www.thedailybeast.com: “America is a dangerous place at the moment, so you have to take that into account,” he said. “It’s very sad because I feel like Queen grew up in America, and we love it, but it’s not what it was. Everyone is thinking twice about going there at the moment.”
7 comments:
I honestly have to agree with them, America is way too dangerous right now. It’s very unfortunate that we got to this point, a year ago we were not here, yet now we have people being shot on the streets and folks being arrested without due process. It’s just not safe to have people in large crowds with everything going on, and I don’t blame the artists not to want to have to deal with that. In no world should they ever have to consider this, and the fact we have to consider this as artists and theatre makers is just horrible. Nothing is changing either, and I doubt anything will change because of this artist deciding not to tour. While yes, I do 100% agree with the decision this artist made, I just don’t think anything will come of anyone doing things like this to protest everything going on, and that sucks.
I can’t blame Brian May here at all. To a shocking degree, the US is truly too dangerous. Plenty of American citizens feel unsafe, so it must be extra concerning for any foreigners to have any interaction here. I am cautiously optimistic that once the administration ends, the US will feel more safe and appealing to visit. The article is a little misleading saying that, “Brian May revealed that he will never tour in the U.S. again,” as later there’s a direct quote stating the opposite. I appreciate that he isn’t fully shutting the door. His point that Queen grew up here was really impactful to me. The band is one of the biggest in history, so Americans would definitely be missing out if they didn’t return. Ultimately, I’m very grateful for their impact on so many people including myself, and I hope our communities can still be graced by their presence in the future.
Given America’s current climate, it is not at all surprising, and quite understandable, that Queen is not interested in going at the current moment. And this is not something specific to them, it seems to be a sentiment echoed by many people living both outside and inside the country. Despite the trying times, it does give me some hope that public figures are using their popularity as power to stand up for what they believe is right. At the same time, it is truly quite frightening that we live in a world where people are unable to express themselves freely and are genuinely unsafe. Art, like the music of Brian May, is supposed to be an expression, representative of how humans are free to express their emotions. To live in a world where art does not feel welcomed, is to live in a world where creativity is not supported; and creativity is essential in our democratic (and capitalist!) society.
I am proud of artists who continue to speak up about politics and others safety. America is not a safe place right now for anyone, which is sad, but true. Queen is a band with such a huge history and impact on music so I am happy that they are speaking up about things unlike other huge artists. I do think it’s interesting that the article goes from talking about how America is a dangerous place to talking about the English music festival Glastonbury because of badgers. The badger thing is still political and an important thing to be upset about, but it seems like a bit of a weird shift to go from American politics where people are being openly murdered on the streets to killing animals. The article also talks about Queen creating new music which is, again, cool, but does not seem like that should be in the same article about heavy topics that they did not really go into.
Emma L.
It is very sad that this is how our country is becoming a less desirable place to visit. It appears that it is getting more and more unsafe, especially from an outside perspective. America has certainly changed, like May said it is not what it was. We have seen a lot of change in a relatively short period of time. One thing that George Washington was concerned about was the polarization of the country that comes with a two part system and it is my belief that we have fallen into this trap. One thing that a lot of Americans are lacking on both sides of the political spectrum is empathy and the willingness to listen to each other. On a more positive note I appreciate how much public figures like May aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in. It is important to stand by your morals, but it is equally important to attempt to understand those around you.
While it’s sad to miss out on these artists as an American, we need to start seeing the signs. The pot is boiling. If music artists know that their travels here aren’t safe, why is it safe to be living here? If this isn’t the moment to take a stance against what’s happening, I don’t know what is. Art is inherently political, as well as it’s absence. Things like this should be noted. As one of the people who just so happens to live here, choices made by people outside of our country are highly important to stay aware of. And quite frankly, I wouldn’t tour in the US either if it was my choice! This is an intentional part of isolating the US population; by not only working internally to cut us off, but to scare away anyone who is trying to spread art, spread education, anything from another country.
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