On Monday morning, Erick Erickson wrote about how he had just taken his 10-year old daughter to her first concert, Taylor Swift. There’s nothing too outrageous about a pre-teen who loves TSwift, and fortunately for Erickson, he too enjoyed the experience.
What he wrote had nothing to do politics:
Here was a sold out concert of approximately 56,800 people, many of them parents with children, and it was perfectly appropriate, which is a rarity in pop culture these days. Taylor Swift had a commanding stage presence, gave a great performance in a well choreographed production, and everyone had a good time.
And yet Erickson also wrote that more than a few people were not happy with him for taking his daughter to the concert because Swift supports Hillary Clinton. “Not kidding,” wrote Erickson with original emphasis.
Erickson was not having the politicization:
That must be a miserable existence. I don’t know that any television show or movie or music, except for long dead Classical composers, would be acceptable if I limited myself based on the political affiliations of performers.
He also mentioned how “there are the people who get upset over where you shop.” Erickson has a point, whether it be about shopping, movies, or music.
Unfortunately, Hollywood and the music industry are full of liberals. Conservatives can decide to boycott nearly every artist and movie, or they can pick their battles.
Sometimes, the politicization does come from the musicians themselves. For instance, in 2012 Coldplay actually brought Planned Parenthood to one of their concerts. Totally not the place, unless you want to alienate fans. In such a case, it may be appropriate to decide if it’s a good idea to go to a Coldplay concert if you’re pro-life.
The arts and politics should not mix. The arts should be a way to reach and appeal all people, regardless of their politics, and bring them together. Music and movies ought to transcend politics. Nowadays, both sides are showing that some are just not capable.
