The band says the giant superstore chain refused to stock its latest CD, "21st Century Breakdown," because Wal-Mart wanted the album edited for language and content, and they refused."Wal-Mart's become the biggest retail outlet in the country, but they won't carry our record because they wanted us to censor it," frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said in a recent interview."They want artists to censor their records in order to be carried in there," he said. "We just said no. We've never done it before. You feel like you're in 1953 or something."
I like that last line - no, it's not 1953 anymore, but it's 2009 and in our Brave New World the notion that a retailer can set standards for its merchandise is challenged by . . . well, by what? Artistic license?
No, Mr. Armstrong, Green Day is not being censored because - and I had best explain it here since there are a lot of ignorant folks who think that if you block their comments they are being unfairly censored - your perceived inequity is something the State does, and not a private entity like Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is merely making a business choice, and consider that it is not without risk since perhaps your new record would generate handsome pofits.
But Wal-Mart - that big, evil corporate Satan that your fan base rails against as symbolic of all that keeps America from being enlightened and good and liberal - has chosen to place its values as a company above the potential for profit. Which means your fan base will have to find another retailer and pay more.
It's not censorship, Mr. Armstrong, it's just business. And let's face it, that is what really bothers you.
2 comments:
Besides, WalMart doesn't stock much US-produced product. This kind of swill could upset the mix.
Why do so many people try to conflate the right to free speech into a right to be heard?
Justin T.
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