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Notes -
Macklemore x Ed Sheeran concert: politics cannot be ignored
Ed Sheeran (everyone's favorite dreamy male singer) is holding a big tour across North and South America. Macklemore (everyone's favorite white rapper) got kicked out after (in an earlier concert) saying "Free Palestine", playing a song with pro-Palestine lyrics, and this:
Ed Sheeran has defended himself, saying it was not his decision - indeed, one Robert Kraft graciously confirmed he coordinated venues to boycott Macklemore - though Sheeran also remarked he tries to avoid politics in general:
So far, four other performers have dropped in solidarity with Macklemore.
Interestingly, Gillette stadium which banned Macklemore is hosting Kanye West, yes, the guy who was praising Hitler a year ago (albeit later admitting mental illness).
What do you think?
First, let me address the elephant in the room: the music industry is a corrupt dumpsterfire, basically a cartel. This is what cartels do. Besides dropping his pro-Palestine friend, Sheeran must also accept Ticketmaster price-gouging attendees, limited tour dates (I overheard somewhere there used to be far more concerts), and other nonsense. He probably could just find more accomodating venues if every one wasn't owned by Live Nation.
Lots of people are discussing how politics can't be avoided, and they're right. This is an excellent case study of how the endgame of "politics" convolutes everything and makes everyone miserable. Everyone loses here: Macklemore for taking a mild pro-Palestine stance gets kicked out of venues and attacked by Palestine opposers, Sheeran for taking a pro-peace neutral stance gets his tour lineup wrecked and attacked by Palestine supporters. There is nothing these performers can do, even be completely silent, that won't get them attacked by some group.
But the other side of "every side gets you attacked" is that no side is truly best. With no obvious winning strategy, you can be truer to yourself. And as Macklemore says:
Less tyrannical cartels, more people able to say what they want and go home to their families (with careers, money, opportunity, safety, and audiences)...I can defend these by linking them to other axioms, but ultimately they just seem right to me. I think celebrities should express their politics (including neutrality), for authenticity, and moreso because they can: it widens the Overton Window as they avoid life-ruining consequences. Even Kanye and his edgy schizo-manifestations, which I (unsuprisingly) strongly disagree with, but don't hate and even sort of appreciate for some odd reason. Yes my thinking is flawed, but look, his "cancellation" gave him the Streisand effect and today he performs where even Macklemore cannot, so what is flawless?
(Also, holy shit, can news sites link to their actual sources instead of writing articles whose sole content is paraphrasing them? Credit to variety.com of all outlets, the one article I found that did, albeit in the middle.)
I would argue that the attached image is slightly more than mildly pro Palestine stance. Wage the culture war, die by the culture war. He could have gone the whole tour without mentioning Palestine on stage. It is possible. But his narcissism took precedence.
One thing that celebrities should learn is just to keep their fucking mouths shut. Which the celebrities of pre social era managed to do. He is a servant whom I pay to sing to me. I don't care what he thinks about two countries that are just a speck on the map.
For cartels - this is government job. They should break monopolies, monopsonies and vertical integration.
Politically neutral outfit for a rapper.
Yeah, that makes him more than pro-Palestine, and his excuse makes it worse ("A fake witches nose, wig, and beard = random costume,"). Although apparently it's from 2014 (long before the tour initially approved him). It's still annoying that zero articles I've read mention it, even the Washington Times.
Yet
If everything is politics, and everything becomes politics, it will creep into their performance. Do you want celebrities to only wear boring outfits and sing boring songs? Even a love song may get in trouble with puritans, who are unpopular today, but that seems to cycle. Rather than every celebrity conforming to mediocrity, I would prefer different brands of offense, even if sometimes it leads to that.
Not all. Punk and rock bands were very political in the "counter-culture" sense, and it made them authentic and energetic. Live Aid can be considered political, but is widely regarded as one of the best concerts of all time, with estimated 40% of the population watching.
There is subtle difference between UK band playing God Save the Queen, Black musicians releasing Straight from Compton, Germans singing winds of change and people that are neither Israeli nor Palestinian shouting free Palestine.
There is nothing in common between Macklemore and Palestinians aside from being the same species.
Second - counter culture wasn't really counter. Most of the people didn't want continuous involvement in Vietnam, very few people wanted communism to survive, only really hardcore racists and people with common sense wanted the apartheid to continue (both tiny minorities). They were pissing off The Man, but were not pissing off fellow normies. The issues that the normies cared about and were willing to show at least some resistance took a lot more time to be won. Right now some issues are toxic. Best to stay away from them.
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