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800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
Stow the shit, Macklemore. You fucked up bigtime. You went for the cheapshot (with a chorus of "Right On!" from some quarters, no doubt, since Orthodox+ Jews have done some right good oppression overseas)...and you discovered that however liberal (and queer, thenkew) your audience might be, we know ugly stereotypes when we see 'em...and all the fumfuring about "witch noses" is just frantic backpedalling.
You. Fucked. Up.
I don't give a shit what your motivations for that piece of stupidity were, You. Fucked. Up.
Own it, apologize, and do better. Or, alternately, fuck off home.
Also, he says "the images of a disguise were sensationalized leading to the immediate assertion that my costume was anti-Semetic " Buddy, I gotta tell ya', that get-up didn't need even a tiny bit of sensationalizing to scream "hateful caricature." And it wasn't the sensationalizing that led to the costume being called "anti-Semitic." It is hatefully anti-Semitic on its face, whatever the intention, as is black face, perhaps more so because of its use in Nazi propaganda.
He needs to get a new PR firm.
It'd be like if someone showed up like this:
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/jimcrow.jp…
and then said "Well, some people thought I was a chimney sweep with a speech impediment but I guess I can see why some would think it was a caricature."
Doubling down on the "random assemblage / I was unawares" defense completely ignores his "Friday night... I finally feel like a man" cracks from the stage.
This is a guy who trumpeted (literally) an MTV appearance last year by blowing a fucking shofar. "Never crossed my mind" continues to simply ring hollow.
And where is the world when you have nothing better to do than bitch about people bitching about some rapper's costume?
Because the world is complicated.
"How upset were they?!?!?"
So upset they forgot gay men were impersonating/culturally-appropriating women in a lighthearted fashion on the season finale of Ru Paul's Drag Race!
Quick, switch gears from offended to celebratory!
SLOG MOB:
"All we want is an apology, Macklemore!"
Aaaaaand five minutes after Macklemore appolgizes:
SLOG MOB:
"FUCK YOU, Macklemore! YOUR WORDS MEAN NOTHING!!! ARRRRGLEBARRRGLE...."
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…
Mayor suggests Car Tab - Stranger says it's horribly regressive
Not Mayor suggests Car Tab - Stranger says it's truly progressive
WTF?
You are responsible for both.
If you get in your car and drive with the intent of doing so safely, but accidentally hit a pedestrian or bicyclist, you are responsible for that action, regardless of whether or not it was your intent to hit the pedestrian or bicyclist.
Ben, few, if any, who know you or your work hold your intentions in doubt in this matter. However, your lack of a mature perspective about individual responsibility indicates that you have not availed yourself of the opportunities to grow by learning this fundamental understanding of human existence - you are responsible for what you do and for what you intend, regardless of whether the two are related or in agreement.
We can do harm without the intent to do so.
When we do unintentional harm and the world around us calls us into account, we should listen.
Though you may not now or ever understand the world from another's perspective, one of the essential building blocks of an interdependent, highly social species is that we listen with respect and become aware of both our shared experiences and our differences.
Stop talking.
Stop defending.
Stop making it about yourself when it isn't.
Listen.
Be open to connect.
Be open to learn.
When a hand is closed in anger or defense it is neither open to give or receive. So, it is also with our mind and our hearts.
Say less. Listen more.
Shalom, My Young Friend.
Great question!
Why yes, Seattle has one of the highest populations of Sephardic Jews in the US!
Feel free to look that up on wikipedia at your leisure.
This is classic Seattle behavior. "I am so open and accepting of every one and every thing and of all diversity" but I have ZERO personal experience with issues like anti-semitism, racism, etc, because all the people in my life are WHITE so I end up pulling stupid shit like this.
Macklemore is so white & so clueless & so sheltered, yet believes he's SO wise, deep, all knowing about the world, etc. Which makes him fucking ridiculous. It's laughable. Anyone who hasn't been living in a white, Christian bubble their whole life would instantly recognize his funny-funny as potentially racist. Idiot. A perfect representative of the city though. Perfect. He typifies the locals.
Now, I assume this was unintended, and not something you thought about when you wrote it. And you are probably a perfectly lovely human being. But you could prove me wrong about this assumption and get huffy and defensive and deny that there is any reason to point out what was probably just a mistake, which is exactly what Macklemore is doing.
He should be banned from the NBA for life!
#38
Social media for offendobots.
Oh, well. America. We are sooo over that, dude.
And you're still a shitty role model.
What a bunch of nonsense this whole thing has been.
For what it's worth, the "dick-sucking" support of Macklemore's charitable deeds involved way more posts than four. And then, when he made a stupid mistake, The Stranger dared to stop "dick-sucking" and write about the mistake. (The multiple posts, it should be noted, rose in response to Ben's less-than-impressive early attempt at an apology.)
Sorry we can't all be full-time dick suckers, Kerri.
some of the transgressions that get most comments or ink or outrage are just not as important by a factor of one million as others.
you had a mayor saying he picked someone because he bonded with her over garrolousness which is a typical irish trait. this ethnic stereotype which could be evidence in a civil rights discrimination lawsuit didn't merit much outrage and when it got some it was mocked with a clutches pearls reaction, which is itself a stereotype mocking elderly females.
we seem rather arbitrary in the outrage here. we ignore the stuff WE are culpable of, of course, LOVING TO CATCH OTHER PEOPLE even in minor things as this gives us the chance to display our superior moral chops.
meanwhile, not one of the commenters was upset in the last two days about how we make law over puerto rico and no, if you are puerto rican in that terrirotry the USA owns and governs you don't get a vote; you are a second class citizen compared to those of washington state and all other states. legally. every day. you don't get democracy! and hello most there are poc or are of differing "national" origen, but hey they're latino so who cares right? they're not us! us, who are so moral, so antiracist, so superior we vigilantly comment if some idiot singer in his clueless way has an anti Semitic stereotype, I mean I doubt he even knew who Fagin was or his religion. I doubt he's ever even read a book by Dickens. Yes, in the all white dominant culture of washington state and seattle there are MANY who're unfamiliar with basic ethnic stereotypes and there are MANY who knowing them love to catch the clueless to display superior moral chops. it's a display ritual mainly -- it's not about correcting REAL AND SERIOUS RACISM as in the examples I gave where people have real harm being in jail, having a conviction or suffering legal lack of voting rights or representation. this macklemore thing may be racist -- it's just not that fucking serious compared to the big time institutional and legal systems of racism we're all a part of today. Why don't we stop pointing the finger and start fixing the problems we're responsible for? that would show TRUE concern about real and significant racism. blasting the idiot singer really doesn't.
Katy Perry just got in big trouble via media bc she did a performance that was Asian based, but like meshed a bunch of different Asian beliefs and ideas together which in real life would never be together. People were offended and pissedd. I personally didn't care, she was dressing up, but others did Care
"Thus, it was surprising and disappointing that the images of a disguise were sensationalized leading to the immediate assertion that my costume was anti-Semetic [sic]. I acknowledge how the costume could, within a context of stereotyping, be ascribed to a Jewish caricature. I am here to say that it was absolutely not my intention, and unfortunately at the time I did not foresee the costume to be viewed in such regard. Iâm saddened that this story, or any of my choices, would lead to any form of negativity."
He just stuck the "i apologise" on the end of that.
What I don't understand is why he didn't remove the costume before he got on stage. Why continue wearing it while performing?
Your paper expends an inordinate amount of time and column space deriding the journalistic integrity of the other media in this town. In fact the first article about this so called controversy was about how the OTHER papers in Seattle were insufficiently outraged. You wanted MORE outrage.
This is a minor celebrity who did a minor transgression. The Strangers response has been total disproportionate tabloid hype. Some of the implications dropping off your pages - that Macklemore is anti Semitic - is borderline irresponsible.
And the fact that the paper spent years promoting Macklemore as the god damned gay marriage Messiah is an irony and problem worth noting.
After all it is a well worn tabloid tactic to pump up and pump up a celebrity and knock them down.
I expected more from you, of all people.
One can always find something wrong that another does just as one can always find a fool as soon as they start talking (or typing).
There's nothing here - move on.
And, to the Jewish writers that chose to make this an issue: All that you're doing is watering down REAL anti-Semitism. Look at what's happening at UW today - there's a divestiture meeting there. THAT is something to talk about, but all you're doing here in whining about nothing.
But to be fair, he didn't "[stick] the "i apologise" on the end of that," he ended with "I truly apologize to anybody that I may have offended." My only quibble with that is the word "may." It's a minor ambiguity but an ambiguity nonetheless, and if there's any reason to doubt that he's fully taking responsibility, it's in that little word.
* I don't mean the "fuck em if they can't take a joke" kind of joke either; I mean the kind that's never intended to make anyone angry and makes you feel like shit if it does.
Then we can't be reading the same pieces. Because the implication and dog whistles are there in the framing of the original article and in the follow-ups. And then of course through out the comments. And in the age of social media, where a paper like The Stranger get's significant bumps on shares, incautious framing is enough to whip up an unthinking shit storm. And that is exactly what has happened. This thing has hit my feeds at least forty times in 24 hours.
Hell. No. This is simply a euphemism for "The Mob."
Please stick with me. I'd like to try to convince just one person why this is bad.
These outrage bait posts create an atmosphere of hysteria that lead to absurd false equivalencies (FI, count the Godwin's in those threads). They don't "raise awareness" or what ever participant like to say to justify going ape shit.
Outrage journalism spreads anger. Not understanding. All these posts accomplish is for like minded people to signal to each other how pure they are and how bad this other person is.
And yeah. I'm just as guilty as everybody.
Murder, Rape, War, Death, Destruction, Abuse of Power. THESE are Major Transgressions to civilization.
A local celebrity's rather tone deaf costume choice is minor to any sane person. But internet mobs are not people. They are unquantifiable consequence free entities.
Macklemore, despite his rock star status, is an individual person. A weak and flawed person like the rest of us. He is not a powerful politician or global elite. He is not a racist institution. He is not causing Global Warming.
The disproportionate attention this event has been given is grotesque in comparison to the crime.
We live in a world with limited bandwidth to address REAL problems. There were four or five posts on Macklemore yesterday. And one very poor post on the coup in Thailand. None on the analysis of the deterioration of the arctic ice sheet.
I realized yesterday I was in the middle of writing my congress person about Net Neutrality when the trivial Macklemore thing hit my feed. And I got distracted. Today I wondered how many people did the same.
I think maybe one better framed, less inflammatory, post yesterday would have achieved what ever positive story The Stranger wanted to achieve. Not four or five.
I think the people who find his apology inadequate are not upset because he apologized to those who were offended, but because he did not apologize for his own insensitivity, nor for his lack of very basic cultural awareness, from which that insensitivity arose.
This, I'm pretty sure, is why people are characterizing the apology as "I'm sorry you were offended," and not because they misread the precise wording of the statement.
Yeah, okay, granted, this is not a very diverse area and there is not a huge Jewish population. But this hyperbole everyone using is a ridiculous stereotype of our area. As my counter-argument, I will answer @35's questions. I am not Jewish, but I grew up here and attended at least 10 bar/bat mitzvahs growing up. Like everyone else, my social circles have changed since 7th grade, but I still have several Jewish friends.
I get that this stereotype of our region comes from an attitude of wishing there were more diversity, but by always exaggerating how white and non-Jewish seattle is, it eventually gets to the point of discouraging non-white and Jews from moving here or making those who do live here feel like they don't belong/aren't welcome.
I understand and share your frustrations with the 21st-century American attention span, but that's a different, bigger issue than what we're discussing here.
If you believe any of the staff of The Stranger are implying Macklemore is a bigot rather than a lout, you'll need to supply more evidence than an appeal to unspecified "dog whistles." Give us the quotes where you feel they imply bigotry, and tell us why you read that into them.
Even the comments look to me to be pretty lacking in outright accusations of bigotry-- the trolls seem to have taken Mack's side in this one, after all.
As to all those bigger problems... why yes. There are always bigger problems. And attempting to use that as a bludgeon to suppress discussion of smaller* problems is a pretty lousy thing to do.
* or smaller to you, at any rate. I wouldn't be at all surprised if some people felt that basic sensitivity to other ethnicities in your own city is a bigger deal than net neutrality.
Because you're all a bunch of whiny ass "millenial" fuckwits who can't be bothered to talk about shit that actually matters when confronted with a choice between that and dumb ass sub-water cooler bullshit.
Go get hit by a car. Today. Yeah, that's nasty. No, I don't give a fucking shit. But I'm still not as cool as you, am I? Boo hoo hoo.
Not around THIS fucking shithole he can't.
Jesus....can't believe I'm bothering with this whole conversation.
I said are the levels of discussion here proportionate and fair?
The other poster stated that it's up to euphemistic "democracy" to determine if the transgression was minor.
I was NOT saying we must only talk about Big Stories.
I was defining what I think we can all agree are major transgressions/important issues - IE: War, Death, Global Warming, etc.
If the mob then defines wearing a racially insensitive costume as a major transgression - then logically it is equivalent to War, Death, Global Warming, etc. Right?
I was attempting to outline the type hyperbolic false equivalencies poorly framed outrage stories inevitably create. And how that hyperbole soaks up bandwidth.
Indeed, Seattle is home to the third largest number of Sephardic Jews in the country. That number is 4,000. Sephardim constitute a very small portion of United States Jewry.
The combined Jewish population of the entire Seattle metropolitan area is only 37,000 -- smaller than 22 other American cities, smaller than places as renowned for their Jewish identities as Atlanta, Dallas, Minneapolis, and even Portland. Seattle is the only city where I have found myself to be the first Jew many people have ever met.
So it is fair to say the majority of the Seattle populace knows no Jews, rarely encounters Jewish culture outside of media tropes, and feels freer to openly engage in soft Antisemitism (stereotype-dependent jokes, opining about Israel policy with galling false equivalencies and generalized guilt-by-association, shifting the onus onto us to "stop being so sensitive" for 300 consecutive Slog comments) than in cities where Jews are less of an "other".
@60:
This is a pop-rapper who returned home from his surprising and sudden leap into mainstream success, and proceeded to sell out the Key Arena for three consecutive nights. This is a guy with significant cultural influence, at least for the time being.
@43:
He cracked jokes about it being "Friday night... finally becoming a man!", and he sang "Thrift Shop". Maybe the association between miser costume and miserly lyrical content went over his daffy head, but the jokes demonstrate that he knew exactly what costume he was wearing.
That's why his non-apology above has failed to put this argument to rest. "A random costume" remains a fucking lie.
Anyone who thinks the PR agents should be rewarded for the shirking denials and the ham-handed ADL links, when this idiot continues to lie about his sartorial intentions, is dumber than a pile of rocks.
He apologizes... for accidentally offending people. Because he didn't understand the implications of his costume. Supposedly.
Except that he made a bunch of banter-y bad-taste jokes that clearly demonstrate he did.
So now he lies, by apologizing only for a lesser form of cluelessness.
That's not acceptable.
What did he say and do, in addition to the getup? What jokes did he make? What banter did he engage in?
That is highly debatable. But Okay. If I agree. Then what?
You are basically saying that the guy who essentially broke through by being one of the most progressive performers in decades, who speaks some what eloquently about love and understanding, is somehow this whole time a raging anti-semite?
I suppose it's not impossible. Let's throw Occam's Razor out the window.
Okay. Say he is the vanguard of a new form of liberal progressive pro-gay marriage anti-semite or something.
And? So let's even say this pro-gay pop star is a blazing nazi.
What does he do? What words exactly do you want to come out of his mouth to appease you now?
Frankly I don't see him being able to ever come out of this in your eyes.
Is it like a McCarthy hearing? You form a tribunal where he has to appear and admit to being a Nazi and turn in other Nazi's or something?
You bring him down. He doesn't sell another record (god, I'm old). He dies poor and alone. And that does what to the sum total of anti-semitism in the world?
What's missing from the bumbling, heartfelt apology, to those who feel it's inadequate, is the part where he says "I did something bad and it's my fault." I'm sure this is entirely honest on his part-- I have no doubt that he never for a moment felt like he was doing anything wrong while wearing that costume.
And that's got to be doubly infuriating to those who were most offended: "the definition of privilege is never having to think about it," and all that.
I think it might be fair to characterize the costume as antisemitic. The same hair-splitting doesn't work for descriptions of behavior, of course, but then Adam Sekuler doesn't work for The Stranger, either.
And as to what words would suffice?
He should probably start with: "It wasn't just a 'random' costume. Obviously. Duh. I can't believe anyone bought that bullshit the last three times I said it."
@ d.p., did you see my query directed to you @86?
Yes. They do. Even if the callouts have any merit or not. Being under a microscope 24/7 will do that.
So. What percentage do you suppose of all those callouts are for actual real offenses?
FI: Does nobody remember the bullshit aimed at Stephen Colbert just a few weeks ago?
I can imagine constantly being hounded for everything you do or say would be exhausting.
And in that light expecting a perfect response to each and every slight is outrageously unfair and unrealistic.
The "Friday night" comments and the "finally a man" joke were the two examples in Adam Sekuler's original (longer) Facebook post, and corroborated elsewhere. Supposedly there is video floating around, but I haven't yet seen it, so I can't speak to the degree to which Macklemore's delivery did or did not make the connection obvious to the uninitiated.
Nevertheless, between the costume, the comments -- oh yeah, and this -- it becomes incredibly difficult to believe that he was just naively donning arbitrary facial props.