TheQuartering [2/8/2021]
Hard work is how most of us get ahead. Imagine being mad that is viewed in a positive light?
On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in America’s pandemic Super Bowl. As always, part of the spectacle has nothing to do with football: The Weeknd will be performing at halftime, and a slate of celebrity commercials are already racking up views on YouTube.
One of the higher-profile ads is a “reimagining” of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” commissioned by website builder Squarespace. Sadly, this tone-deaf misstep from the beloved icon may be the biggest upset of the day.
Dolly Parton herself is no stranger to good press. To say that the country music legend is beloved is a massive understatement; the woman has been up to her ears in goodwill since she burst onto the country music scene in 1967 with her tongue-in-cheek chart-topper “Dumb Blonde.” Despite her penchant for self-deprecation and healthy sense of fun, Parton is also a shark in the boardroom. She outfoxed the hapless Nashville, Tennessee, power brokers who once tried to control her career and has since built herself an empire.
Her reputation as a savvy businesswoman is well earned, but so is her legacy as a philanthropist. There’s a reason Parton is not only respected, but genuinely adored, and her big heart is a major factor. Just this month, we’ve read about how Parton refused to use her position to skip the line for a Covid-19 vaccination (after she donated $1 million toward its development) and how she turned down a Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Donald Trump — twice. (The latter move thrilled many fans who read it as a sign of the famously cagey star’s true political leanings, but it ultimately proved to be more about scheduling than her personal politics.)