American Idiots

And now I don’t do this to shock you
I don’t do this for spite
You’ve got the choice: don’t buy it, don’t read it
And don’t say your opinion’s right
—Anthrax, “Startin’ Up A Posse”

I have to admit that I’ve never been a fan of Green Day. For me, their pseudo-punk din could never compare to bands like Minor Threat, Verbal Abuse, DRI, TSOL, or even the Misfits. Over the years, though, they proved to be a commercial success, whereas those other bands—with the exception of the Misfits, even though their popularity seemed to take off after former vocalist Glenn Danzig became a solo artist—didn’t see their attitudes measured with dollar signs.

Speaking of attitude, Green Day wants everyone to know that their attitude towards Wal-Mart isn’t a positive one. Unfortunately, their attitude toward a free market isn’t any better.

Wal-Mart has told the pop-rockers that in order to have their new album, 21st Century Breakdown, sold in Wal-Mart stores, Green Day would have to release a “clean” album, free of bad words, adult themes, and parental advisory stickers. Green Day members won’t stand for it, and won’t release such a “clean” version.

Fair enough, since it’s their music and they can do with it what they want, à la Metallica, but comments from bassist Mike Dirnt has me thinking that their knowledge of things like the First Amendment might not only be limited, but might be irrelevant. More over, it even suggests that they want an outside agent to step in and help them out in the name of “art.”

Dirnt remarked that since Wal-Mart was the “biggest record store in America” that “they should probably have an obligation to sell people the correct art.”

Um...excuse me? An “obligation” to sell something that you don’t want to sell?

Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m admittedly not a regular shopper at Wal-Mart. The last thing that I purchased there was a coffee maker (a year ago), and that was only because my other coffee maker broke and I need my daily coffee, as soon as possible. I’m also not a fan of ignorance or arrogance, which seem to be present in Dirnt’s comment (which is ironic, because the band wanted to be viewed as politically knowledgeable with their American Idiot album).

Wal-Mart has the right to decide what is or what isn’t sold in their stores, as does any other American. For instance, if I run a music store, I can choose to sell nothing but metal or jazz or classical or country or whatever other genre you can think of. That would be my right to sell it; it wouldn’t be up to bands to tell me what to sell and I would certainly have no “obligation” to sell anything that I wouldn’t want to sell.

The First Amendment—and I mention the First Amendment because this story is based upon the concept of censorship, even though the band doesn’t explicitly mention the Constitution—states that the government can’t control what you say, with exceptions like yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater. What it doesn’t say, however, is that people have to listen to what you say, have to like what you say, or, in this case, have to sell what you say.

Likewise, Green Day has the right to not like Wal-Mart’s decision and speak out against it. Wal-Mart, on the other hand, has no “obligation” to sell anything that they don’t want to sell, no matter whose “art” it is.

Besides: if this is Green Day, I’m not sure how applicable the term “art” really is.

Reference

Moody, Nekesa Mumbi. “Green Day Lashes Out at Wal-Mart Policy.” Sacramento Bee. 21 May 2009. <screenshot>

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