To also defend Macklemore while being bewildered that I am doing so: his point is clearly that he wants all people to be free from violence and oppression (not free while anybody is in jail etc.); his message is broader than “states should stop picking on other states”.
In fact, people often complain that critics of Israel don’t seem to give a hoot about things like Sudan, which are worse! He is arguably using the intense focus on the Israel and Palestine conflict to draw attention to neglected conflicts elsewhere.
In fairness to Macklemore (can't believe I'm saying that), even though the war in Sudan is an internal conflict, both sides are authoritarian and kind of evil, so removing them would free the locals of their presence. (Of course, given the area's track record, that would probably just result in a new bunch of kind of evil authoritarians taking over.)
As to the Congo, Rwanda occupies a fair portion of the country, using the presence of former genocidaires as an excuse to sit on and extract the country's mineral wealth.
Now, whether Macklemore actually knows or understands any of this is a whole 'nother question. (Though the answer is probably no.)
With all due respect to Mr. Mauer, I don't understand why ShowBiz and Tik-Tok celebrities are taken so seriously by ordinary 40-somethings. In fact I don't think the celebrities are taken seriously so why are you writing about them? I have a fairly wide circle of friends and none of them have (or admit to have) social media accounts. This is all a performative storm signifying nothing.
Because unfortunately, other people take them seriously, and while no one *you* know will admit to having social media, estimates are that Instagram and TikTok each have over 100 million users in the States.
Agree 100%. A fading hip-hop artist half-wittedly name checking a college organization with some extremist ideas does not disturb me nearly as much as a rich tool like Kraft canceling said artist. But now there's some back-and-forth about several million dollars that may or may not be donated to Palestine aid... so I think it's all gonna work out swell.
With you. I can’t think of a better example of the Streisand Effect. Moreover, it absolutely has a cancel culture vibe, albeit from the Right. One hallmark of being a sane Liberal is consistency. And, to top it off, Kraft does strike me as an oligarchic asshole.
Did you bother to read the link I posted? Even if it's out of ignorance, it's still problematic and harmful to eulogize people who are explicitly very very very pro-terrorism as if they are wise truth-telling social justice heroes.
No, I didn’t bother, because sanctimoniously posting links about XYZ being “problematic” and expecting everyone in the world to read them is bad praxis.
I already can fucking intuit that CUAD are at best severely misguided jackasses running interference for a murderous movement and ideology. I don’t need to read their own writing on Substack, because I’ve read dozens like them over the years.
It’s still not legitimate to hold people to an impossible standard of having read every single statement by every single source they cite. Macklemore most likely saw some SJP and CUAD videos, was shocked and horrified, and merrily toddled off to fight for the cause of social justice. That’s how this stuff works. People are stupid and have anchoring bias. That’s a reality we have to DEAL with, with a real and effective politics of our own, not just go around demanding that everyone read up on their sources.
I haven't heard his full statement and song. I have read that his song was about the story of the little girl who called the Red Crescent for hours, surrounded by the dead bodies of her family, and was in the end killed along with the ambulance workers arriving to save her. The documentary about it was moving.
To also defend Macklemore while being bewildered that I am doing so: his point is clearly that he wants all people to be free from violence and oppression (not free while anybody is in jail etc.); his message is broader than “states should stop picking on other states”.
In fact, people often complain that critics of Israel don’t seem to give a hoot about things like Sudan, which are worse! He is arguably using the intense focus on the Israel and Palestine conflict to draw attention to neglected conflicts elsewhere.
In fairness to Macklemore (can't believe I'm saying that), even though the war in Sudan is an internal conflict, both sides are authoritarian and kind of evil, so removing them would free the locals of their presence. (Of course, given the area's track record, that would probably just result in a new bunch of kind of evil authoritarians taking over.)
As to the Congo, Rwanda occupies a fair portion of the country, using the presence of former genocidaires as an excuse to sit on and extract the country's mineral wealth.
Now, whether Macklemore actually knows or understands any of this is a whole 'nother question. (Though the answer is probably no.)
With all due respect to Mr. Mauer, I don't understand why ShowBiz and Tik-Tok celebrities are taken so seriously by ordinary 40-somethings. In fact I don't think the celebrities are taken seriously so why are you writing about them? I have a fairly wide circle of friends and none of them have (or admit to have) social media accounts. This is all a performative storm signifying nothing.
Because unfortunately, other people take them seriously, and while no one *you* know will admit to having social media, estimates are that Instagram and TikTok each have over 100 million users in the States.
Agree 100%. A fading hip-hop artist half-wittedly name checking a college organization with some extremist ideas does not disturb me nearly as much as a rich tool like Kraft canceling said artist. But now there's some back-and-forth about several million dollars that may or may not be donated to Palestine aid... so I think it's all gonna work out swell.
I'd like to thank Robert Kraft here for reigniting my burning fire of hatred for the Patriots.
With you. I can’t think of a better example of the Streisand Effect. Moreover, it absolutely has a cancel culture vibe, albeit from the Right. One hallmark of being a sane Liberal is consistency. And, to top it off, Kraft does strike me as an oligarchic asshole.
I highly recommend taking a tour of CUAD's substack. They literally speak of Yahya Sinwar like he's the second coming of Christ
https://cuapartheiddivest.substack.com/p/cuad-remains-committed-to-our-demands
And do you think Macklemore’s ever bothered to read it himself? I’ll answer for you: Of course the fuck not.
Did you bother to read the link I posted? Even if it's out of ignorance, it's still problematic and harmful to eulogize people who are explicitly very very very pro-terrorism as if they are wise truth-telling social justice heroes.
No, I didn’t bother, because sanctimoniously posting links about XYZ being “problematic” and expecting everyone in the world to read them is bad praxis.
I already can fucking intuit that CUAD are at best severely misguided jackasses running interference for a murderous movement and ideology. I don’t need to read their own writing on Substack, because I’ve read dozens like them over the years.
It’s still not legitimate to hold people to an impossible standard of having read every single statement by every single source they cite. Macklemore most likely saw some SJP and CUAD videos, was shocked and horrified, and merrily toddled off to fight for the cause of social justice. That’s how this stuff works. People are stupid and have anchoring bias. That’s a reality we have to DEAL with, with a real and effective politics of our own, not just go around demanding that everyone read up on their sources.
I don’t agree with his politics, but Kraft’s mischaracterization of them borders on slander, and is at least “guilt by association”.
I haven't heard his full statement and song. I have read that his song was about the story of the little girl who called the Red Crescent for hours, surrounded by the dead bodies of her family, and was in the end killed along with the ambulance workers arriving to save her. The documentary about it was moving.