Ted Nugent debate: Free speech, or hate speech? – Wausau Daily Herald

Oshkosh welcomes Ted Nugent to the Leach Amphitheater Saturday night as a special to the summer Waterfest celebration of 2014.(Photo: Oshkosh Northwestern Media Mark Ebert / Oshkosh Northwester)Buy Photo

WAUSAU - Wisconsin Valley Fair board members expected their selection of Ted Nugent as the Friday night headliner to help break a string of financial losses for the fair.

They didn't expect the rocker to create such a divide in the Wausau community.

"He was the last slot to fill," said Keith Langenhahn, president of the fair board, which is overseen by the nonprofit Marathon County Agricultural Society. "People don't realize how hard it is to book music. I'm sorry it became controversial."

For those who fiercely oppose Nugent's appearance at Marathon Park in August, they're worried the topichas become not just controversialbut political. They'd rather focus on comments Nugent has made about African Americans and other minorities than anything he has said about politics or politicians.

But the first person to speak out publicly against the Nugent booking, announced April 7, was the chairwoman of the Marathon County Democratic Party.Nancy Stencil said Nugent "definitely isn't a good fit for the Wausau community," and that she will likely call for a boycott of the event.Local social media has been consumed by calls for protest but also by Nugent supporters expressing their excitement for the show and arguing that the rock musician's political beliefs make no difference.

Those who oppose the concert say they're concerned about the controversy Nugent's outlandish statements couldbring to Wausau.Community members are worried about what Nugent might say, and the mess hemay leave behindafter the fair is over.

Nugent, whose career in rock 'n' roll took off in the late 1970s, has lately become even better known for his outspoken conservative politics and occasional offensive statements, which he shares on social media and sometimes at concerts.He's toldPresident Barack Obamato"suck on my machine gun,"and hasthreatened to shootDemocraticofficials. He has postedracist and anti-Semitic comments on his social media pages. In 2014, he calledObama a "subhuman mongrel."In a March 2016 Facebook post, he posted a bogus photograph thatincluded the n-wordethnicslur and a stereotypical depiction of African Americans.

To Langenhahn, the choice to bring Nugent to the fair was one made to sell tickets. In the last two years, the fair has failed to show a profit, and the board knew, based on a 2007 performance, that Nugent would likely be a nearly sell-out show. The board had sought a number of other acts and been turned down.

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Langenhahn said the board stands by itsdecision to bring Nugent to the fairand saidthe primary motivation was neveranything other than a need to bring in a popular musician. He said the board will ask promoters to tell Nugent to refrain from any type of offensive or political speech but in the end, it's the artist's decision.

"We don't promote that kind of behavior," Langenhahn said. "But he's gotten popular off of that kind of conduct, so I don't know."

Members of the community are worried about Nugent's message, and how it could work to polarize a city working hard to achieve peace with its diversity.

(Photo: Erich Schlegel)

Wausau-area residents such as David Deon, an African-American musician who performs with the band David Deon & the Soul Inspirations, have started to wonder if the fair board can really make a choice that represents the different people and ideasin the community. The board usually chooses from rock and country artists exclusively.

"This isn't even about Ted Nugent,"Deon said. "When you look at the lineup, it does not represent the community. We need to start looking at making sure the decision-making is representative of all of Wausau."

Other community members have concerns about what a performance by Nugent could do to undermine local movements to build and promote understanding.Nugent's performancecould end up unraveling that, said Aaron Zitzelsberger, state director of development for the Wisconsin Institute of Public Policy and Service, a nonpartisan organization that addresses local, state and national issues by linking people with resources. WIPPS is headquartered at the University of Wisconsin Marathon County Center for Civic Engagement, a block from where Nugent is scheduled to perform.

"I didn't want to look at this through a political lens," Zitzelsberger said. "I wanted to look at this through a lens of what's going to bring out the best in the community. What do we as a community want to bring out in ourselves? I did a lot of research, I looked at the things Ted Nugent has said. I felt like this is not the voice I would want representing our community, regardless of political affiliation. It's more the message being sent."

Zitzelsberger said he would not feel comfortable bringing his children to the fair amid such messages and that he fears it's setting back community-based efforts to bring people together.

But the community also includes Nugent fans who still want to hear the Motor City Madman play.

Brad Anderson, a Weston resident, said that he's looking forward to the concert, despite what Nugent has said in other venues.

"I don't like things that Madonna says, or things that Bruce Springsteen says, but that doesn't stop me from listening to them," he said. "I don't really care about what he's said in the past. He's got great music."

Comments online have also highlighted Nugent'sown right to free expression. Others believe that his speeches should be limitedbecause the fair is a family venue.

"My concern is that freedom of speech is tempered by many things," said Tony Gonzalezof Wausau, director ofEAG InterpretersHispanic Outreach. "For example, you can't just stand in the middle of a full theater and yell 'fire!'This is not taking place in a privatearena, it's taking place in a public place. Every individual in Wausau has the right to be present there and expect decency. They're going to hear what goes on at the concert. This may raise a lot of trouble we don't want in the fairgrounds."

Langenhahn said he isn't worried about violence or trouble during the concert, but he said there will be security present, just as there is at every grandstand show.

Kevin Jari, 51, a Weston resident,is another Nugent supporter whoplans to attend theconcert on Aug. 2. He said that for him, it's about the music.

"I'm going because I like Ted Nugent," Jari said. "I've been to his concerts several times over the years."

Jari said that he's not sure if politics really have a place in musicand that he's noticed that Nugent's speeches have become much more politically charged in recent years.

"I agree with some of (Nugent's) politics, and think he has the right to perform and speak, but he's said and done some screwed-up things so I'm not gonna go around like, 'Yeah, Ted, he's the man!'" Jari said in a Facebook message. "People also have the right to protest, peacefully. Other people have the right to counter-protest, and everyone has the right to boycott anything they want for any reason. As long as everyone is peaceful and the government isn't oppressing anyone, I'm golden."

Contact Going Out reporter Laura Schulte at 715-297-7532 or leschulte@gannett.com; on Twitter @schultelaura.

(Photo: JEANNETTE MERTEN / OSHKOSH NORTHWESTERN MEDIA)

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Ted Nugent debate: Free speech, or hate speech? - Wausau Daily Herald