness and realism of its business people). Case in point:
Radio behemoth and Republican darling Clear Channel removed the very popular Dixie Chicks from its playlists.
Well, it's really déjà vu all over again.
It was a different war that got the Smothers Brothers removed from network TV. It was 1967 and Vietnam was on. Clean-cut
Tom and Dick Smothers had a high-rated variety show on CBS that mixed comedy and music. All was well until they started
-- quite gently by today's standards -- to use the ongoing war as fodder for their comedy. Next thing you know, after a
mere two years, they were off the air. That's the "liberal" media for you. Even success -- in terms of high ratings and
ad revenues -- wasn't enough to persuade CBS to keep them on.
"Smothered" relates this sorry tale of censorship through clips -- many of which remain quite funny -- as well as
interviews and appearances by many prominent comedians, writers, and network executives. They include Joan Baez, Harry
Belafonte, Pete Seeger, Rob Reiner, Bill Maher, and, of course, Tom and Dick. Their story is as relevant today as it was
several decades ago. As much as I like their show, I truly wish it weren't. |
