I never had a particular fondness of Ed Sheeran but this entire drama made him 1000% more dislikeable. The claim that you'd specifically not use your platform to speak out on social injustices because you want "peace" and want to provide a safe space for your audience just means that you want to bury your head in the sand for money. What a load of crap

[–] Seimhe@lemmy.world 102 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

And he has spoken out in support of Ukraine as the invasion continues, so his claims are total nonsense. He's making an exception in favour of Israel.

Edit: he also played a fundraiser concert for Ukraine.

[–] SpruceBringsteen@lemmy.world 45 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't know why he thought the whole "both sides" thing would absolve him in his press release.

[–] Vgcjt@lemmy.ca 31 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I learned today that nazis think there are two sides to the holocaust

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

i've been struggling to wrap my brain around that concept, but i grew up where the idea of playing Cowboys and Indians (as a form of tag, when you're a kid) was in the public consciousness somewhere. I can't ever remember actually playing and calling it that. Maybe i saw it on the television or read about it? just you know a casual kids game commemorating the colonization and genocide of its land's original people. it gets worse the more i think about it.

[–] HostilePasta@lemmy.ml 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Damn I thought about that a couple months back and yeah, I remember playing it as a kid. I think it quickly got changed to cops and robbers, so maybe I was at the tail-end of that version; sure was a fucked-up thing to call a kids game.

[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

We played cops and robbers instead, but I don't necessarily think that's any better.

[–] Emma_Gold_Man@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

No doubt the current MAGAT's are introducing it to their kids as "ICE and Immigrants"

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Our variants were capture the flag (with a "jail" you could rescue people from) abcd freeze tag. Mostly we just played baseball.

I grew up on a street a hundred yards long with 19 kids, and I was one of the oldest. We played a lot of baseball and soccer instead of tag. We had enough for full teams, so why not?

[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

We had tag too. But cops and robbers was distinctive in that you were role playing cops and robbers. Tag was just tag.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

yeah, the teams were balanced in capture the flag and we didn't really have a name for it other than the descriptor. i'm trying to think which role playing ones we did (i am confident that there were some, just memory gets fuzzy after a few decades y'know) but i do not remember.

[–] v4ld1z@lemmy.zip 11 points 2 weeks ago

I didn't even know that. Pathetic

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 30 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I kinda get what he wants - but situations outside his control have forced him to pick sides and he chose wrong. Doesn't seem to get that there's no fence to sit on here.

Should've moved venues even if means cutting back attendance, showed support for your friend, and turned the narrative into "The billionaires cut OUR show because THEY'RE bigots"

Incredible levels of self-own that have left him standing alone.

[–] atomicorange@lemmy.world 25 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Art has a point of view. It’s not escapism it’s expression. If your music has no message you’re making elevator music not art.

[–] fdrc_lm@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 weeks ago

This. For all the people complaining about music festivals and music in general being “political”

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago

I had no opinion of him before but now have a very negative one.

[–] TBi@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

If he wanted to be neutral he could have said “I don’t want to publically take a side on the conflict, but I will stand by free speech and mackelmore. If he can’t play then I won’t play”

Better though if he just grew a pair…

Also. Free Palestine.