I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got - Sinéad O'Connor

.....I'm going to go out on a limb on this one. Not much of a limb, but a limb nonetheless..... more of a finger really. Anyway I'd like to put forward that there exists in the media.......wait for it...... a system of double standards when it comes to dealing with the sexes...... I know. Wow. It's quite a statement and I accept that there will be some people out there in Internetland who don't recognise the statement that I've just made. Now I don't expect to be able to change their standpoint in this short humble blog but hopefully they will at least understand the argument that I am about to put forward. Maybe......

Sinéad O'Connor has not exactly been a stranger to controversy but when she, in 1992, appeared on Saturday Night Live and tore up a picture of the Pope during a rendition of 'War' I don't think even she could have foreseen the widespread vitriol that was subsequently aimed at her. It went beyond reasoned and civilised discussion and was well....just plain nasty. But what had sparked this controversial act? She was protesting about the sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. Protesting. Freedom of speech. Remember that? If she had lit the fire by doing what she did, the media continued to stoke the fire; suggesting that she was out of control and had lost her mind. A dotty woman who should've known better. The fact that, several years later, she was found to have been correct didn't change the media's portrayal of her. As far as I am aware, no apology has ever been forthcoming nor have any retractions been printed. Certainly if they have, they haven't been as high profile as the original condemnation and her career has been irreparably damaged by the event.

Would the reaction have been the same if the person had been male? I strongly suspect not. Sure there would still have been anger and condemnation but I suggest that they would've been less personal.

This is not the only incident of this kind. In 2003 The Dixie Chicks dared to speak out against the American invasion of Iraq. This pretty much destroyed their career at that point. And again, despite there being strong evidence to suggest they were right to be outraged, there has not been much in the way of an apology. Again if the statement had been made by a male group would the result have been the same? Bob Dylan has being doing that sort of thing for years and he is held up as a protest singer. Go figure.

Prior to Sinéad's appearance on SNL she could do no wrong. A solid debut album was followed up by this even better, perhaps more mainstream, release. Well as mainstream as an album by Sinéad O'Connor can be. Look beyond the massive, and therefore overplayed hit, 'Nothing Compares 2U', and you will find rich pop songs laced with political and personal statements such as 'The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance' and 'Black Boys on Mopeds'. So go buy this album. Play it loud. Strike a blow against hypocrisy and discrimination.