In their ongoing quest of celebrating the mediocrity of television culture (Madonna, Michael Jackson, David Bowie at the start, now reality TV shows and awards ceremonies at the end), MTV has told Trent Reznor he may not perform his song The Hand That Feeds as he has planned.
The Nine Inch Nails show features a full stage backdrop picture of the current American president, completely unmolested in any way. It is simply a mural of the president. MTV says they fear that broadcasting a partisan message is not in the spirit of the trophies they award to the most tedious, mediocre, boring films of the previous year.
In the wake of the Mike Wallace and Newsweek scandals, MTV is squeamish about intimidating the corporate fundamentalists controlling the United State White House. They fail to state, like all of the American media, that Wallace's information was correct and the Newsweek article was accurate, but both were bullied into retracting their stories. MTV should be standing-up and saying: "We can't be pushed around by those who disagree with us!"
Since MTV refuses to stand-up against censorship, they clearly support it. There is no middle ground: you either fight against censorship, or you do not! MTV's censorship of Reznor, and their inability to take a moral position against censorship in general is direct proof that they prefer the new corporate fundamentalist approach to broadcasting. This makes them totally useless!
I really have no use for Nine Inch Nails, or Trent Reznor. I think he and they are dull and I've already had to suffer through one tedious live performance. But, no matter what I think of them, I support their Constitutional right to express their opinion.
MTV has always been an embarrassment to Western Civilization, and now they prove to be spineless unAmerican anti-constitution corporate fundamentalists more interested in profit than their civic duty to protect the media's right to free speech.
Personally, I never allow my television to broadcast MTV and if you do, I hope you will now consider blocking it on your cable box. If you continue to support MTV you are helping to erode what is left of the Bill of Rights.
Reznor's NiN act will be replaced by Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters, a politically active, partisan band who actively campaigned for John Kerry during the last presidential purchase, er election. Let's hope that Grohl grows a testicle and speaks out during the broadcast. Let's hope that Grohl's performance is so rife with political statements that MTV has to cut his performance from the broadcast, or censor his vocals. That will further expose MTV's uselessness!
Artists and media who refuse to speak-out against the corporate fundamentalists deserve no voice! Bravo, Trent Reznor, for speaking-out!
A Yahoo! Article
Reznor's Statement of 5_26_2005 can be seen on his personal message board
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