Viet Cong Announce They Are Changing Their Band Name

(Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat)

Garnered on the terms of numerous detractors, post-punker’s: Viet Cong have opted to finally change their band-name to an alternative.  In direct reference to the historical accounts of the military force that once fought against the United States and the south Vietnamese government during the Vietnam War, the Canadian band’s moniker is criticized for its general lack of sensitivity.

The controversial moniker has caused such a deeply-felt offense, a current show was cancelled at Oberlin College’s Dionysus Disco in Ohio.  Members of Viet Cong have admitted to careless choices concerning their professional-nomenclature.

The band released an official statement concerning the controversial issue:  “Our band, Viet Cong, has existed for a little over three years now.  When we named ourselves, we were naive about the history of a war in a country we knew very little about.  We now better understand the weight behind the words Viet Cong.  While we don’t take any concerns about the name lightly, we feel it is important to let you know that we never meant to trivialize the atrocities or violence that occurred on both side of the Vietnam War.  We never intended for our name to be provocative or hurtful. We truly appreciate the seriousness of the feedback we’ve received, and we will continue to be open to listening to issues and concerns from all perspectives.  With love from the band Viet Cong.”

Although the soon-to-be: “Formerly-Known-As” Viet Cong have not yet announced what their band will be called from now on to the general-public, they recently announced over the weekend via Facebook a formal-decision they had already made months ago:

“Over this time we’ve been listening, talking and having lots of valuable conversations with the members of the Vietnamese community about the name.  Through this dialogue and hearing about what the name means to so many people, we have decided we will be changing the name of our band.”

Viet Cong continues on Facebook:  “Art and music are about creative expression.  However, our band name is not our cause, and we are not going to fight for it.  This is not what our band is about.”

While many side with the position the moniker is offensive, Gang of Four’s Andy Gill defends the band’s original choice to claim the name as their own:  “We can all think of dozens of bands with really quite offensive names and as soon as you get into being the guardian of public morality, taking it upon yourself to decide what’s OK and what is not, you’re acting in an illiberal, undemocratic and anti-progressive way.”