FireHollywood

FireHollywood

FireHollywood, originally named Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood (or PABAAH) was a U.S. nationalist-conservative organization that called for the boycott of Hollywood films made by film makers who have made statements deemed by the group to be "unpatriotic," "anti-American" or treasonous. Though it mainly targeted film makers, it targeted other pop-culture figures, including musicians.

PABAAH was formed by Jon Alvarez (born circa 1966) in reaction to the "Not in Our Name" Internet petition against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which included many celebrity signatures. According to Alvarez, these celebrities were "unpatriotic" for making political stances against current President George W. Bush, his foreign policy and otherwise "[S]tepping out of their roles as entertainers."

FireHollywood has been criticized for this attitude —many who visit the site, including moderate conservatives, have accused the group of advocating censorship. Some within the group have advocated views in favor of certain limited kinds of censorship^{[citation needed]}, but others argue that the main goal of the group is to deny liberal celebrities a living in the movie business, not the right to free speech. Regardless of its intentions, the group's boycotting techniques have been compared to McCarthyism. ^[1]

In addition to its support for the war in Iraq, FireHollywood also supports other initiatives such as the repeal of the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits presidents from serving more than two terms. FireHollywood has also petitioned the Attorney General to try Michael Moore for treason against the United States. In tow with their nationalist leanings, some in the group advocate racial profiling when it comes to the movement of Arab minorities in Western nations.^{[citation needed]}

FireHollywood gained some national and international attention, being covered by some major news broadcasts, newspaper columnists and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In its PABAAH days, the group received attention in the indie press by pursuing college radio stations for playing music by the anti-Bush industrial group Skinny Puppy.^[2] PABAAH's actions, according to the vocalist from the band, actually increased record sales. PABAAH was best known on this level for its extensive and frequently-updated website list of those who have made statements that are considered by the group to be either anti-Bush or "anti-American", including non-Americans like Canadians Neil Young and Dave Thomas, as well as British musician Sting.

Celebrities who support the Bush administration (or, presumably, those who have remained neutral on the subject) are posted on a similar list of "Patriotic Entertainers", which also includes non-Americans like Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald and British actor Gary Oldman.

In 2005, founder Jon Alvarez, a native of Baldwinsville, New York, left the group to join the Army Reserve.

References

1. ^ http://64.233.161.104/search?hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.themichigantimes.com%2Fmedia%2Fpaper620%2Fnews%2F2004%2F01%2F22%2FArtsEntertainment%2FHollywood.Has.A.Voice.Too-584713.shtml&btnG=Search
2. ^ http://www.bgnews.com/media/storage/paper883/news/2004/12/12/LocalNews/Conservatives.Ban.College.Radio.Stations-1293680.shtml?norewrite200610261860&sourcedomain=www.bgnews.com