With all the recent furor over her (alleged) new face, (alleged) affair, and (alleged, we say!) marital problems, we almost forgot why Madonna became such a media target in the first place: The lady likes to push buttons. Political, sexual, spiritual, you name it; Madge has a long history of stirring the pot in her quest for artistic expression, social justice, and—let’s be honest here—plain old attention. So really, was anyone surprised by the news that her Sticky and Sweet Tour contains an incendiary video montage that links John McCain to Kim Jong Il and Hitler, while buddying Barack Obama with the Dalai Lama? The move is vintage Madge, a throwback to the feisty Italian-American girl of yore who supposedly told the Pope that if he wanted an audience with her, he could buy a ticket to her show. We loved that Madonna and we love her still, but it looks like age hasn’t made her any more eloquent. The stab at McCain (which found its way to YouTube this week) is about as clumsy as they come, and its nutty implications show a Madge who is less concerned about substance than shock value; otherwise we might be seeing something here that looks a little more like video art and a little less like a YouTube mashup made by an angsty armchair pundit.
What do you think PopWatchers? Is Madge’s video an edgy statement or just a cry for attention? And isn’t all the political junk just a smokescreen for the video’s real message that monocles are totally hot?
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Forgive me if I don’t take my political advice from someone thrusting and gyrating with poles in a cage wearing hot pants and a raccoon mask. Apparently since only one single from her album made the charts (on the strength of JT, no doubt) she thinks this is the way to get noticed again. I think it’s a bit ironic that the beginning of this video equates excess and consumerism with getting stupid… coming from a woman who lives one of the most luxurious lifestyles of anyone on earth. How many planes, trains and automobiles (and gallons of gas and pollution) does it take to transport her personal carnival from city to city and continent to continent? Get stupid, indeed.
Cry for attention – I love Madge and love that she pushes buttons but some of the buttons she pushes are just easy targets and rather lazy for an shock icon.
A well-edited cry for attention.
I’m sorry, I HATE to be political, but I fail to see why throngs of supporters who bought into the cult of personality of Hitler et al is more apropos toward McCain than Obama? I mean, “McCain is evil!” is plain stupid, “McCain is evil like Hitler!” is so idiotic (let alone insulting to the actual atrocities of WWII) it doesn’t even deserve a response, but if you’re trying to draw parallels, showing the throngs of cheering people is bad…uh…isn’t Obama in the wrong part of this montage? If you want thought out, trying to make life better, damn the popularity, show someone like Nader (like him or not, nut or not, at least he puts the public above his popularity). If your argument is popularity = evil, I just have to say…Epic Fail!
So sad – trying so hard to be relevant and as a result proves how irrelevant she really is. Kind of pathetic.
I didn’t get halfway through without having to turn it off. I’m not anti-Madonna or anything, but I am anti-tedium. The video was mediocre at best.
This clearly is meant to be shown during a concert which is a completely different context from on YouTube. Judge based on that fact and good for her for having an opinion. Too many people don’t give a frak and decisions are made by those who show up.
I thought it was cool — her opinion, her right to voice it. And McCain may not be on the same level as Hitler, but in terms of supporting the Iraq war, he’s partly responsible for many innocent and unnecessary lives ending. Obama’s not perfect, but he voted against the war.
I agree with everything she say’s and support Obama.
War isn’t the answer, we can talk our way out of problems as Obama say’s and if not well then we surely learned something from Harold and Kumar in that all we have to do is eat a cockmeat sandwich like they do and surely all the bad people in the world will be happy and and wont bother us anymore, what a small price to pay for freedom, anyone hungry.
Amazing as usual! All the haters, stupid as usual – have any of you listened?!
Madonna rules! For all the haters – what are you doing at 50?! Losers!!
Madonna is a pathetic old hag, and her music sucks. If it weren’t for European and Asian fans, has-been artists like her would have no careers at all. Comparing McCain to Hitler is moronic. He voted for the war so that makes him like Hitler? If that’s the case, where are the images of Hillary and the other Democrats who voted for it as well? Partisan politics as usual.
The Confessions Tour featured a similar video comparing GWB to the world’s worst and most evil “leaders” which was much more effective. This time around it leaves me saying “meh.” Here’s the Confessions version:
I am (or was) a Madonna fan but I think using Hitler is tacky & offensive because it trivializes what he did. Neither McCain nor Obama is like Hitler, yet. McCain served honorably and Obama has done nothing but promote himself & take a quick affirmitive action ride to the top. OBAMA DID NOT VOTE AGAINST THE WAR!!! HE HAS VOTED TO SUPPORT THE WAR THE IN THE SENATE!!! He was oppsed to it in a speech but then VOTED FOR THE WAR once he became a Senator. OBAMA WILL NOT END THE WAR! He will do anything to get elected. He was first funded by the Muslim criminal, Tony Rezko, who purchased Obama’s house for him and lived next door. Obama helped Rezko embezzle 14 million tax-payer dollars. Obama is friends with William Ayers, a confessed terrorist. Obama chose to sit in a racist, anti-Semitic, anti-American church until this election cycle brought his associations into question. Obama certainly has the charisma of a Hitler in training, but it remains to be seen if he will be as evil.
MADONNA RULEZ! … and she always will. I think the comparison of McCain to Hitler is amusingly hyperbolic. One definitely gets (bludgeoned with) the message. Good for her!
you are even more stupid than Madonna if you actually believe what you wrote. pathetic.
I fail to see how this is so controversial. I don’t think the comparison with Hitler is direct. The message is that we are responsible for our own choices. Even though McCain may not be as bad (or as close to as bad) as Hitler, his support for war and invasion lead to the same consequences. Whether she’s trying to make a statement or trying to shock, it’s a job well done.
HOT!!!! she is so right….it is our time to say something…she is not comparing anyone to hitler she is saying that you have your choice…make your voice heard….and FYI McCains choice of the FOOL Palin is an example of what she is talking about…PALIN HATES GAYS, HATES that woman can choose..SHE IS GOING TO TAKE YOUR RIGHTS AWAY….funny how MADONNA(who is HOT) noticed that MCcain is a a fascist…and lets be clear…The jerk Huckabee is also in the vid…he thought AIDS patients need to be in Concentration Camps….????that actually sounds like Hitler???
I can’t believe people actually reacted to this. It’s not even controversial. I didn’t see the “Hitler” comparison. Madonna does look good though.
The fascinating thing about Madge has always been that she has a mainstream audience who are so hung up on the not-so-subtle way they see her work, that they completely simplify it and are happily mislead by media who turn everything into anything that sells more papers, etc. She’s not saying McCain “is” another “Hitler”, she’s saying that history/society is defined by the choices we make and the propaganda we buy into which leads us to make “stupid” choices. It’s a little more grey than the black and white nature Americans are choosing to see it as. here in Australia, we just think this is another example of you guys getting all wound up at anyone who dares be political. Get smarter!
apparently GOB does not watch the charts too close her 2nd single off the album is at #7 on the world chart and spent time at #1 in many countries even on some US charts. Most bought the 1st single because its MADONNA, a woman who is a global icon, Justin is not MADONNA nor will most buy a Madonna album just because he in on it.
I love her, but there is nothing I hate more than a wealthy person criticizing things like consumerism and mass consumption. Like she lives in a grass hut and wears bamboo leaves all day, right? She has mansions filled with lavish things. So it’s OK for her to have all of that, but when us lowly mortals down here want to partake as well, we are suddenly contributing to the downfall of the human race?
wtf?
this was incredibly lame. i’ve been a madonna fan since 1984 but this is a complete waste. the message isn’t clear. mccain and obama are both pictured – should we chose one over the other or are they both evil? the song is probably the worst thing i’ve ever heard and if this was on tv i’d change the channel. get up. it’s time. how prolific. NOT.
I think you are absolutely right- monocles ARE totally hot and it’s about time we all recognized it. Hello, Madonna tried to tell us that all the way back with the “Express Yourself” video, but we didn’t get; although, I believe at the time it was overshadowed by the message that underwear is way sexier when worn outside of your clothes. Maybe this time we’ll listen.
Also, the vid is classic Madonna, which I love, so even the clumsy, heavy-handed parts are endearing to me. C’mon, peeps, lighten up! Madonna is Madonna, so if you don’t like her, you haven’t for a long time, and if you do, same thing. I don’t think she’s trying to change hearts; if someone stopped liking her now, well, they’re a stupid ass. Once you’ve reached icon status, like Madonna, the rules change. An icon can never become irrelevant, for one thing!
Since a McCain win would be a (possibly fatal) disaster for the contry and the world, I don’t think any criticism is too harsh. Anyone that would choose the stupid, ignorant, billying, absolutely un-American Sarah Palin deserves whatever he gets.
Infoainment Madonna
it is the absolute truth to so many of us – of course not everyone agree’s and that is what this video is about… say what you like but make up your mind and vote.. darn it voice it in your vote either wayt
Ho-hum yawn. No wonder I’m tired of you. You should run for President since you’re so much smarter.
I’ll say one thing for Madonna, at least she gets people engaged and talking about these issues. Which is more than 99% of other popstars do. Good on her.
In response to those who claim that I cannot believe what I wrote about Obama: The problem is most Obama supporters don’t know anything about him. They simply project their hopes onto him & don’t bother to learn about him. Many people are just excited about the aura of “change” he portrays, but he’s just a typical dirty politician & worst than most. He had his rivals knocked off the ballot in the Illinois State Senate campaign & then voted “PRESENT” 130 times. He was only a Senator for 1 year before running for president, in which he spent planning his run. He has accomplished nothing. He is a cousin of both Bush & Cheney & he did get his house from Tony Rezko, a convicted criminal who made 14 million dollars in the district represented by Obama, who Rezko paid 100 thousand dollars to get elected in order to help him embezzle. Obama has no experience or credibility besides the ability to seem “presidential”. He has idiots eating out of his dirty hands. He is the biggest lie!