Thanksgiving Day drama! Joan Jett moved off of Macy’s Parade float after South Dakota protest
We cannot really remember there being too many occasions in the past where there has been controversy surrounding the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, mostly because this is about as timid of a morning show as there would possible. This is a show that traditionally deals with a massive spectacle of fun things for children, and about a billion commercials to remind you that you have to get up at three in the morning the next day if you have any hope of buying your buddy a digital camera at half the price.
So what in the world could people be upset about? In what is one of the rare examples of a pro-meat agenda actually winning out on something, parade officials have moved Joan Jett off of a float celebrating the state of South Dakota, after a series of local ranchers protested the vegetarian rocker (who is not even from the state) appearing. Jett is a noted supporter of PETA, and it felt as though this selection is a conflict of interest, given that ranching is one of the leading industries in South Dakota.
In a statement, Jett confirmed that she was switching, and seemed to make it clear that she had no intention of ever trying to spread a political message during the Parade in the first place:
“I’ve decided to switch from South Dakota to another float because people’s political agendas were getting in the way of what should be a purely entertainment driven event. I will remain focused on entertaining the millions of people watching, who will be celebrating a great American tradition.”
Reports from earlier this week indicate that Jett was never selected by the state to appear on the float anyway; after all of their possible candidates were unavailable, Macy’s selected someone who they felt would be appropriate to show off.
Some of the artists also appearing on the parade (in much less controversial circumstances) include Carly Rae Jepsen and The Wanted, and we’ve also heard that the cast of “Duck Dynasty” will be making an appearance. While we’re not sure that we would want to make an appearance on the parade if we were some of these people on more than one occasion, it seems like the sort of incredible thing that you would want to be a part of once.
Photo: NBC