One of the most difficult expressions for society is to preserve Freedom. When Madonna and her MDNA tour rolled out of Denver’s Pepsi Center it was not void of controversy.
For those who do not know, the buckled down, gun happy, police rules found in Denver and it’s suburbia have been the result and outcome of a national obsession with violence. Start with John Hinkley and the Brady Bill, flowing to Columbine shootings, the international horror show of September 11, 2001, the recent Aurora “Dark Night” theater massacre and consistent whack jobs getting not just local but national attention for violence. Denver unlike other parts of the country is a gateway to the West and East, North and South. Mexican gangs flow through the turf of Crips and Bloods in these parts. The rural communities are isolated with land that is vast and productive. Whether for food, water, minerals or energy the laws of living from the land are cherished. The freedom on the range is typically enhanced by the proud environment to bear arms. America’s dependence on Independence and Freedom enables the right to protect ourselves. The laws though from the Constitution to those followed by most g-d fearing folk are clear. Murder and to kill is not a right and in fact separates the human species from other creatures that are not able to abide by right and wrong. When society enables itself to be immersed in violence, revolt and “dog bites man” mentalities, the arts are meant to reflect it.
So, mainstream media was abuzz by Madonna brandishing a gun and machine guns in her live show. They were saying how insensitive Madonna was to what has occurred in Colorado and specifically in Denver. Perhaps Madonna prompted exactly the discussion that mass media wants to ignore. Her fans paid for a show and to be inspired by her lyrics, antics and performance. To take an act out of context is to put freedom at peril. Performers like Madonna to street artists like Banksy or Shepard Fairy are provoking a discussion where the laws can not. From gangster rap to Van Gogh paintings, Coloradans are being asked to think vs. accept the way the “socitay” is to respond, as South Park creator and Coloradoan Tray Parker might say.
