(This post is a series of daily letters from me to my future children reporting from the emerging paradigm.)
Dear Kids:
I’m in a neighborhood singing group with my mom (your Nanny). I got an email about wanting to sing a new song March, March during our next gathering. I was curious, who is “The Chicks” that sing this? And wow they sound a lot like the Dixie Chicks are they the same group? And if they are how does everyone know the nickname your Aunt Spunky gave them (my bestie Spunky has been calling them The Chicks for years).
I googled and, in fact, the Dixie Chicks changed their name to The Chicks and rebranded because the term Dixie is problematically associated with slavery.
Rebranding is a big undertaking (as I’ve done a few times). The bigger of an entity you are, it’s a lot to do, and I’m proud of The Chicks for being willing to take that on and reflect the emerging paradigm rather than cling to the dying paradigm because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” Tradition that perpetuates genocide needs to be rethought. And tradition as a reason for not undertaking change is a weak argument.
They followed in the footsteps of Dolly Parton who rebranded her Dixie Stampede dinner theater to “Dolly Parton’s Stampede” back in 2018. When I was googling to get more information about why the term is problematic I found an article that went through some of the backlash Dolly received which is hilarious and not dissimilar to some of the top comments on The Chicks announcement post on Facebook.
One person said about Dolly Parton’s Stampede name change, “That show is funny, simple and clean family fun where no one is insulted.” Incorrect, I say!
I saw that show in 2014–I was offended and wrote a comment card about some problematic tokenizing of Native Americans. And that show is not as funny or as good as her other dinner theater show Celebration! or whatever they are calling it now/if it ever comes back/will we ever gather in public again.
I started this series of letters because things have been changing so fast, I wanted the chance to reflect and share this with you, especially since you might not be born until well after these changes roll out.
For me this has never been about being “politically correct” or performative activism. It’s about how can I as a human being be more kind to other human beings, especially those who are not as privileged as I am.
I hope you always consider doing something that can make the world kinder for others, and reconsider what you’ve already got momentum doing so that you can become kinder. Even if it’s a massive rebranding.
xoxo,
Mom
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