#and also the only artist that asked for a ceasefire

[bandzboy]

grammys having a section of their show about “coming together” and “being in harmony” when what they are talking about is a genocide is crazy and disgusting! after all this time they have the audacity to do these neutral statements… shame on you

[lovermyme]

and if i asked you to draw Spider n Ao’nung literally just being wholesome like Ao’nung kisses Spider’s forehead or smth then what…..

Then i could shamely give u this 👉👈🥺🥺🥺🥺

And this ^^^

They judging me for spend so long without drawing them 👉👈🥺

Also, can i share tattoo artist spider headcanon?? I think its cute 😔❤️‍🩹

Anyway, guys sorry for being soooo inactive, i was passing through a time ☠️

I will post this now, and still be inactive this next week, cause tomorrow start the strike for palestine demanting a ceasefire, until 25, so i will only be posting and reposting about Palestine

Byee

[zer0fantasy]

Hello. I've found it's very easy to fall into a despair spiral when it comes to helping Palestine, especially when you're unable to help them financially for whatever reason. I've compiled together direct and indirect ways to help without spending money. If you have anything not listed please let me know and I will add it. 

The most well-known is arab.org, and the click to help Palestine feature. One click every 24 hours will send aid to Palestine. Your click confirms to advertisers that there's traffic to the site, and is sending the ad revenue to Palestine. You can click more than once a day by using different devices and browsers, or incognito mode. 

Watch/read/participate in Palestinian culture. Here is a list of Palestinian movies, artists, authors, and recipes, and here is another masterlist of many Palestinian resources. Maps, books, movies, poems, podcasts, etc. All links are free to watch/view

Boycott Israeli products. Here is an official guide on what and what not to boycott by the BDS movement. The app "No Thanks" can scan barcodes and tell you if they are of Israeli origin or on the boycott list.

Amplify Palestinian voices. Reblog/retweet art made in support of Palestine. Share GoFundMe's for Palestinians. Share resources like these. Even if you may not have a following, every voice matters. However, this doesn't mean you have to expose yourself to gruesome gore videos and images of Palestinians dying. I feel many people feel obligated to for "awareness," however if all you post about is palestinian death you are not helping the cause and are likely giving yourself an incredible mental toll. If anyone pressures you into sharing a post please remember it does not define you as a person if you choose not to.

Go to protests nearby, if you're able. here are posters to print out for protests, and here is how to find protests near you. This list is not all encompassing, however but it's more than nothing. ​join a bds campaign​​​ also has a way to find protests/projects near you.

Call your representatives. Their phone numbers and emails are usually public, you can call and demand a ceasefire. At the time of writing I'm aware there are several scripts to read out depending on which party represents your state (in the US) but I'm unable to find them.

Texting "CEASEFIRE" to the number "51905" will automatically send a letter to president Biden demanding a ceasefire. I find calling representatives difficult because I have social anxiety so this is a much easier alternative to that.

Block Zionists, and don't spread their posts. I know it's tempting to dunk on the zionists, or repost someone clowning on a zionist or using them to prove a point, but ultimately it helps no one and you are still amplifying their voice and reach. Spending time looking at how horrible zionists are, or arguing with them online will only lead you into a worse headspace. The less engagement they get the better.

Create anything surrounding Palestine. Make your voice heard. Draw a character you like with the Palestinian flag, make a Palestinian recipe, shittily draw the flag onto an article of clothing. Recently I had painted a watermelon onto my denim jacket with the Palestine flag below it

Find Palestinian books/movies and check them out at your local library. Library cards are free and libraries have movies and cds as well as books. Libraries benefit the authors financially as well. Depending on your library, if they don't have a book in stock you can ask them to buy one for the library. I've found this especially true for high school libraries, they would be happy to order a book for you.

I apologize for the lack of resources thus far but I hope I will be able to add to it in the future. Thank you for reading.

[allamericansbitch]

Listen I’m a big believer that celebs should shut the fuck up most of the time but the thing with neutral artists who never take a stance, especially white people is that they will unknowingly invite a very racist fandom. 

As a poc in this fandom, I’m used to swifties being racist but my god over these last couple of weeks, seeing big accounts cyber bully a Palestinian swiftie for wanting Taylor to sign a ceasefire letter is so mind-boggling. They always make hypothetical scenarios where they’re like “It’s gonna put her in danger, what is they b0mb the stage?! You can’t expect Taylor to speak about everything!” And it’s just so tone deaf, rude, and insensitive. 

We reach a point in this genocide that a lot of Palestinians no 1 ask for the rest of the world just to amplify their voice because a lot of the donation trucks are not allowed to enter Gaza and the ones that do, the UN are selling the donations instead of giving them for free. So why is it such a wild concept for racist swifties that a lot of people are asking Taylor to speak up? This is the biggest thing happening in the world right now, she literally wrote “It’s time to use your voice” in her latest story and we’ve seen time and time again how big of an impact Taylor has. 

saying arguably the most famous person on the planet rn should not speak up about palestine is not only admitting they don’t care about what palestinians IN palestine are asking for but they also care more about a pop star than the life and death of millions

this is so well put and i completely agree. taylor's silence provides comfort and a safe place for hateful people because she does not give them a reason not to feel supported, her silence creates space for them whether she knows that or not. and this can apply to politics in general because she's gone fully silent and hasn't taken a stance on anything in like 3+ years, but specifically about Palestine.

The fans who are making up hypotheticals about the terrible things that could happen if taylor dares to say anything about Palestine are some of the most ignorant, unself aware people i've ever seen. 'what if she becomes a threat' 'people could get hurt' 'they could bomb a show', hey guess what... all of that stuff is currently happening. at this very moment. to Palestines. They are being bombed, targeted and threatened as we speak but thats not what they care about, they care about the hypothetical scenario of a billionaire not being safe. A billionaire who, within seconds of any hint of a threat has an abundance of resources to keep herself and everyone around her safe. Palestines cannot even imagine that privilege those fans are ignoring. Imagine looking at a Palestinian and saying 'sorry she cant speak up and support you, her safety might be threatened'. All of the worst hypotheticals they can imagine happening to Taylor are currently happening to Palestinians but they dont matter as much to them i guess.

Fans will really expose themsleves and how little they actually care about real life cruelty in order to defend a women who will never be their friend. 'her saying anything wont change anything', it might not, or maybe it will.... so human life isnt worth the chance of finding out? 'she's not a politician she's a singer' so singers cant care about genocide? singers are above the deaths of a nation? 'she might get hurt' so you care more about the hypothetical hurt of a stranger than the real life hurt of thousands, mostly children. Fans speaking on behalf of or dismissing the suffering of Palestinians to make their fav pop star not look bad is indeed a disturbing thing.

Taylor first hand knows how powerful her fandom is, with the re-recordings, breaking records, being on the biggest tour of her career and it selling out immediately all over the world. she knows her fans can move mountains, she saw it with voter registrations going up and spiking the second she finally spoke up about politics. she knows her words are some of the most heard around the world and her choosing to not denounce genocide says a lot about her, none of it surprising. that environment of indifference and silence invites hateful people and a hateful environment for those who want morality and change. people will bend over backwards to protect someone who doesnt protect others less fortune and privileged than she is. we know she probably isnt gonna say anything about this, she cant even take a stance on american politics, not even on a state level. denouncing a genocide is too much for her, it might make people mad at her, god forbid. she values ticket sales and her popularity over morality and change, it's that simple. And she’s found a fanbase that feels the same way.

[pinkishflowersilverycoin]

Ok guys, in the recent news about one of the actors of The Chosen joining the IDF, along with Jenkins openly supporting Israel from the begining, I want to bring something else we can look at.

Despite not saying out loud (surely at the risk of been fired from everywhere when Marvel already fired him), in the twitter account of Jeff Loveness, the writer of the Judas comic, already liked posts of several Pro-Palestine accounts. Even liking the ones that asks for a ceasefire.

I don't have the whole picture but it seems that Loveness is in Palestine's favor. Just in a more subtle way considering his actual position.

As for the artist, Jakub Rebelka, there's no mentions of the conflict but it shouldn't be surprising. The man is a freelance artist. Getting a work this days is even harder than before. Who knows, maybe he supports Palestine too but could tell it at the open, considering how even the Zionists control the comic industry.

If they're supporting or even helping in between the shadows, I think it's also valid. True, they need to be paid for work, but also they could donate part of that money in secret, so no one could threaten their careers.

If all of this is true, support Loveness and Rebelka.

There's people out there who still go against the Zionists.

Support and spread the love for the Judas comic. True, maybe it doesn't have the impact of The Chosen in the internet, but gave us the perfect outcome for both Jesus and Judas, both trapped and doomed for the narrative.

And only love can set them free.

Please! Don't forget to support any other Pro-Palestine artist you can find and donate to any Palestinian charity you can remember. Gaza and it's people depend on our generous heart as Jesus could had wanted to happen.

[luxurybrownbarbie]

No bc people are really being obtuse about showing that movie in Israel. Did you see that video of the movie with a bunch of Israeli people and flags in the theater singing you won’t break my soul? Like she really built a brand around freedom and liberation and justice and going against the grain, then allowed people in a colonizing state to view it and proceed to associate themselves with it.

Idk I just really feel like this era of celebrity is done. I wanted to ask your opinion about that for a while, but took some time to myself to come to terms with what the future looks like for me. I can’t imagine being a fan of anyone so…nonchalant about genocides and human rights violations when they know that one word from them could mobilize millions. It’s not required of them, but it’s also not required of me to support anyone who is past the point of getting the benefit of the doubt. It’s been two months and all our faves have caved or stayed silent. All of them.

It’s so disheartening.

I haven’t spoken about this publicly here,only privately on my Substack; nor will I speak about it more on here beyond this, but one of my closest friends lost her entire family, 30 people, in these airstrikes. She has been inconsolable for almost a month, and there is nothing we can do to help her. It costs nothing for celebrities to post about wanting peace or a ceasefire at the bare minimum.

There are contracts and I know it opens the artist up to a long set of lawsuits to breach them, but a simple post advocating for peace is the simplest thing you can do. I wish she did, I get why she’s not. This doesn’t cloud my love of the tour or the album, but it does make me sad. I also wish people would stick to the plot when discussing this issue. I’ve seen reviewers try to bring in her deceased uncle to make a point, and that’s where you lose me. The matter at hand is what’s important.

And the problem isn’t with celebrities, it’s with the fans! Everyone is a stan now, and the art of critique is out the window. Stan culture is toxic and empty. It’s okay to be a fan of someone for their art, but when they become an intrinsic part of your being and personality? And suddenly they cannot do any wrong? That’s where things get messed up.

[romanovthinkver]

I get what you mean about being conflicted and not knowing whether you want to support her anymore or not, that's how I feel too 😔😭

part of me wants to watch the sodastream issue blow up so she'll be forced to address it, but another part of me wants her to address it before the issue blows up so it doesn't look like she's only releasing a statement to get people to shut up, you know?

It's weird because she's working with multiple celebs who have signed the artists for ceasefire letter (channing tatum, florence pugh, and currently filming Jurassic world mahershala ali, and she's worked with johnathan glazer multiple times, he's pro palestinian and got attacked by hollywood for saying that the genocide happening in palestine is bad) so if she does still support israel or is neutral then I'm really going to be judgemental about it

Also I don't think all the people who signed the artists for ceasefire letter were all sincere about it, but I do think it's a start.

Thank you for letting me continue to talk about this, it's really been bothering me, and the account I had originally asked on twitter kind of downplayed what she actually said during her interviews about sodastream, which is very annoying but 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

- 🧚🏾‍♀️anon

don’t mention it, it’s a pleasure even tho it’s sad discovering certain things of someone we aspire to.

we are all human tho so, we can’t expect perfection nor put them on pedestal. it’s an illusion destined to fall soon or later.

i don’t wish her anything right now. i can see how happy she is, her career keeps shining as she deserves, that’s beautiful to see. i hope she will think and get some conclusion that may lead her to stand for the right decision soon or later.

[muozu]

Cognitive dissonance is an axiom of the moviegoing experience. The power of cinema—lifelike fictions given bounded, unlifelike shape—lies in its utopian promises. It can allow us to experience worlds not yet within our grasp. That disparity, between dream and reality, can either fill us with yearning and propel us toward action; or it can sate us vicariously, becoming an excuse not to take action. Major film festivals are, by design, invested in ensuring the latter. An entire ecosystem—involving labor, capital, politics, technology—comes into being to allow us to watch, buy, and sell films. Any change in the status quo would destabilize this ecosystem. So we submit to the myth of the festival as a hermetically sealed world. We tsk-tsk at Cannes’s annual ban on protests along the Croisette and continue to book tickets for screenings. We write glowing reviews of films that critique the very institutions that our presence at Cannes is used to justify.

But that implicit surrender to dissonance has been growing increasingly unsustainable in the last eight months, as artists and festival workers have been organizing in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and demanding greater agency within film institutions. They have used their work, platforms, and presence to ask that festivals reconcile their (increasingly, fashionably progressive) artistic positions with their material and political engagements. To some, this insistence may seem futile or misplaced. Certainly it does to Cannes Artistic Director Thierry Frémaux, who, in the pre-fest press conference, swore off controversies and polemics at this year’s edition: “In Cannes, the politics should be on the screen.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, he also questioned the political influence of film festivals. “When we gave the Palme d’Or to Michael Moore for Fahrenheit 9/11 did it have an impact on the reelection of George [W.] Bush? No.” But politics is not a grand, faraway thing, implying only election outcomes and geopolitical upheavals. Festivals are, fundamentally, exercises in world-building. Like students on campuses across the globe, activists in the film-festival space are asking: what kind of world are we building right here, right now? What possibilities are we reifying through our participation in a film festival, and which ones are we foreclosing?

Two of the most beautiful movies I saw this year at Cannes refocus politics as the product of small acts of instantiation. Tru’o’ng Minh Quý’s Viet and Nam and Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light are shiveringly pretty films in which illicit love stories unfold against fraught backdrops. In the former, two gay coal miners contending with the ghosts of the Vietnam War prepare for a treacherous emigration in search of better fates; in the latter, a Hindu nurse secretly romances a Muslim man in a Mumbai where the threat of communal violence lingers perpetually in the shadows. Both films shudder under weighty historical and political burdens, yet seek resolution and subversion in intimate human gestures—of acceptance, desire, and beauty, brandished in the face of terror. Both films also implicate capital-P politics: Viet and Nam has been banned in Vietnam for its “negative” portrayal of the country, while All We Imagine as Light, which made history as the first Indian Grand Prix–winner, has earned bouquets from the same public officials who have persecuted Kapadia for participating in strikes against the right-wing government’s interference in India’s premier public film school.

Celebrating such films and the communities they convene is one of the possibilities that international festivals keep alive. But how long can we maintain the ruse of championing artistic freedom and civil liberties in cinemas surrounded by hundreds of cops and A.I.-powered cameras and staffed by underpaid workers? There is no easy way out of these imploding contradictions—no zoom-out to break the fourth wall and relieve the tension; no artificial intelligence–themed twist to blame it all on. We have wrought this world, and we will have to rebuild it.

— Devika Girish, "Cannes 2024: Whiplash" for Film Comment

[alarrytale]

marte, about the zionist thing. I feel like Harry never speaks out about stuff like that because he’s afraid to show support because it might kill his career. I also feel like he is too obsessed with his career that he is willing to suck up to the worst people to get it. This fandom always gave me the impression that Harry is a push-over or can't think for himself or easily believes everything (tattoo artist Black Carrot also said how his former friends Lou Teasdale and her bf had a bad influence on Harry) I feel like this might be the case since harry keeps hanging out with these people....what do you think?

Also, marte, always when zayn calls out people in his songs like "fake friends" a lot of zquads think he is talking about harry. A lot of solo zayn fans really hate harry and talk about how harry (and the other 1d boys) never stood up for zayn when he was being discriminated because of his color. This feeling only became stronger when Harry won a Grammy and Zayn tweeted about how awful the Grammy's are....I feel like Z also doesn’t like harry bc he sees H is kind loosing himself in order to become a hollywood supernova. Solo zaynies also say h wanted the hiatus for himself and was mad when z left first.

Final question (sorry😅) do you enjoy harry and louis' music?.....because I like their taste less and less....

Absolutely final question (😂sorry), do you also feel like the GP is starting to dislike harry more and more...because the moment somebody makes a nasty comment about Harry it gets like tons of likes (20k). Only solo harries like him, but I feel like the GP don't really like Harry....if you agree, why do you think that is?

Hi, anon!

I agree that one of the reasons he might not speak up is because of his career. The issue is polarising. If he speaks up he'll lose fans and if he doesn’t speak up he'll lose fans. He's in a bind though, because while some of the people in power, his management, coworkers and friends are zion*ists or zioni*ts-sympathisers, the majority of his fans are not. The majority of his fans wants him to acknowledge the genocide and ask for a ceasefire. It might lose him brand deals and opportunities if he does speak up. But if he's not in a postition to take that risk and be that brave i order to do the right thing, who is?

I think it's a big difference between being a 16 year old wannabe celebrity moving alone to London from a small northern village and being a well established 30 year old successful man. He might have been easily influenced when he was younger and powerless, but he should have some world experience now and grown to have his own values and opinions, and not just adopting others.

About Zayn. I think there is some jealousy there stemming from H being shown preference during 1D and groomed to be a star. H was given privilege not afforded to Z. I think fake friends is a general critisism of not being able to trust people's intentions in wanting to befriend you when you are a celebrity. H does have a lot of fake friends. And the Grammy's are awful, Z is right. I think the Zaynies (Zquad?) are judging H for things out of his control. He's is losing himself in order to become a superstar, but it's not of his own choosing.

I enjoy Louis' music, i don't listen to Harry's (only heard about five songs ever). I'm pretty sure the more they both move away from the pop genre and the less mainstream the sound is, the less people are going to like it. I don't care what their own taste in music is as long as they stick to making pop. I'm concerned about where Louis is taking his sound and image for his next album. It might not be as bad as i fear. We'll have to see.

I do feel a negative shift in how people in general percieve Harry. He's getting more and more critisism on social media and a lot of the critisism is warranted. It's from both his own fandom, other fandoms and the gp. He's got image problems, relatability problems, overexposure problems, an authenticity problem and a hypocrisy problem. He's not addressing anything so the rumours, false image and false impressions people have of him just grows and grows. He's not doing anything to manage any of it. I don't know where this will lead. We'll have to wait and see.

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

I've always supported Louis and Harry, as a unit and individually. Their silence regarding Palestine has made me want to distance myself from them. I am aware Harry has never tried to hide being a Zionist in some capacity and I feel I have been ignoring it for the longest time in order to stan without feeling guilty and that's entirely on me. I am also aware that Louis' politics are also pretty pathetic.

I haven't been sitting back doing nothing expecting them to do something about it, I don't think in the grand scheme of things their stance matters much. I have been doing what I can for the cause in my own way.

I know the obvious thing to do is step back when it is not giving me joy, that's not what I'm conflicted about. My question is what are your thoughts on expecting a celeb to sign a ceasefire letter, make their stance clear or even attend a protest? Is it unreasonable? Are artists required to do this or should fans just learn to separate art from artists?

I think it might be useful to separate two different questions - one what it means to be a fan and the other what it's reasonable to expect from a celebrity.

You ask 'should fans just learn to separate art from artists' - and one of my problems with that framing is that it puts a particular weight on fans - as if fans have some kind of special status and interest as a group - or even relate to artists in the same way. And I think it's important to understand both that calling yourself a fan doesn't give you a special claim to someone else (I talked about this yesterday). There are many different ways of thinking about celebrities - and you make the choice about what that means to you.

I think that opens up to my next point which is you start this by saying that you've always supported Louis and Harry - and I can see if that's how you see this then that does create a challenge. I don't really see what I'm doing as supporting Louis and Harry. There's a literal truth to that - I'll buy tickets to see them if they come to New Zealand, but I haven't bought any of their albums and I don't stream. It's not just that I don't see what I do as supporting them - in quite a literal way it's not supporting them. But it's also a truth about how I do what I'm doing - I am here for me and my pleasure (and mostly for what I find interesting). I'm saying this to demonstrate that you have a choice in terms of how you think of fandom and what you do. If you do enjoy it here - then maybe just start stealing stuff if you decide you don't want to support them.

There are lots of different ways of relating to a celebrity and I think the more options you feel there are the easier it is to figure out the response. There are definitely lots more options than seeing your relationship as one of active support and entirely separating the art from the artist. Could you move into a space where you can still have whatever gives you joy, but doesn't feel like actively supporting people?

**********

So the second thing - what is it reasonable to expect from a celebrity? And my answer is - the same thing that you could expect from anyone else on this earth.

I think it's very important to reject the idea that celebrities have special responsibilities or power. It leads to really bad politics. I've probably said this before - but collective action is based over the idea that each of us is only tiny - but together we can build something much stronger. The fantasy that there's someone who is already really strong and who matters much more than us and can do the work for us - is just nonsense - and it's nonsense that will make people focus on the wrong place in changing celebrities rather than taking their own action.

As for the direct question you ask - I don't think there's anything wrong with expecting celebrities to take action to oppose genocide. But it's important to acknowledge that not everyone will - that people have political choices and will take them. Artists are not required to sign cease fire letters - and that's what makes the decision to sign meaningful from the people who do.

The only other thing that I'd advocate is a little uncertainty. When talking about your expectations around protests - you're not actually talking about an expectation that they attend protests - you're talking about an expectation that they show that they attend protests. We don't know all the actions celebrities are taking. For me personally, I'm happy stating that I think that there is an obligation to take action in the face of genocide - and realise that I won't know who is meeting that obligation and who isn't.

[girlboy-frankensteins-monster]

LINK TO PETITION ASKING UK PARLIAMENT TO SEEK A CEASEFIRE IN GAZA —https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/648292 (british citizens and uk residents only)

hi, welcome to my blog

you can call me moth, i'm a minor and my pronouns (click for a link to my pronouns page) are they/it, please us both :)

my dni and byf are on my carrd which you can find here it would be cool if you read them

feel free to send me asks or message me anytime regardless of whether we're mutuals or not. also my discord is veryswagful :)

header image is here, i took it myself. i'm fairly into photography at the moment and i draw a lot, mostly traditional although for some reason i only usually remember to post digital stuff

you can find all of my tags here

i'm mostly interested in dead boy detectives, night in the woods, lockwood & co, house, the locked tomb, dog sees god, the magnus archives, bbc ghosts, good omens, young justice '98, star wars and dead poets society although honestly i'm a bit between interests at the moment. i like a lot of music, there's a list on my carrd of my favourite bands and artists

[rantsintechnicolor]

I love music; the hozier concert at santa barbara bowl October 28. 

There are not many concerts I can report back on that really, really touch me. Things I really like to see:

The headlining artist thanks the opening artist

The headlining artist brings that artist back on stage to sing with them

The headlining artist introduces the band, stage hands, engineers, tour managers, etc.

The headliner gets personal with us, speaks from the heart, is authentically weird, talks about their inspirations. 

Audience interaction; the headliner singles out members and/or invites the audience to sing along

The headliner observes the encore ritual (there are only a few concerts that have not observed the ritual and when they don’t I find it devastating)

Oh sure. I appreciate good production value, too. Lighting and visuals and props are nice. It’s nice, but not required.

Who has done this for me in the last two years? Who has hit all the marks? Kishi Bashi. Not Muse and not LP, though I still love them. And Hozier. Oh my! Our husband delivered all the things, but I was also struck by how good a person he is. If not 1, 2, and 3, then number 4 is unlikely to happen. But, wow. Number 4 exceeded in expectations.

Other things. Half his band is women. There were nine musicians, and four were women. All musicians got a solo, but he called out the names of the women most often for their performances. I guess that makes sense; his stage name is his mother’s maiden name. 

Funny things. (a.) The women screaming and losing their minds when this musical god looking like a haggard Jesus, tall and lanky and graceful, walked out on the stage. Like he was Elvis or The Beatles. (b.) His dark humor. He introduced a song by saying: “I’m going to lighten the mood by singing a song inspired by seeing an animal get hit by a car.” W said, if he didn’t have dark humor he would not ,be her husband. I do like his sorrowful, melancholic, morbid whimsy, and I suppose I should have expected dark humor as well. 

Human things. (a.) He stopped the band mid song when he was alerted to one of the audience members that fell down in the pit. He held up his hand toward the band and very gently, he said, “guys if we could pause please. Let’s pause. Someone has just gone down in the audience and I want to make sure they are all right before we continue. A lot can happen when you hit the ground. We can’t be too careful. I want to thank our audience for their patience and compassion.” The lights came up, and it took a few minutes, but the audience became quiet. When Hozier got the signal all was well they all resumed mid song. (b.) Call to action for peace. Hozier is from Northern Ireland which has a history of all sorts of turmoil and violence. He asked us kindly and gently to consider contacting our representatives to support the UN’s call for a ceasefire in the middle east. Apparently, the US did not support this resolution. He reminded us how instrumental international assistance was to brokering peace in Northern Ireland, allowing him to grow up in a peaceful place. Though a few people were shouting at him to Play Music, he held up a hand, beseeching their patience, and finished his short speech. (c.) When he talked about his inspiration, he talked about Mavis Staples, who he was so pleased to have worked with on Nina Cried Power. Her music was the poetry of the Civil Rights Movement, he said. And it directly influenced a civil rights movement in Northern Ireland. (d.) He did tell us he appreciated those of us doing the Halloween thing. He said hello to and excellent version of Super Mario in the pit, pronouncing it mary-o. Should I ever get a chance to chat with Hozier, I might ask him if he likes Halloween and if his songs are inspired by zombies and witches and cults. 

Finally, I don’t cry at many concerts. But I absolutely did at this one. I won’t say what song made me lose it, nor why. But I’m sure I’m not the only one that got emotional there. I can’t be. That’s the power of music.

[officialtayley]

The other day I was blocked from an IG account I’ve followed for a long time bc I merely responded to their post with facts describing how it’s not a black and white issue. Rule 1 is if you’re going to use your platform to take a position, be prepared to engage in a respectful discourse, not to fight or argue, just merely to learn. Blocking people that make you think hard about what you’ve said or the position you’ve taken, and enjoying the echo chamber created, is not the way forward.

This situation is the most gray of the gray. It’s been going on for years and it will continue. The problem is, like all the other anons said, it’s fucking complex. Civilians should not die—everyone can agree. That is not even offering a take, that is assumed. But You cannot ask people—celebrity or not—to take a stand on something that they may, admittedly, not totally understand. There is nothing wrong with holding your tongue until you understand what you’re commenting on. However, here, the more you read and watch and discuss, the harder it gets to take a position.

I’m a Jew, i believe Israel should exist. I disagree with everything Hamas stands for AND I think killing civilians is wrong, I think hunkering down underneath a civilian hospital is INSANE and I think hoarding supplies, food, and water is abhorrent. I believe women should have rights, I believe LGBTQ+ people like myself should not just exist, but thrive. I am not really in favor of any country, or person, who wants to kill me for being who I am. How does one reconcile these issues? It’s so fucking difficult. The only position to take is, try and save civilian lives. The rest is too much.

first off the workers at the hospital have done tours to try and prove that it is literally just them and civilians there. second, it shouldn't be hard to take a position when artists in particular can make it very known they also call for a ceasefire as there is a letter that many have signed, which would mean they do not agree with the killing of any civilians. almost 10,000 palestinians have been killed and people act like it's so damn hard for people with a voice, a platform, one they often use, to even do something as simple as agree with a ceasefire. it's very easy to simply spread links to call or email your reps, to sign petitions, links that direct people to protests and other things.

[kimtaegis]

i'm terrible with words, so i'm gonna quote some things that made me reflect and that i honestly agree

"You often see fans and celebrity-obsessed users fall into the same patterns for global movements as they do for stan wars - strategies to get your favs trending online or on the charts, tabloid tactics to disparage a celeb's competition with old receipts, and other engagement strategies are all fair game to fight for the oppressed. But I think we have to remember the goal here. Is it real change or to clock who is on the "right side?"

"Why are we reducing palestine sufferings to boycotts and competitions among celebs when real people are dead? Why are we pressuring K-pop artists? It's true that they have big platforms for the better reach and donation but are they actually gonna change anything when they didnt have actual control? People who actually needs to be pressured and addressed are local leaders and world leaders WHO CAN ACTUALLY MAKE CHANGE AND SAVE LIVES. Some people use this moment as "at least my favs speak up" "if my favs can speak up why cant your favs" so they can feed their egoistic self, flaunting your favs are "good people" so you can wave your moral flags. You just want to feel "save" stanning them. The goal isnt for celebs to speak up, boycotting and donations, while they can actually help, the ACTUAL goal is CEASEFIRE- for politicians and leaders to stop israel, stop supporting israel and stop funding them."

and also... all these years as their fans, we know that they support a cause like this, bc it's what a good person would do, and they are good people. we don't need to have "proof", this isn't about them, they are singers who love what they do and they save many many lives and help so many people doing their jobs. i keep thinking about namjoon's lyrics in RPWP. that was also a message for us, you know?

and i think that sometimes we forget that twitter is a bubble. i would have no idea about the boycott for McDonald's (and other brands) if i wasn't online there every day, always knowing what's going on. this never even showed up in the news on TV in my country, not even once. and the members aren't chronically online, they've never been like that, ever since 2013. people around me don't talk about that. so yeah.. He probably doesn't know, even if it feels absurd for some

sorry if this got long... since you're open to it, it's just my opinion and i'm not trying to change yours T-T if you don't want to answers asks about this anymore, you can also ignore this

well definitely thank you for being polite and not using a weirdly mean and aggressive tone when talking about your opinion, I appreciate it!

I totally agree with the first statement, it feels so freaking pointless to even argue about this lol, it’ll literally change nothing and that energy can for sure be used for better, more helpful things.

the second one is a little trickier because while I agree that the whole ego-trip thing is being a huuuuge issue in music fandoms for ages, and now more than ever when it’s about actual human lives and threats, I do think that big artists speaking up does indeed make a difference. and it would be amazing for them to do that precisely because politicians don’t do shit to help. raising and donating money would totally increase if they encouraged it which would save so many lives. hell I’m also not a politician but I still try to do everything I’m capable of to help, as little as it may be in the big picture.

what makes you a good person, though? just saying you are? no, you have to actually do good things. that’s my opinion. I also don’t think that having knowledge about what’s been going on only happens when you scroll through twitter. My expectations might be too high here but I’d hope people go and educate themselves because they wanna do the right thing. also, I hate to say it, but of course the news won’t tell you about boycotts etc, literally every countries’ leader is kissing isreal’s ass (the reports about gaza here are unwatchable wow) 🙃 just because people don’t talk about it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. I simply won’t believe they haven’t heard anything about it. we’re nearing a whole year of this, and so many years before that.

if they’re not speaking up so be it – everyone, them included, has to follow their own moral compass and decide if what they’re doing is enough for their consciousness to be at ease. it certainly won’t change what I try to contribute

[peppermintbuttlemon]

https://www.tumblr.com/peppermintbuttlemon/741646939360280576/the-list-included-only-american-artists-but-you

The list did not just include Americans. Read it again, and better inform yourself before spewing incorrect information that fuels your bias. There are plenty of non American entertainers who signed it, who can’t even vote in the US because they aren’t citizens. It was a letter praising Biden for his efforts in aiding with Israel and condemning the terrorist attack while asking for the release of hostages.

The Red Cross is a neutral stance, it does not exonerate him from speculation. That said, it is possible that many of the people who signed that letter back in October have become better informed and have since changed their stance. Regardless his name remains on the letter and only he can dismiss the inquiries into where he stands in the issue or to confirm his involvement. The timing is also still questionable because in the same day a ceasefire letter was also being peddled around to celebs and many signed that one.

👆👆👆

[sprnklersplashes]

#there's this one post talking about how the album announcement overshadowed an artist calling for a ceasefire in palestine#which yeah absolutely it sucks that important issues get overshadowed in these events- but that's more related to the structure of the award#shows themselves rather than the actions of one particular artist#but then every single reply is just straight up ''yeahhh taylor swift and anyone who enjoys her music should die'' like brooo what the#actual fuck. it's just one woman. what the fuck#like the vitriolic hatred people have towards her is sooooo gross like. why are you so so mad it's just one privileged woman#in the privileged people show. all of these people are out of touch shut upppp yes there's things to criticize god knows the woman is far#from perfect but god. the way people talk about her. madness#also ppl asking like it's her fault she was given an award. buddy that's not how this works!#taylor swift;

these tags honestly thank god I am not the only person rubbed the wrong way by the comments on that post.

I cannot stress enough how trying to blame massive systemic issues like the censoring of palestinians/pro-palestine voices on one person is one of the least helpful things you can do.

sorry but yall... need to learn how to have normal convos about taylor swift. and i mean EVERYONE.

haters will be like "taylor swift is the devil. evil woman. worst person alive."

and then stans will be like "actually she can do no wrong. she is always correct."

like shut up!!!! all of yall stfu please fr it's like watching the dumbest convo take place.

taylor swift is a flawed, extremely privileged person. she can both be a good person, and fuck up. she can have good intentions but be absolutely out of touch and cause harm. she can also quite frankly have the wrong opinions yall. she is a person. yall have GOT to digest that.

you can disagree with things she does and not think she's satan like my god did we all collectively graduate elementary school?? can we all have complex emotions??? let us try harder on that thank you so much.