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Tuesday, July 31, 2007

So You Think You Can Make a Statement?

You know, I don't watch the Fox show So You Think You Can Dance?. Never have, probably never will. Actually, I take that back: I think I watched five minutes of the auditions the first season, got bored, and never watched it again. I'm surprised it's even still on the air.

And apparently, they've whipped themselves up quite a bit of controversy. Newsbusters, Michelle Malkin, and Webloggin all are following the story on how choreographer Wade Robson decided to have an anti-war/pro-peace night with ten dance solos to reflect that message, and how that same night, Mia Michaels, the other choreographer, wore a Marine Corps Dress Blues jacket with the emblem upside down. She says she didn't realize the emblem was upside down, that it was all for "fashion", and she had no idea it would be insulting for a civilian who didn't earn those stripes, to use a cliche, to wear a military dress uniform and then defile it.

And of course, it was all a big "coincidence", I'm sure.

Michaels even complained to TV Guide that she was receiving "hate mail" (emphasis mine):

Emmy-nominated choreographer Mia Michaels thought she was going to have a wonderful day. She woke up this morning to find hundreds of messages posted on her website. “And I thought, wow, I must’ve been a really good judge last night,” says Michaels. But then she opened the messages and was shocked by their tone and content. “It was hate mail,” she says simply. “Saying things like, ‘You should be ashamed of yourself.’ It was really intense. It was awful.”

The writers were responding to a jacket worn by Michaels on Wednesday’s show. She had no idea that anyone would be offended by it, she says. She simply thought she was being fashionable by wearing a navy blue military jacket that happened to have a Marine emblem, upside down, on the sleeves. After hearing the feedback, Michaels tried to make amends on the air. “I understand why people were upset and I respect that,” she says. “That symbol is sacred to the Marines, it’s what they earned. The problem needed to be addressed and I’m glad we addressed it. That’s why I made a public apology.”

First of all, in what world does she live in that "you should be ashamed of yourself" is hate mail? If she wants to know what hate mail looks like, Michelle Malkin can clue her in, as she unfortunately tends to receive quite a bit. I guess it's simply confirmation that moonbats see truth as hate mail, because those hate mongers were telling the truth: she should absolutely be ashamed of herself.

Look at me, I'm all a-full of hate today!

Lt. Col. Patrick from Duty in the Desert explains what it is that is so insulting about her defiling the jacket (emphasis mine):

I accept the fact that perhaps Michaels’ didn’t realize how strongly people would feel about the issue but this goes beyond a simple upside down emblem. The dress blues themselves are sacred to the men and women who have earned the right to wear them. Military personnel follow strict guidelines pertaining to dress codes. Even more importantly, fallen Marines are often buried in their dress blues. The uniform is important to the families and members of the U.S. military and it should be respected.

The fact that Mia Michaels wore the blouse (not jacket) with an upside down Marine emblem on the same night that Wade Robson choreographed an anti-war dance solo is not some mere coincidence in my estimation.

Then, on top of that, that same night (by "coincidence", as I said before), Wade Robson choreographed an anti-war "statement" with ten dance solos. The show told him they wanted ten dance solos to the same routine, and he and his wife decided they should make a statement that "everyone can connect to". And what is there that Americans love more than moonbats rubbing our faces in their anti-war drivel? Each dancer had words such as "humility", "love", "passion", "understanding", "honesty", and "compassion" on their outfits, and I guess they were supposed to somehow represent those traits through their dancing.

In the TV Guide interview, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said he just couldn't understand how people thought anti-war meant anti-troops, and that they were just making, again, a "statement":

But the problem didn’t stop with her. Adding to the perfect storm of controversy on Wednesday night’s show was Dance’s other Emmy-nominated choreographer, Wade Robson. He had fashioned the 10 identical solo dances around an antiwar theme. Set to the music of John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change,” the dancers wore peace symbols and printed slogans. That put executive producer Nigel Lythgoe in the crosshairs of more angry feedback from those who believe that an antiwar dance means the show and its dancers are unpatriotic and do not support the troops. “Who would’ve dreamt — with the dancers using words like ‘humility,’ ‘love’ and ‘passion’ — that I would be defending a television show that uses words like that?” asks Lythgoe, who also apologized on air.

But at the same time, Lythgoe stood his ground. “Art should be allowed to make statements,” he said. “I’m so proud to be part of a show that allows freedom of expression,” says Michaels. “Nigel has allowed us to be who we are. He never edits us and he lets us express ourselves as artists. I think that is rare and extraordinary.”

You know, he's right. Art should be allowed to make provocative and controversial statements. But when you make provocative and controversial statements, you can't act all shocked and shaken when people are, well, provoked and your statement incites controversy. But, Hollywood elitists being what they are, always fail to realize that we don't bask in their supreme perfectness. We aren't drinking the Kool-Aid, and we don't eagerly swallow every single little statement they give us. Sometimes we -- gasp! -- disagree, a tough realization for elitists who think they are always, infinitely right.

And there's nothing wrong, really, with making an anti-war statement, I guess. A little tactless considering we are, in fact, at war, but nothing wrong with it. Who is really pro-war, anyways? I mean, no one likes war. No one likes seeing our troops die, the best and brightest of us. The difference is that some of us understand that sometimes it is necessary, and some of us think that putting daisies in our rifles while holding hands singing "Kumbaya" with Al-Qaeda will solve all of our problems.

What I don't get is why they didn't ever consider possibly making a "Support the Troops" statement. Well, I take that back -- I know why, it's because moonbat liberals don't support our troops and never have, but let's pretend for a minute. Isn't that a message just about everyone can get behind? Regardless of your feelings on the war, you can and should support our troops. The dancers could have had words inscribed on their outfits like "valor", "courage", "integrity", "sacrifice", "honor", "selflessness", and even some of the words that the show used, like "humility" and "compassion". Now that would have been an inspiring show.

But no, they chose to travel the beaten path and bleat on about how they don't agree with war, and add a new insult to an old argument by disrespecting our Marines, and then backpedal furiously when people -- shockingly enough! -- were offended.

I'm not even really that surprised.


Mia Michaels, in her oh-so-fashionable insult to the Marine Corps.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

You don't know what you did by wearing that uniform in that manner. Many Marines have died for this country and you've dishonored them. If you call yourself an American, than I am ashamed to call myself one. I am a US Marine and will continue to fight for the rights and freedom the American people are entitled to.