Whether a supporter of President Trump or not, threats to a sitting President is illegal under United States Code Title 18, Section 871…
The famous entertainer Snoop Dogg has come under fire for a music video he created that depicts the assassination of President Donald Trump. To say that the video is controversial would be a huge understatement.
However, Snoop Dogg wouldn’t be the first entertainer to come under fire for making threats against President Trump. During the infamous protest that was dubbed a ‘women’s rights march’, Madonna claimed during her speech that she wanted to blow up the White House after learning that President Trump had been elected. It’s understandable that people with a large public presence might want to use their platform to speak about issues and causes they feel strongly about. For these public figures, however, a greater level of responsibility is required. Just like anyone else, when threats are made towards public officials—especially the head of state—they should be taken seriously.
The artistic value of music videos has greatly diminished since their inception. Though they were once featured as great tools for storytelling, hey have devolved over the years into little more than half-naked women and flashy possessions. In fact, when music videos aren’t objectifying women, they’re making other outlandish attempts at going viral while trying to outdo one another with shock value.
Most people in the United States know that if former President Barack Obama had been depicted in any such manner there would have been protesting and calls for boycott. There should be no exceptions with respects to national security and the safety of an American President. Regardless of whether or not an individual agrees with President Trump or his supporters, there needs to be a line drawn in how that is expressed. People in the United States protest speakers with whom they don’t agree, but remain calm when such attacks are carried out by those they do agree with.
There is no artistic value in depicting the assassination of a sitting President of the United States. More people need to speak out and condemn this music video, and others who make such volatile—and illegal—political statements. The video portrayed President Trump as a clown. While highly disrespectful in and of itself, this act wouldn’t have been so shocking on its own.
Every American is entitled to freedom of speech. The most controversial aspect to this video is the fact that it was made clear that the figure was a representation of President Trump. The character in the music video was dubbed “Ronald Klump.” It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to decipher the intent of the video.
Entertainers wield significant influence; their voices carry a lot of weight with not only their fans, but many in their respective industries. Inserting politics into entertainment has the potential to reach unstable individuals and speak directly to them. While violence has always been associated with the genre in which Snoop Dogg performs—himself having beaten a murder charge in the past—these types of images should not be considered the norm for American pop culture. It’s never okay to glorify violence against any individual, especially the President of the United States.
Angelina Newsom is an OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army Veteran. She has ten years experience in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She studies Criminal Justice and is still active within the military community.
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