Real Men Kill and a Woman Never Talks Back

This week I wrote an article summary on “Real Men Kill and a Lady Never Talks Back: Gender Goes to War in Country Music” by Lesley Pruitt. I was initially intrigued by the title, but the content of the article was extremely interesting. Pruitt talks about the controversial comments made by the Dixie Chicks and Willie Nelson about their anti-war position. Pruitt explains that the backlash that the Dixie Chicks faced was much worse than that of Nelson solely based on their gender and the expectation the country music scene has for them. 

The Dixie Chicks were isolated and practically forced out of the spotlight while Nelson was simply called an “outlaw” and celebrated. The comments made towards the trio were sexist and diminished their credibility as not only musicians, but also United States citizens. The lead vocalist Maines, the one who made the anti-war comments, spent her time defending herself as a patriot and her position instead of supporting the cause she stood for. Pruitt talks a lot about the manly image that male country stars are so desperate to protect and how this cause Nelson’s anti-war song to be considered part of this act. Political figures and other people in the music industry commented on the Dixie Chicks actions and referred to them as problematic and disloyal as well as irrational and childlike. While the Dixie Chicks music was banned from many country music stations, Nelson’s anti-war song was his only work not receiving air time. This distinction was what made this article so interesting to me and how there is such a major difference in the treatment of men and women based solely on gender.