| Macklemore vs. Everybody The chain of events that led to the rapper Macklemore's ejection this week from a concert tour for the sin of proclaiming 'Free Palestine' before a screaming football stadium in New Jersey unfolded in trite and predictable fashion. First, a real estate developer with fewer than 1,000 X followers and a surname pronounced like 'whine' garnered 4.5 million views with a lengthy post recounting his experience purchasing $180 worth of Ed Sheeran tour merchandise only to be insulted with a 'lecture on Middle East politics' from an apparent serial abuser of 'tropes.' Then, an antisemitism nonprofit backed by billionaire casino heiress Miriam Adelson launched a petition urging friends of Israel to pressure Sheeran to renounce his opening act, and billionaire football/antisemitism mogul Bob Kraft joined forces with the billionaire owners of six other football teams from cities remaining on the schedule to order Sheeran to banish Macklemore from the tour. After a full week of tension-filled meetings and a 40-minute personal phone call with Kraft, Sheeran complied, cementing a familiar cycle. |
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At prospect.org from The American Prospect
At prospect.org from The American Prospect
