#i'm gonna tag this proper but y'all better fucking behave

[dorkboy]

I'm gonna say one more thing about the Irish gentleman and his public statement and then I'm gonna leave it be.

I've seen a lot of people who were upset at his statement, saying that it was too soft and that his previous statements were much better. People saying that they'd prefer that he not say anything if he was going to fence sit. He's Irish for fucks' sake, and someone who grew up during The Troubles (albeit the end of them). People saying that it was him bowing to pressure so that he remain in consideration for a Grammy that he's up for. Et cetera.

I don't know if I agree with some of those statements, but I do agree that it could have been more strongly worded. More clear on his condemnation of the attrocities being carried out against the people of Gaza.

Some people have noted that it was likely also a matter of safety, given what happened to the Hadid family over their support (they've received death threats), that he has the safety of his band and his crew to keep in mind. That he's on tour in a country that is actively supporting the attrocity and his statement was worded so as to not be on the receiving end of hostilities by the government. I can honestly buy that one. I don't know if it's genuinely something he said, or if I'm misremembering, but I believe he mentioned that he didn't join BLM protests because he was afraid that he'd get deported and barred entry to the US if he had.

I'll say, like I did before, that I'm disappointed. I had hoped that he would come out with a stronger statement. One that lives up to the politics that he uplifts in his music.

Look, at the end of the day, none of us know this man. We may be fans of his music and support a lot of the statements he makes, but we don't know him. We like to think we know where he stands on certain things, but unless he comes out and publicly states them, we know nothing. I want to believe his heart is in the right place. I want to believe that his statement was flat because it had to be. But, at the end of the day, we as a society need to stop placing celebrities on such pedestals and raising them up to be these paragons of virtue. They're human.

That's all.

OH - and I think it goes without saying, but I'm gonna say it anyway, I support a free Palestine. Today, tomorrow, and always.