Pop culture & politics

There Is No ‘Neutral’: Macklemore, Pink, Ed Sheeran, and the Cost of Speaking Out

[AIR DATE]

This episode is for you if you’ve used “I don’t know enough about the region” to stay quiet about Palestine. Or if you want to understand why “I don’t take sides” is a side.

Becky and Taina break down the news that Macklemore was kicked off Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour after saying “free Palestine” and holding up a Palestinian flag on stage. Macklemore’s statement says Robert Kraft told Sheeran he wouldn’t be allowed to perform at Gillette Stadium and rallied other venue owners behind that ultimatum. When Sheeran couldn’t get past his “I don’t take sides” stance, Macklemore was out. His response: “There is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.”

They compare Macklemore’s “I am not a victim” statement to Pink’s, which Becky calls her new go-to example of white feminism. They also look at why celebrity friendships become public co-signs. From there, it’s AIPAC money in Democratic races (including Wesley Bell here in St. Louis), the Hollywood open letter against using the word “genocide,” and the difference between being anti-Zionist and being antisemitic. They also cover why “does Israel have a right to exist?” is a bad-faith question and how it all ties back to the same white supremacy at work in the US. The takeaway: you can be scared, not know everything, and still say that a genocide is a genocide.

In This Episode, We Get Into:

• Why “I’m not an expert on geopolitics” is a privilege, and why you don’t need to be one to say murder isn’t okay
• Macklemore’s “free Palestine” moment, getting cut from Ed Sheeran’s tour, and his “I am not a victim” statement
• Robert Kraft, Gillette Stadium, and how power organizes to protect the status quo
• How Ed Sheeran opted all the way in by trying to opt out
• Pink’s response as a textbook case of white feminism: discomfort treated like harm
• Celebrity friendships as public co-signs: Pink, Elizabeth Banks, and Amy Adams at the US Open
• AIPAC money in Democratic races, including Wesley Bell’s campaign in St. Louis
• The Hollywood open letter against calling it a genocide, and who’s speaking up instead (Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Tatiana Maslany, Mandy Patinkin)
• Anti-Zionism vs. antisemitism, and why we shouldn’t treat what’s happening in Israel as something unique to one group
• “Does Israel have a right to exist?” It exists. So now what?
• Jasmine Crockett, Chris Brown, and why representation alone isn’t enough

Resources Mentioned

• Macklemore’s public statement about being removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour
• Pink’s Instagram statement (read the two side by side)
• Mandy Patinkin’s interviews on Israel, Gaza, and Jewish history
• Mark Ruffalo on Threads
• Tatiana Maslany’s interviews on speaking out