If One Feels the Need to Criticize Elton John...

[David Zephyr]

Here's a ladder for the self-righteously inclined, because it would take a ladder to reach up to where this man stands and has stood in helping so many, for so many years who needed so much when no one cared or would lift a finger.

And, if you still inclined to climb this ladder of self-righteousness, then I would hope that at every rung you encounter on this ladder, you ponder Elton's fingerprints where he made real flesh and blood differences to the lives of so many.

And, you might want to self-reflect on what you've done yourself compared to him with your life.

Elton John is a human being. And a noble one at that. And Elton will always be swell in my book.

[Ian David]

1. Aside from Limbaugh's wedding, joining the PUMA scum, and playing Sun City during Apartheid...

... yeah, let's give him a pass.





Elton John Proves Once Again That He's Willing To Betray Gay Community For A Price

<snip>

And that's not the first time that Elton has shown a love for money to trump principles.

Two politicians who have consistently voted against gay rights, Reps. John Shimkus (R-IL) and Jean Schmidt (R-OH), will be holding fundraisers at the Elton John/Billy Joel Face2Face concert in Washington DC's Nationals Park July 11, reports PartyBlog.

And Prop 8 supporters were only too happy to quote John in his less than supportive words for gay marriage:

Despite campaigning for global gay rights, Elton John is very not supportive of civil marriage equality. Or maybe he just doesn't understand that civil unions do not allow couples in the U.S. over 1,300 rights granted to heterosexual married couples. In November 2008, Sir Elton told USA Today:

We're not married. Let's get that right. We have a civil partnership. What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage...I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership. The word "marriage," I think, puts a lot of people off. You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships.

Seriously, Elton. You're. Not. Helping.

More:
http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/Elton-John-Proves-Once-Again-That-Hes-Willing

[Ozymanithrax]

7. I hated "Saturday Night's Alright"

The rhyme scheme was simplistic.

He is better than that.

OK, I criticized Elton John.

By the way, I also think "Goodbye England's Rose" was a grotesque ripoff of his younger self, and not improved by the changes.

You made me do it.

[joeybee12]

14. You forgot that his music has been derivative for 25+ years now...nt

[Ian David]

23. Well, that's nothing new. n/t

[joeybee12]

37. True, just trying to come up with reasons to criticize him...

there are lots.

[Freddie Stubbs]

2. Elton John is a musician

He is paid to make music. His playing at a private wedding didn't further any political agenda. What it did do was make a well-known conservative $1 million poorer.

[Ian David]

3. Limbaugh is rich beyond the reach of market forces.

The only thing that can bankrupt him is some SERIOUSLY poor investment.

[MadBadger]

4. Chump Change that put a smile on Limbaugh, Hannity, Rudy, Clarence Thomas, and Rove's Face

[BeFree]

8. heh

The soldiers who give their lives protecting their country are of far more interest to me than this Elton character.

[Blue-Jay]

5. It only takes one thing to piss off many DUers.

No amount of good that he's done in the past will ever matter to them.

It happens all the time around here. I don't get it.

[David Zephyr]

10. Well, smugness costs nothing, does it.

Thanks for your comments.

http://www.ejaf.org/

[cherokeeprogressive]

22. A thousand atta-boys are wiped out by one aw-shit.

Witness Helen Thomas and how she was dropped like she was toxic after being a DU Darling for the * years.

[David Zephyr]

31. Yes.

It must be swell to be perfect.

[bullwinkle428]

41. Helen Thomas didn't sell her soul to the devil!

;)

[Smarmie Doofus]

6. Lots of good people do stupid things.

And lots of good people do *bad* things.

The fact that he's done lots of good things doesn't negate the fact that he did something stupid. Or bad.

Doesn't strike me any kind of libel, slander or criminal act to point that out.

[eilen]

9. He'll work for the devil if given the right price

They have a few names for that.

[damntexdem]

11. What's he being criticized for?

[cbdo2007]

15. A lot of people here don't like that he allows Republicans in his audience.

[donco6]

24. Who?

Name one.

[miscsoc]

26. rush isn't some republican grandpa

he's a powerful leader of the hard right of the party, with huge and malign influence.

rush's influence has no doubt played a role in a lot of misery in the lives of gay people across the u.s., and the money he has comes in part from peddling homophobia (and misc. other forms of irrational hatred) people are disappointed that elton is willing to associate even with people like rush if the price is right.

[donco6]

38. crickets

that's what I thought.

[YOY]

12. I just hope he sung "Nikita"...

Cuz if you know Russian...you know quite well that "Nikita" is a man's name (familiar form).

[RZM]

13. Didn't Destiny's Child

which was at the time fronted by Beyonce, play Bush's first inauguration? I don't remember much opprobrium directed at her at the time.

[donco6]

16. Well, besides having no principles whatsoever, yeah, he's great.

Anyone who would perform for money paid by that RW fascist is no friend of mine. Sorry. And I was a HUGE fan. I've never bought the "join 'em to influence 'em" garbage. You just end up smelling like Nazi.

[Bluebear]

17. We have to reach out to ALL points of view!! It's only ONE SONG!

:sarcasm:

I heard that ad nauseum during McClurkin, but now it's quite a different tale when it comes to Sir Elton.

[David Zephyr]

18. Just keep in mind...

http://www.ejaf.org/

[zaj]

19. I'd take away every single dollar from Rush Limbaugh I possibly could.

Why would anyone object to taking $$ away from Limbaugh?

Now if I were Elton John, I'd take that paycheck, drive right over to a press conference at the Human Rights Campaign office, sign the back and let them deposit it.

[The_Commonist]

20. If Elton John wants to be a second-class citizen...

...that's his business.

If he wants to be a servant, a performing monkey for the Powers That Be, that's his business.

It doesn't negate the good things he's done, but his taking a million bucks for this gig is an acknowledgment on his part that he is a servant, and a second-class citizen.

[DonCoquixote]

21. OK, here's why

Because the main reason we leftist are not in control is because we let the Clintons, Rahms, and others think we can do shitty things and make up for it with good things.

Sir Elton knows what Rush is. Hell, Rush is not even like several religious figures that may feed poor people and do other genuinely good things, but sadly have the wrong belief on Gays. We do not even give a pass to the priests, preachers, sisters and others who mix discrimination with virtue, because we know that the fascists will sneak right behind these folks, even if they have to vilify them to do it. However, Rush did not have to untangle any sticky mess of Diplomacy. Rush gets PAID to slam Gays, among others. His JOB is to affect public opinion. He serves no other function. He is the equivalent of a Mercenary, who gets paid to do a job, even if that job is to inspire people to kill, imprison, beat and oppress.

Yes, in a sane society, he would be just an entertainer, but we all know he is a major part of the political establishment. Rush is a main rampart in the assault on human rights, and Sir Elton knew that. It's not like when Sinead O Connor ripped up that picture of Pope John Paul II. When she did that, many Catholics were offended, even those that were normally liberal, even those that used the Pope's stand against the death penalty to oppose the right, even those that quoted the Pope's stances against materialism to oppose the greed is good decade. Granted, Sinead was still right IMHO, but at least she had several things to consider. No, the only people that would have slammed Elton John for not taking Rush Limbaugh's money are the same people that would not only call him a (you know what word) but the folks who actually are working towards that day when Gays in America are as dead as Matthew Shepard.

Honestly, don't you think the major reason the right is winning is because they know they have the money, and that all of us, from the President to Elton John, are afraid to lose our meal ticket. That even though we know these folks are planning to kill us and use our body for food, we still play the tunes, hoping an encore will buy us one more bit of time?

No Elton, I will still applaud you for your work with AIDS, and still say that you have produced some of the best music ever recorded. That being said, you screwed up, and you will need to do a lot of Karma clean up before you get back the respect you once had.

[mikita]

25. I loved your post....

especially

"all of us, from the President to Elton John, are afraid to lose our meal ticket"

It's hard to deny......

[David Zephyr]

32. Elton doesn't need a "meal ticket". Elton provides meal tickets.

Elton's generosity and his foundation have been "meal tickets" and "health tickets" for a very large number of humans in great need for decades.

So if an openly, proud and world-renown, married homosexual took a million dollars away from that fraud for singing for a few minutes then so be it.

[DonCoquixote]

44. Er

First off, he is not married, as he himself said. The man has spoken out against gay marriage, favoring "civil union."

Second, the problem with taking money from sobs is that, by doing so, you buy into their right to have that money and power, since they can turn around and point out that you get paid. Again, it's the reason why, even though Bill Clinton and Obama may have thought they were left, they found that the money they took was in fact a choke chain.

[edhopper]

27. I do not have the money Elton John does.

Some months I just squeak by.
But I have turned down work from people I find objectionable.
So yeah, I'll compare myself and I think Elton John should be ashamed.
Thirty pieces of silver if you ask me.

[fascisthunter]

28. well, it's called selling-out

Rush HATES people like Elton John, yet he performed for him for the sake of his money. Money CAN and DID buy Elton John. I and many others would probably not take the money out of principle. Sad to see principles don't matter much these days, because in the end they always do.


I'm sitting down, no need for the ladder.

[RetroLounge]

29. Sure he's swell

I like whores myself.

:puke:

RL

[Rhythm]

46. I was thinking the same thing...

It's now established what a whore Sir Fabulous is... and we even know the price.

To hell with him, honestly... got no time in my life for the "I got mine" celebrity circus.

[RiverStone]

30. Rush is shit, but don't we have more important issues than this!?

So Elton sang at the bigot's wedding. Life's too short to read the gossip section.

Back to the oil spill, the Gaza blockaid, the Afgan war...

[guitar man]

33. It just another gig

When you're a musician sometimes that's how you have to look at it, it's just another paying gig

hell, if pigboy called me up to play a gig at his house I'd do it too. I mean, it's not every day you get the chance to comb your butt hair with Rush Limbaugh's toothbrush :rofl:

[David Zephyr]

35. That's sick...and funny, too.

;-)

[guitar man]

36. Hey

If I ever gained access to his crib I sure wouldn't waste any opportunities :)

[proud2BlibKansan]

34. His new critics can join the ones who hate him for helping Ryan White

[dsc]

39. I would be lying to say it doesn't bother me

but I am waiting to see what he does with the money. In any case, I still love me some Elton John for the stuff you point out as well as for his music and sobriety. That isn't to say I won't be disappointed if he just uses the money for some dumb luxory.

[depakid]

40. I think he's shown his true colors

just as those who defend his behavior are.

Same sort of deal with in the closet Republicans who actively oppose equal rights for gays and lesbians.

Also I would note that this post just drips with irony.

And that's not a compliment.

[David Zephyr]

47. Only drips?

Tsk.

[cwydro]

42. I loved his music in high school

and still love those songs. Never cared much for him actually, but I doubt he gives a shit.

I am not wasting my time getting mad at an entertainer.

[IndianaGreen]

43. We Hoosiers will never forget what Elton John did for Ryan White

We love that guy in Indiana!

[dsc]

45. I wish I could find it now

but there was a touching interview with Elton where he creditted Ryan with giving him the ability to be sober. He did the right thing by Ryan to be sure.

[David Zephyr]

49. Yes, he did.

Elton says Ryan saved his life, but Elton rose to the occasion during those early days when my friends were dying and attending their funerals swallowed me emotionally with rage and heartache. Watching Ronald Reagan's administration and the general American public do nothing, hearing their silence and, in many cases hearing their "they deserved this" or as George Herbert Bush screamed at ACTUP activists, "Change your behavior" is something a lot of young GLBT fortunately did not have to live through for years after years. Most people were terrified to even be near someone with AIDS. I think that public memory has dimmed now because people don't want to remember how cowardly and shameful they behaved. Elton didn't. He came through. He made a difference when so many ran for cover.

[David Zephyr]

48. And I remember.

And always will.

[WeDidIt]

50. Oh good godz, it's fine to criticize Obama, but WOAH BE UPON YOU if you criticize Elton John

:eyes:

[David Zephyr]

51. Apparently you missed this, WeDidIt

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8434789

[Tailormyst]

52. What he did in the early days of the AIDS crisis won't be forgotten

One weird choice of jobs, to me, does not negate decades of good works.