Country and folk singer Dolly Parton generally avoids politics but seems to have a generally welcoming attitude towards other people. She recently spoke out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. She also spoke about her earlier decision to drop the word ‘Dixie’ from the name of her theme park.
US country music star Dolly Parton has come out in support of Black Lives Matter, in a rare comment on politics.
She told Billboard Magazine: “Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”
…The entertainment mogul – who owns Dollywood amusement park in her home state of Tennessee as well as other attractions – also spoke about her decision in 2018 to drop the “Dixie” from her Dixie Stampede attraction.
…“There’s such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that,” she told Billboard. “When they said ‘Dixie’ was an offensive word, I thought, ‘Well, I don’t want to offend anybody. This is a business. We’ll just call it The Stampede.’
“As soon as you realise that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don’t be a dumbass. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.”
“As soon as you realise that [something] is a problem, you should fix it”” is a good common-sense approach to life.
I wrote some time ago that “Don’t be a jerk” was a good philosophy to live by since it was simple and easily understood. Parton’s “Don’t be a dumbass” is also pretty good.
I read not too long ago that she was an early and strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. The country music crowd isn’t exactly ahead of the curve on social justice issues…. Are they cool with interracial marriage yet?
Be excellent to each other.
Not a fan of country music--particularly not the militaristic, jingo-istic “Murica F YEAH, you don’t agree, I’ll end you” strain that’s been so popular since the 1990s--but I do like Dolly Parton, probably because she’s none of that. Wish more people in the south were like her. When she learned the Dixie Stampede was offensive, she concluded she didn’t want to be offensive and changed the name. She’s the anti-MAGAT.
It’s not shocking that Parton is on the right side. There’s a lot to her that she keeps private (e.g. her extensive tattoos). She’s not the only high profile celebrity with a view and involvement. Linda Ronstadt spoke on progressive issues for decades, and Elizabeth Taylor was taking legal risks by distributing AIDS medication at a time when Reagan wanted the disease to kill everyone LGBTQIA.
Not to mention the Dixie Chicks whose popularity was “cancelled” when one of them spoke her disapproval of George W Bush’s plan to invade Iraq. They have recently made somewhat of a comeback just as the plain Chicks. They never took a backward step, even when Texas radio stations were promoting public CD burnings. Instead they recorded “Not Ready to Make Nice”. Nineteen years later this classical music buff still gets goosebumps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pojL_35QlSI