Green Day’s Whining Not Limited to Songs
by Pam MeisterGreen Day, which has been around since the late 1980s but only achieved mainstream commercial success with their 2004 album American Idiot, has a bone to pick with Wal-Mart. Why? Wal-Mart won’t carry their new CD, entitled 21st Century Breakdown, unless they provide a special version that doesn’t contain language considered offensive by the retail giant.
Wal-Mart has a longstanding policy about not selling CDs that would require a parental advisory sticker, but that doesn’t stop the navel-gazing band from kvetching about what they seem to perceive as censorship:
“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.”
Newsflash to the boys in the band: that’s what’s called making a business decision. Wal-Mart’s business decision is to ask bands to create “clean” versions of their albums for sale in Wal-Mart stores. Some bands comply while others, like Green Day, do not – in turn making their own business decision (something that Obama has yet to take away from businesses other than some in the auto industry).
Will Wal-Mart come to regret not putting the album, which has sold some 250,000 copies already and is at the top of the charts, on its shelves? Perhaps, but that’s their problem if they end up losing money. Likewise, it’s Green Day’s problem if they end up losing money because they prefer to stay true to their art and not comply with Wal-Mart’s request.
I’m surprised that they didn’t come out and say that Wal-Mart was violating their First Amendment rights (which would be incorrect, BTW), but reading between the lines, one can guess that this is what they’re thinking. Yet like most libs, they want to have their cake and eat it too:
But bassist Mike Dirnt said: “As the biggest record store in America, they should probably have an obligation to sell people the correct art.”
Translation: Wal-Mart should be forced to sell their CD, even if it violates the code of ethics to which Wal-Mart adheres.
This is the kind of thinking that ended up with eHarmony.com, a Christian-based online dating service and private business, being sued by a lesbian for discrimination because the site didn’t cater to gays and lesbians. No matter that gays and lesbians had other dating sites they could join; one site was not available and therefore discrimination must be taking place. (eHarmony ended up buckling under pressure.)
No matter that consumers have a number of outlets where they can purchase 21st Century Breakdown in all its unedited, crass glory. The meanies at Wal-Mart won’t carry it, and suddenly budding musicians might become discouraged!
“If you think about bands that are struggling or smaller than Green Day … to think that to get your record out in places like that, but they won’t carry it because of the content and you have to censor yourself,” he said. “I mean, what does that say to a young kid who’s trying to speak his mind making a record for the first time? It’s like a game that you have to play. You have to refuse to play it.”
Here’s a suggestion, boys: take a civics class and read Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics: A Commonsense Guide to the Economy. You might learn something.
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134 Comments
But are we really that surprised at their ignorance? Why does the term drama-queen come to mind?
Green Day can go blowj a ween for all I care, but for someone on this blog to point out the fact that SOMEONE ELSE is incorrectly crying "censorship" and erroneously claiming that their first amendment rights are being impinged is pretty hilarious.
I think they're from Berkeley. We should expect them to be fascists/victocrats/whiners….
I think Green Day is looking for cheap publicity; the Wal-Mart "controversy" is reason enough. Green Day never were punk; they are cartoons of what they think is punk. Punk really died sometime in the late 1970's. Green Day is safe for the people who think their music is threatening & anti-establishement; they couldn't be nothing more than the opposite: Plastic caricatures of punk.
Is it just me, or have they not realized that very few people buy CDs at Wal-Mart in this age of iTunes.
They really are stuck in the 1990s.
They should be happy. Their appearence on GMA went un-censored, on live TV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-P7y5c-aCc
Someone at ABC fell asleep at the button!
Making a "Business decision" to censor music doesn't make any sense when they are selling "R" rated movies and not asking film makers to supply censored films. To me, it doesn't sound like it has anything to do with ethics.
Geez! I wish MY struggling band could have sold OUR CD's (Ok, tapes…I'm old) at Wal-Mart. That would have been cool. I don't think I've ever seen a "struggling" band's music for sale at Wal-Mart. Also, it's hard for me to believe Green Day is not familiar with the 4,254 OTHER outlets that could sell their music. D*****bags, all of them.
Seems to me that Pam is overstating their position to make the situation a contraversy.
They did make the business decision (actually it's an atristic decision) to not censor their lyrics. Then the dude says "..they should probably have an obligation.." Not exactly a ringing militant demand, there.
BTW…they actually acheived widespread commercial success with their first album, Dookie, in 1994, which won a grammy as album of the year and sold over 10 million copies.
"you have to censor yourself"
Yeah, what a terrible world we live in. I can't believe you can't just go around saying whatever pops into your head. Billy Joe, you know that lump of gray matter inside your skull? Consider using it as a filter for what comes out of your mouth.
Is the term dated relative to this band yet?
There's a big difference between selling CDs with a Parental Advisory sticker and selling R-rated movies and M-rated video games.
Movies and video games have rating systems that provide some guidance as to their content. A parent has a pretty good indication that "Monster House" (PG) is more appropriate for their pre-teen children than "Saw" (R).
There is no such rating system for CDs. You have CDs with parental advisory stickers and CDs without. A CD with a parental advisory sticker might contain a single f-bomb, which some parents wouldn't care about, or it could contain non-stop profanity interspersed with graphic descriptions of sex, violence, and drug use, which a lot of parents would have huge problems with.
People don't have a lot of room to complain if they buy an R-rated movie and it turns out to be an R-rated movie. They do have room to complain if they buy a CD with a parental advisory sticker and it turns out to be far worse than they were expecting.
Wal-Mart has made a perfectly reasonable business decision in deciding not to carry CDs with explicit lyrics. If this is a problem for the music industry perhaps they should rethink their stand on ratings and letting consumers know what they're buying before they buy it.
I've never liked Green Day, and Walmart can do what they want, but it is odd that they have no problem stocking GTA: Chinatown Wars for the DS. I assume they stock the other ones as well, but I've seen that one for sure. I guarantee there's more profanity and other "objectionable content" in that one game than in just about any single CD.
more leftwingers thinking they are entitled to everything they want and demand from everyone else….
Green Day reminds me of the time when I saw Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against the Machine rolling up to eat at the Subway in South Pasadena in his Ford Explorer. Viva la Revolucion!
GTA: Chinatown Wars is rated M (Mature). Consequently people have a pretty good idea what they're getting when they buy it. The same cannot be said for a CD with an explicit lyrics warning. The warning could indicate the use of a single f-bomb or it could indicate massive amounts of profanity throughout the CD. In short, the CD sticker gives you no indication if the CD would be considered PG or if it would be considered NC-17.
the reps suck worse then green day. And thats bad
Walmart is a hypocritical organization. They need to get off Tipper Gore's bandwagon. You can go into any Walmart and buy R-Rated movies or M-Rated video games that contain much worse language and music (not to mention graphic images). The 50 Cent XBox game is worse than any cd they could possibly sell. I bet if the cd was made and promoted in Communist China, they would put it on the top shelf since they are the #1 US retailer supplying BILLION$ to them. Since CD sales are down due to MP3 downloads, they chose to take a moral stand on music CD's alone? If they had any morals or ethics, they would buy and promote "Made in USA". You know, support the people of the country that actually spend money there? They deserve to lose any $$$ by not selling certain CD's.
The best thing that American consumers can do is avoid Walmart and buy American made (& uncensored) goods.
Maybe I'm living under a rock but I don't have a clue as to who this band is and could really give a s**t what they think. Wal Mart made a business decision and these "progressive" artists should peddle their filth to stores that don't care as long as there is a buck to be made.
I live in a cave. What is 'green day'?
Because this is Big Hollywood, and whining is all they know how to do.
Green Day go away and never come back for another day.
I bought the album at Costco. It is AWESOME, and it is the #1 album in America without being on Wal-mart's shelves. This move by Wal-mart cost them a lot of money and my guess it that they are discussing this business decision and why they were left out of serious cash flow. A quality album that has a few words that I don't want MY kids to hear is still a quality album. I say — "Fight the Man, Greenday" — and — "keep your principles Wal-mart" good for both of you!
Green Day is a fairly old alternative band that got REALLY popular in the early 90's. I actually like some of their songs, but they can bite it. They can either put out a cleaner version, as WM asked, or STFU. No probs. WM's business how they choose what to carry.
It's not hypocrisy because it's not an analogous situation.
If I buy a movie, there are multiple rating categories to give me an idea of what age range the movie is appropriate to: G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17, and NR. The cover art is probably related to the movie's plot and on the back of the case is a description of the plot. It may even provide a synopsis of why the movie received the rating it received.
If I buy a video game, there are multiple rating categories to give me an idea of what age range the movie is appropriate to: EC, E, E10+, T, M, AO, and RP. The cover art is probably related to the game play and on the back of the case is a short description of the gameplay.
If I buy a CD there are only two ratings. Either it has an explicit lyrics sticker or it doesn't. The cover art usually has little to do with the content of the songs. The back of the CD provides a track listing which may or may not indicate which tracks contain explicit lyrics.
Thus when you buy a movie or video game you've got a pretty good idea what you're getting. When you buy a CD you really don't know until you've heard the tracks.
Wal-Mart doesn't stock CDs with explicit lyrics because they object to the content. They don't stock them because they don't want the headache of dealing with customers who thought they were getting a "PG" CD only to have it turn out to be "NC-17."
Yeah, on several occasions I saw Tom Morello in the Blockbuster where I worked.
Always made me laugh.
Didn't Sheryl "One Square" Crow already lose this fight?
Green Day sucked before they got political, and they sucked worse after. Other than that, nothing more need be said about them.
Green Day isn't much of a story or a band. Who cares.
These "American Idiots" are doing this only for publicity. The music industry has been using the First Amendment as a sales pitch for too long. "Freedom of speech" means you get to say stuff without getting thrown into prison. THAT'S ALL! It does not mean that you have a right to sell CDs.
And since when was music a form of speech? Singing, playing an instrument, and recording music fall under the behavior category.
Somehow I just don't see your average Green Day fan loosing sleep over this.
If people want the CD there are LOTS of other places to get them, and if it takes a bit of sales away from a company that often puts mom and pop American run businesses out of business..good.
The Writer here also failed to point out that the costs in mastering/printing and distrusting two different versions of the same album would be a decision that probably is not even made by the band but rather the label.
Really…blaming Wally World for Your lyrics…why not pull all your music from W-M…for Cryst's wake up loonies…
1) Green Day is NOT from Berkeley. They're from some crappy little town NEAR Berkeley named Rodeo. They're just wannabe posers who front like they're from Berkeley and they've even tried to rep Oakland a couple of times too.
2) They've always been laughed at and considered a joke because of they're crappy pop-punk "music" (NO ONE truly considers them punk, 'cause they're not).
3) This whole thing is whiny publicity b.s. because that's the only way they'll get remotely close to the publicity and sales that they used to get (thanks to illegal downloaders) and people stopped checking for them/got bored with them after a minute. So they're playing the controversy card 'cause everyone know controversy sells.
4) The posters who say that Wal-Mart is "losing money" for not carrying their crappy CD, that's fantasy-land thinking. Green Day is not going to make or break Wal-Mart. They've become the biggest retailer in the world before, during and after Green Day. They carry LOTS of recording artists who are smart enough to want to make more money by issuing "clean" versions of their music. That's called smart business. Green Day think that if they stir up some b.s. controversy that it'll make up for the sales they're losing by not being in Wal-Mart, but I doubt it will work 'cause kids will just steal/download their music for free if they can't get their hands on it.
5) The media shouldn't even address this non-issue 'cause it'll only help fuel Green Day's "censorship controversy."
6) Green Day SUCKS and has always sucked. They're irrelevant and ignorant Capitalist business owners who are posing as gutterpunks from Berkeley who are all of a sudden "against the man."
7) Did I mention that Green Day sucks?
"Do you have the time to listen to me whine…"
No, we don't.
Tre' Cool used to have an endorsement deal with Slingerland Drums. He would destroy his kit after each gig which was mega punk rock but at some point Slingerland said okay dude we can only give you so many drum kits to smash. So now he's with Ludwig and I wonder if he's smashing those too? He still ain't got nothing on Rat Scabies, who set his kit on fire in Miami in 1989.
So the issue at hand here. Wal-Mart can afford to tell Green Day to take a powder, Country music has the largest radio audience nationwide and proves to be the most popular music format, so it would seem to make sense that whatever tonnage Green Day could generate for Wal-Mart, Toby Keith or Keith Urban could do double or triple that, making Green Day obsolete. Ha-ha!
Then why areyou here?
* are you
I have actually bought several CDs with no Parental Advisory label and there turn out to be some "foul langauge" in the lyrics. So your argument about a single f-bomb holds no weight. The Parental Advisory label is placed for which the content, as you said could contain non-stop profanity and other nonsense. Parents know exactly what to expect when they see that label. As a conservative I agree that Wal-Mart can do what ever they like with their business, just as well as a band/artist can do whatever they want with their music. So why label the music? This was a liberal idea anyway, remember Tipper Gore?
You complain more than a damn liberal.
I would like to see the millions of records you have sold, then maybe I would agree that argument that they suck.
You claim to be a conservative? Sounds like you are just part of the same crap just a different pile.
Public display of personal angst has become the way of life in America…
I love the statement …'the correct art' in the drummers statement. Pretty much says it all… and oh the dripping irony of such coming from an 80's punk band (basic repertoire of 3 chords played fast) selling out to make pop music for the money in the 90's and now whining because Wal-Mart, of all places, doesn't want their music…LOL
No self respecting punk musician or listener would set foot in a China Mart…give us all a break Billy Joe and STFU.
Although…maybe they get their eyeliner at Wal Mart
Do you really think WM cares about a half million copies of this album??? They sell that many cartons of eggs every day…
Criticizing Walmart? Wow, how brave they are. They must be serious artists since they're wearing eyeliner.
Green Day – American Idiots
if there were a 'music god' these hacks would be moping the floors at Wal-mart. But alas there ain't. Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.
"Green Day, which has been around since the late 1980s but only achieved mainstream commercial success with their 2004 album American Idiot"
I disntincly remember "Basketcase" being a huge deal when it came out. And "Time of Your Life," or whatever their graduation-day ballad was called, is about as mainstream as it gets. Both predate "American Idiot".
If you want to make no money..sell it at Walmart. They make you take a huge cut so they can sell at oh so low prices. Once you heard the deal, I doubt you'd take it.
That's Wal-Mart's decision to make, not yours to nick-pick. I bet if I spent an entire day around you I could find plenty of contradictions in your decisions, just like in all of us. But we feel confident, mostly, in those decisions even if they seem to contrast. If a business like Wal-Mart wants to establish a code for CD's and not for DVD's then that's what they do. Don't like it? Don't shop there.
Wal-mart is losing money by standing up for their beliefs.
Sissy-days needs others to compromise their beliefs to make money in this case.
Wah, wah, wah.
Sounds like Green Day wants to silence Wal-mart's freedom of speech.
Like 1953 all over again.
Trust me, Wal-Mart isn't worried one wit about any losses because they didn't carry the album. They'll make up the difference by, say, tomorrow.
What shocks me is that they still dress like a bunch of emo teenagers.
Yeah and I also saw Morello getting a private tour of the Universal Studio Tour while the la gente waited in huge lines. Viva King Kong!
So you feel the need to stick up for their completely illogical business practice because… why? they're a business? Or because Wal-Mart as a company has some sort of totemic REAL AMERICA status that even you don't understand?
I like how the guy advocating that we buy American and support American industry is voted down viciously because of this willful conservative delusion that Wal-Mart somehow represents the REAL AMERICA.
Greenday: three good songs and a whole lot of s@#$.
Everytime I mention liking punk rock and somone say "oh, like Greenday" I die a little inside.
That aside it always warms my horrible black heart to some new little group of limosine liberals whining because Wal Mart decides they can take their buisiness elsewhere. It's like a special chrismas of hatred!
The fact that the label is applied inconsistently doesn't invalidate my argument. There are no degrees to the label. You either got it or you don't and if you've got it there are no indications as to why you've got it.
And while liberals are often at the forefront of labeling movements, plenty of conservatives are happy to jump on board. Google "christian movie ratings" and the very first site listed provides a morality rating (Excellent, Good, Better than Average, Average) for movies. Somehow I just don't see liberals giving "The Big Lebowski" an "Extremely Offensive" rating.
—But bassist Mike Dirnt said: “As the biggest record store in America, they should probably have an obligation to sell people the correct art.”—
Yeah….'someone' should Do something, huh? Snot fair! Hey there's a potential name for their next album -Snot Fair.
Ever since several "serious" musicians started 'making a difference' in the sixties we've had to listen to this nonsense from guys who sound like they're still in high school, while they try to sound DEEP and Intellectual {and Correct}….just like the kids in high school. What a fraudulent path rockers took when they decided to be Important as well as entertaining. There's hardly a true poet among them.
The real 'poetry', if any, has always been the music itself, with the lyrics as filler- but needed as the vocalist can't just sing laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa nonstop.
I'm glad there's somebody besides me who hasn't heard of green day. I guess I live in a cave, too.
I wonder if I'm missing anything?
Green Day was never told what language they could or could not use while recording their album – they recorded what they felt was their best product. Wal-Mart's policy of not selling music with explicit lyrics is nothing new – as previously mentioned, some artists have re-recorded cleaner versions so that their wares could be sold at Wal-Mart. And Green Day's music can be found at other brick-and-mortar stores, like Target…or online, if you prefer. Green Day chose to use explicit lyrics, and Wal-Mart chooses not to sell such product. If the consumers disagree with Wal-Mart's policies, they are free to go elsewhere.
Wal-Mart is NOT saying Green Day can't record what they want. Wal-Mart is NOT trying to suppress Green Day's music. That WOULD be censorship.
[...] Green Day’s Whining Not Limited to Songs by Pam Meister [...]
It's a LOGICAL business practice aimed at placating ILLOGICAL consumers. Your original point about R-rated movies was (somewhat) correct (Most Walmarts still won't sell those to kids), but Walmart knows that most of their customer base is not so logically consistent between songs and movies.
It drives me nuts when someone like yourself comments on a band apparently knowing nothing about them. They didn't find mainstream success in 2004. They had a pretty big album in 1994. I believe it has sold 15 million worldwide. Where the hell were you? I also don't think they are that concerned about the money at this point since like Scrooge McDuck they probably dive and swim in their cash daily. If neither party wants to bend on their principles, so be it.
Green day is vintage 1995. Old news. Has-beens. I would not take their dated trash if offered free. Wal-mart was smart to tell them to smoke a pole. Whiny little hyenas anyways. Just another batch of dirty 90's losers that didn't figure out they are as done as dickens. buh-bye.
This is clearly dwarfaphobic America hating on the little guys. Seriously though, I like Green Day but after buying the lamest ever excuse for a "rock opera" (American Idiot) just to hear about "Redneck America" my money is now more wisely spent. Besides, my old Replacements albums give me my fast and furious fix when the urge hits.
Actually it just became New Wave….
Bands like the Police amde the transition easily.
The difference is that R rated movies are not sold to kids below the age of 17.
I do not believe the rating sysem for music is as well defined. So they take the tact of just banning it all todether. Also since it seems that any time some school kid goes apesh%^ and shoots up a school or attacks people with claymores in the mall it is dirty lyrics in songs that compainies get sued for. IF liberals are that worried about then perhaps they should reconsider Tort reform laws.
Personally I find any liberal who lectures anyone on free speech to be a complete hipocrit given the actions and tenets of their party.
Hahahaha. Uhm, unless I woke up in Cuba this morning, I can give my opinion on anything I damn well please, cupcake. I don't know what fantasyland you live in, but in my free country, anyone can say anything they'd like about anything they like or dislike. I don't have to be a world renowned chef to be able to say that I don't like my soup at a restaurant, genius. It's called an opinion. I've listened to punk my whole life and to me (and many punk fans who like real punk rock) think that Green Days sucks. They are POP, not punk. They've always been mocked because their idiot lead singer sings with a poser wannabe British accent-even Johnny Rotton from the Sex Pistols has been ridiculing them since they started getting radio play. No real punk fan likes them. They are garbage. I grew up in the Bay going to tons of punk shows at Gilman in Berkeley (where bands like Green Day were exposed), The Bomb Shelter in Oakland, the Burt Ramen, the Phoenix Theater, the Greek Theater, etc. etc. etc. And here in the Bay, Green Day only gets respect from teeny boppers who listen to pop crap and people who don't know what real punk is. And if I feel that Green Day sucks, then they do, TO ME. Why are you so worried about what I like anyway? Worry about what YOU like retard. Only an imbecile thinks that record sales equals greatness. "Barbie Girl" sold millions of albums, so has "Who Let The Dogs Out" and Clay Aiken and N'Sync, but that doesn't make them great by any stretch of the imagination. But I wouldn't expect a simpleton like you to understand all of this.
Because he is a troll living in his mama's basement and has nothing better to do
Used to love the band, until I watched them perform overseas to cheering throngs chanting "Don't want to be an American Idiot" with clinched fists in the air. The lead singer from The Killers had them pegged.
That and their seminal "Idiot" album has more ripped off licks and chord changes, enough to make Coldplay blush.
Vince
We are not whinig at them……
We are laughing at them. Personally I hope someone at Walmart gets a bee in in bonnet and just starts messing with them. First tell them one song is too anti Bush and then another one is too anti Obama just to waste their time. Their ludicrous response will be some of the best entertainment since the last time Mz GARarge Full Of LOwlying Fruit Lady last opened her cavernous magpie hole attached to her alternative verbal excrement orifice at the top of her neck.
See this is just it.
If only Walmart would sell thei CD's you would know who they are and could be as miserable as the rest of us for it.
Darn you Walmart why do you mock us all so …… LOL
No No No
Please do not stop these guys… encourage them. I want to hear them try to justify themselves by comparing this to NAzi truth squads. It will be the funnyest thing you can hear. Loser libs lecturing everyone on fighting the man by supporting statist candidates like Obama and Pelosi. It;s a huge joke!
"Fight the Man?" The "revolutionaries" of Green Day are capitalist millionaires. I grew up listening to rock and I still like it, but the phoney pretentions of rich and pampered rockers that they're "fighting the system" is utterly laughable. The music biz is as corporate as Walmart is.
It's like Bono urging the little people in the audience to pay more in taxes while U2 pays a pittance because their cash is in a tax shelter in the Netherlands. Complete hypocrites and faux rebels.
That's hilarious. "Screw the proletariat, I want the first go on the Spider-Man ride!"
Fight the man? Why this album and why now? Hell, they are the man.
I think they could decide to sell whatever they damn well please, but what do I know. as Stan Marsh said, with his pants around his ankles: "I thought this was America."
Pass the vomit bag: Another so-called alternative American band trying to use a big-chain store to sell their mainstream music label album? These sad cases “souled” out years ago.
And did he say you couldnt give your opinion? Umm no he didnt, he was stating his opinion of your opinion. Learn 2 read.
These idiots like the Dixie Chicks confuse censorship with marketing. Nobody is forcing Green Day to change their lyrics – they can have whatever they choose. Nobody should be forced to sell it.
Dang, I often forget that HuffPo and Kos Kids are the only ones who offer balanced and rationale opposition points. Silly me…
Dammit, rick, though Green Day's not fit to shine even Steve Foley's kit, please leave the Replacements out of this.
The only reason he is getting voted down is because it sounds like he is siding with Green Day liberals and putting down corporate Walmart in a Conservative thread. I am a Conservative and I think the dude is right on the money.
You are right. Movie and game ratings do not tell how many f-bombs are in it. The 50 cent game mentioned below has the same songs from the cd that walmart wouldnt sell. I guess there is more profit in xbox games. Explicit = explicit. Period. If you dont want your kids listening to this crap, dont buy it for them.
Walmart does not sell R-Rated DVD's to Minors. They know the majority of CD buyers are under 18 so they do not want to have CD's on display that they cannot sell to Minors. This is a very consistent business decision. The attitude of knocking down anyone or anything that has made good is juvenile and just plain stupid. Instead of emulating sucess they denagrate it. That shows real smarts, huh?
So what you are saying is that you do not want the largest reailer in the world to sell your product? So what if the cut is 1/2 per unit if you sell 20 times the number of units. That is why manufacturers of all things scramble to deal with Walmart. Walmart saves the consumer huge amounts of money, employs huge amounts of people and somehow they are the bad guys. You sir must suffer from Oxygen Starvation.
And bands like Bad Religion never went anywhere, whilst other alt-core bands sprang up. Punk didn't die in the late 70s as Sebastian Shaw stated: Punk just stopped being followed by the social butterfly pop-music fans.
Ms. Meister should remember that eHarmony never advertised as a Christian dating service. That only ever came out because they decided that certain segments of the population were undesireable. Walmart, on the other hand, isn't following any "code of ethics". They're using someone else's code of ethics in order to push their profit machine. Other companies that fall under the Walmart ownership umbrella certainly have no trouble selling music with "offensive" lyrics.
I've been on this site since it started. Have read many things on here. Members and authors often complain about not being able to sell conservative scripts and stories and that much of the Entertainment industry leans so far to the left as to alienate half of their potential audience. Ever wonder why Fox News has over half the Cable News Market share? The other news services have conceded it to them. This talks of potentially bad business decisions not fundamental rights. Every business has the right to make poor decisions that potentially put themselves out of business. I do not recall reading anyone complaining of censorship or that their First Amendment rights were violated. Maybe I just missed those articles. I doubt it. I think you just got lost and found yourself on a different blog. Thanks for visiting.
Exactly. The Dixies were never told what to say and what not to say. Maines chose to open her mouth, so the radio stations chose not to play their music and the listeners chose not to buy the CDs.
Pretty simple, really. It's amazing how many people DON'T get it.
I love Wal-mart. This pitiful band found a way to get free media coverage. Keep on keeping on, Wal-mart!
Oh really? Care to provide some examples of PG and E10+ rated movies and games that are just a profanity laced as R and M rated movies and games? Ought to be easy enough to do if what you say is true.
It's not censoring music Josh, anyone can listen to it. It is a business making a decision on what to stock their shelves with. Secondly, the majority of people that buy records are kids – that's the reason for the Parental Advisory sticker. Wal Mart won't sell rated R movies to the underage, either.
I know that the POTUS is trying to shut down free market enterprise, but until that day WM is free to sell or not to sell what they want. Plain and simple. You want to listen to this crappy group's music you can buy it some place else.
I double dog dare you to find a coherent post on this blog that "incorrectly" cries censorship. The politcal and social ideology of this site is ANTI-censorship. The decision of a retail outlet to decide not to retail a product is a business decision, which…… is why you don't undertand it. If four retailers sell a product and ONE of those rertailers decides not to market that product, how is that censorship? The product is freely available for purchase on the market. Any assertion that that is censorship is the very definition of liberal fascism. If someone wants to market depraved crap, the market will determine whether or not they are successful and the PRIVATE CITIZEN has the right to consume that poduct or not.
this post is useless without coherent thought.
Pam, there is no reason to berate Green Day or call them liberals etc. You see, Wal*Mart has a policy that the band does not agree with. They can choose not to have their records sold there by not making a "compromised" version. The do have a thing called "artistic integrity". We'll see this play out under Republican terms – the free market will decide who caves first. If enough artists don't comply (like Nine Inch Nails, etc) then Wal*Mart is shooting itself in the foot. They'd ether have to change their policy or do without. Now on GD's side, they risk losing that market. But there are plenty of other venues for it to be sold at – on the internet, Target (where I get all my CDs) small record stores. I think GD has the edge on this one, particularly if other artists follow suit. Free Market Rules! I..I
Green Day may or may not realize it, but they are facing a relevancy problem. As punk posers, they made it big in the mid-90s, and took the next predictable step to activism during the W years. "American Idiot" was the culmination of their raging against the machine.
Now, they are no longer able to play the rebel outsiders with their Dear Leader in the White House. It's hard to keep selling yourself as "punk" based on your music and image after fifteen years of commercial succes, and there is no way Green Day will ever criticize the current administration. So, find they needed to find some other easy target to define themself against, and what self-righteous progressive doesn't hate Wal-Mart? Billy Joe and co. may or may not be conscious of it, but I see Green Day's campaign against Wal-Mart as less about artistic integrity and more about maintaining an anti-establishment "edge".
Green Day were always poseurs and they still are poseurs. They were fakes the day they came out and they haven't stopped sucking.
Beautiful.
By the way, did you hear Wal-Mart's response?
*Chirp, Chirp*
Time will tell, but absolute silence from W-M gives me that much more respect for the store. Those who disrespect W-M because they don't "sell American" should answer the question of who sells American anywhere anymore? This is especially the case with any large retailer. It wasn't Wall-Mart who sold out American manufacturing, it was overbearing government regulation. Wall-Mart is "American" not because they sell American, but because they sell what Americans want for the prices they want. Nothing more American than giving consumers what they want
While I agree with Walmart's right to sell or not sell whatever they like in their stores, I find the decision silly and petty. It's not exactly censorship but in some areas Walmart is the only live outlet for CDs. Perhaps we could call it nonavailabilityship. Not everyone can shop for CDs on the internet. If Walmart or another store, for instance, refused to sell American flags, there would be a similar, if opposite, outcry. Grow up Walmart! It's Greenday, not Mein Kampf.
Thomas, learn TO spell and read. By stating that he/she "would like to see the millions of records you have sold, then maybe I would agree that argument that they suck," implies that one cannot say Green Day (or any other band) sucks unless they sell as many records as they have. Next time use your brain and comprehend what you are reading before posting and trying to funny, genius.
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