Does Anyone think Kid Rock's entrance at Halftime was in poor taste?

[eyeswideopened]

I found Kid Rock's entrance at Halftime in poor taste. It looked like desecration of the flag to me. He wore what looked like an American Flag with a slit in the center over his shoulders. Then he took it off and discarded it in a heap on the floor of the stage behind him as he continued his performance. Isn't this desecration of the flag?

[vi5]

1. I find his entire career in poor taste....

Flag or no flag, that guy is just flat out awful.

[Cannikin]

2. I did...

and anyone in my office who wasnt discussing Janet was also upset about it.

[ComerPerro]

3. You mean how he cut the American flag

wore it like an article of cloting, threw it on the floor, and proclaimed how proud he was to live in the USA?

no, not at all... <sarcasm>

[Sophree]

13. And wore it BACKWARDS!!!!

???!!!?? Incredibly disrespectful.

[ComerPerro]

35. Yeah I noticed that too

[thinkingwoman]

4. um, actually

he didn't drop it onto the floor. He dropped it to someone or a pair of someones behind him who took it away. I remember because I found it fascinating that somebody who had already desecrated the flag by cutting a slit in it actually made sure it didn't touch the ground when he was done with it.

Weird.

[eyeswideopened]

5. I distinctly looked for the flag during his performance

It was lying in a heap on the floor of the stage or band stand behind him.

[Bluzmann57]

6. Agreed

While I do not support an amendment to the constitution banning flag desecration, I don't support the way Kid Rock did it. He has a right to free speech, but it looked as if he was doing it for show biz rather than a political statement.

[ixion]

7. personally, I think the SB is an exercise in poor taste

just my opinion.

[bookman]

8. My comment at the time...

..was "I'd rather see the flag burned for a cause, than used in that manner"

[Blue_Roses]

9. Yeah.

His act is horrible with or without the flag. The whole half-time show was a disappointment.

And I'm so sick of hearing about the boob.

[eyeswideopened]

10. I suprised the media hasn't said anything about this...

It was in bad taste.

[Killarney]

11. Yes

Sure, he is free to do what he wants with the flag and normally he's a patriotic guy so I don't think he meant any ill-will. I just think it was in poor taste to cut a flag and wear it as a poncho.

I agree.

[Devlzown]

12. He was just another boob. n/t

[Skittles]

14. he was far more offensive than Janet could ever be

I find him absolutely disgusting

[jburton]

15. Imagine if he were a Democrat

The wingnuts would be SCREAMING about this.

[maggrwaggr]

16. everything about the superbowl was in poor taste

except for the actual game.

Why you people subjected yourselves to this is beyond me.

[DemLikr]

17. I liked it. It's just a flag, a piece of cloth, for god's sake.

I actually think in his mind he was honoring the flag and the country...seriously.

I've seen plenty of pics from Olympic events where U.S. fans use the flag as ponchos, shawls, you name it. No one comes unglued.

American society is uptight in the strangest ways about the oddest things.

[Shopaholic]

18. The flag is more than a piece of cloth. . .

And no, I don't want to see a constitutional amendment banning it's burning or anything--if that's what someone wants to do and it's in the form of a protest, whatever--it is supposed to be a free country--although for how much longer is anyone's guess. Anyway, I wasn't happy seeing Kid Rock parade around, using the flag as a poncho. It bothered me. But not nearly so much as the sexiest song he proceeded to sing. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse. . . . well, you know the rest.

[roguevalley]

33. I think I'm tired of the hypocracy. Some can use it oddly and walk and

others get lynched. Kid Rock is a schmuck. What he did
was crap. That he will probably walk makes it worse. As
for the Constitution, I don't trust anyone to mess with
it.

[ngGale]

28. I too think he was honoring the flag...

American society is uptight. It didn't even make an impression on me. I saw him as honoring the flag and we do wear those at Olympic events. My son mentioned it to me and he is a big Kid Rock fan. He didn't like it. I just said, I remember when they were burned and draft cards too. The point was totally lost on me that he did anything wrong. After all, I've seen real dissent.

[eyeswideopened]

34. I can see wearing Red White and Blue or even Flag Designs

But not a ripped up American Flag ... sorry You got it wrong.

[Tinoire]

19. Poor taste and a desecration of the flag.

I could care less about a symbolic piece of cloth but that flag means something to many people. In that audience were people who lost limbs and loved ones "for" that flag (or so they believe)- it was tacky and rude to them and to all the men & women braving danger overseas "for" that flag.

You would think a Bush supporter would know better.

It's a damn shame when Liberals have to point out the obvious to Right-wingers. The lack of consideration for other people's sensibilities is totally out of hand. It's not like he was protesting anything out of a sense of pain or betrayal- just desecrating the flag for no good reason.

Where oh where have all the good manners gone?

[Djinn]

20. Not trying to flame

maybe it's because I wasn't born in the country in which I now live, maybe it's because I'm a Scot and we have a long history of being distrustful of jingoism, maybe it's because I feel a stronger connection to being a citizen of the world not just my patch of it, maybe it's because I don't think the accident of where you're born really means anything (ie how can you be "proud" to be a citizen of XYZ, unless you emigrated you didn't choose it) but I just don't understand the big deal about a flag.

I've met and worked with hundreds of vets - not once have I heard that they went and fought for a piece of cloth that was more than likely manufactured by a child in a third world country. The closest is maybe that the fought for what the flag represented, but that wont be destroyed if a flag has a hole cut in it.

What is it that's so awful about Kid Rock (apart from his patent lack of talent of course) or Larry Flynt or your average flag burner - who are they really hurting?

Please note I do understand that this is something many Americans have strong feelings for and I'm not trying to get a flame war here just curious

[Tinoire]

23. Well you're not going to start a flame war with me

because frankly I could care less about it. I've lived in too many countries to place one piece of cloth over another and consider the entire concept of "patriotism" machiavellically manipulative. How ludicrous to teach children that the US flag is a "living, breathing thing"!

But... all that said... It means something to a lot of people and not just in America (though we have raise the adoration of that flag to high art). I've marched with aged veteran peace activists who were in wheel-chairs, limbless or blind and to whom that flag meant something. Out of respect for them, I prefer not to see it poorly treated.

You understand the difference I hope. It's not the flag I care about, it's the feelings of those who lost comrades on foreign shores, comrades who were shipped home dead, wrapped in that flag.

I just see it as a matter of respect.

Like them, my mother is from a different generation and doesn't like her children to curse so while I can out-cuss a soldier on shore-leave any day of the week, not one even vaguely off-word will I ever say in her presence...

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but I think such little considerations go a long way to making human interaction more pleasant.

On edit: Also it gives me great joy to point out right-wing disrespect of the flag since they make such a stink about it. Kid Rock is a Bush supporter- a disgrace to adoring right-wing fans everywhere ;)

[Djinn]

26. agree

I also have a vocabulary that'd make a wharfie blush and I also censor myself around folks who find swearing offensive - tho' not my folks - both have a tendency to resort to the odd F word despite their intelligence - again could be the Scottish genes.

[Tinoire]

31. A little late but

Welcome to DU Djinn! :toast:

Must be the Scottich blood in me that does the same ;)

[Djinn]

40. Thanks

:hi:

[efhmc]

21. I was listening to a radio sports show from Houston this evening and the

word is that it was a t-shirt. I didn't see it, wouldn't care if I had spent any of the valuable seconds of my life watching it. I think Americans are insane to spend so much time on such stupidity when our freedoms are going to hell in a handbasket, as my Mother used to say.

[TahitiNut]

22. TITLE 4 - CHAPTER 1 - Sec. 8. - Respect for flag

(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/4/8.html

[Tinoire]

24. Here's the one I like:

(e) The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.


And just for that one, because I was so sick of seeing the flag every damn where I went after 9-11, I have a sweet, thoughtful little, freeper-like card with that printed on it reminding people that flying it from the antennae of their pick-up truck or SUVs is.... flag desecration. I like to stick it under theur wind-shield wipers. :evilgrin:

[Djinn]

27. LOL

that must have had a few freepies blowing a brain cell! wish I could have seen them :evilgrin:

[TahitiNut]

29. GMTA, luv.

But you knew that, of course. :hug:

[Tinoire]

32. Lol, yes!

And a big one to you too! If you're ever in the area, we'll hook up at that first Starbucks again and innocently, patriotically, roam that parking lot. I don't think anyone would dare get upset at two vets who gave life, sweat and blood for the country, do you? ;)

www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1079280&mesg_id=1080120&page=

[Selwynn]

36. I really don't care about any damn flag.

But Kid Rock is generally in poor taste.

[TheDonkey]

25. not overy surprised

It was an American flag styled poncho not a real flag for one too.
People wear American flag boxers, does that mean they can't put them in the dirty close bin.

Even if it WAS a flag, I have other things to worry about than it being tossed around. Poor taste yes, but it's kid rock not surprised (at least it wasn't the rebel flag).

[Cooley Hurd]

37. It sure looks like a real one to me...

Looks pretty tattered, too...

[Rex]

30. I find most of TV to be in poor taste

and only watch the cartoon network and comedy central. Everything else is corporate garbage.

[annonymous]

38. I found Kid Rock's flag poncho more distasteful

than Janet Jackson's exposed breast.

[buddhamama]

39. i find Kid Rock to be in poor taste

his performance has been overshadowed by the breast incident.
we keep hearing about the Kids and the breast but, is anyone talking about that misogynistic song He sang?

my concern with the Flag issue is the double standard that is being applied. If that had been say Steve Earle, we'd still be hearing about How he treated the Flag.