Posted by clitical sass
Add on another reason that Lady Gaga is a badass. Gaga played a show in Phoenix on Saturday July 31 despite being asked by artists in Soundstrike, an organization of musicians boycotting Arizona in protest of immigration reform law SB1070, to cancel her show and boycott the state. Instead, Gaga played her show with “Stop SB1070″ written promeniently on her left forearm. Gaga also talked about the controversial law in Phoenix, saying:
“I got a phone call from a couple really big rock and rollers, big pop stars, big rappers, and they said, we’d like you to boycott Arizona, we’d like you to boycott playing Arizona because of SB1070. And I said, you really think that us dumb [yes, ableist language] fucking pop stars are gonna collapse the economy of Arizona?
I’ll tell you what we have to do about SB1070. We have to be active, we have to actively protest, and the nature of the monster ball is to actively protest prejudice and injustice and the bullshit that is put on our society because you’re a superstar no matter who you are or where you come from, and you were born that way.
I will not cancel my show. I will yell and I will scream louder and I will hold you and we will hold each other and we will peaceably protest this state.
But do not be afraid, because if it wasn’t for all you immigrants this country wouldn’t have shit.”
I’m so happy that Lady Gaga chose to actually be active and speak up about SB1070 instead of doing nothing, which is essentially what the Soundstrike artists are doing. Perhaps they believe that everyone in Arizona supports the new law and so it is only outside forces that will being change to the state. If they came to AZ and talked to local people, their fans, they’d see that there are many many people who are as outraged about SB1070 as they are. No, even more angry because we’re the ones who live here and have laws like this affect our friends and family. A far smarter, and affective, protest would be coming here and speaking out against SB1070, like Lady Gaga and the artists involved in Viva Arizona.
According to the Viva Arizona website:
In response to Arizona’s recently passed “immigration” law, SB 1070 and HB 2281, which effectively bans ethnic studies in public schools, Artists for Action is asking the world’s artists to flock to Arizona to encourage dialog around these divisive issues. “We’re asking artists to take a stand, make their voices heard, and inspire fans to get involved,” said Joey Burns of Tucson-based Calexico. “Now is the time when art can make a difference. Now is the time for action.”
Honestly, as someone who lives in Arizona, bands that I like and respect boycotting my state just makes me like them less and feel like they’re taking the easy way out. As Charlie Levy wrote, “The truth is, a boycott is an easy gesture that doesn’t require much more than a statement and removing a date from your tour schedule. However, if you truly care about the effects of the controversial immigration law that was passed, this is an opportunity to use your unique position as an artist with the ability to reach thousands of people to inspire, educate and motivate your fans to actively be a part of the change.” His whole letter is pretty spot on. Instead of boycotting the state these bands should be flooding it. The republicans that support SB 1070 are most likely really happy that a bunch of left leaning bands have silenced themselves by not playing here. But not artists like Lady Gaga. Even if you’re not a fan (….Dan…), you gotta respect a lady that speaks her mind. Watch the video below for her full comments.
(via Feministing)
1 comment
SPO101 says:
Aug 5, 2010
Brewer already had her own prison scandal of sorts: two of her staff members are lobbyists for Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) which stands to benefit from Arizona’s criminalization of undocumented immigrants and their being held as prisoners under SB 1070, it takes fear mongering to another level. Let’s all hope and pray that this latest prison escape does not turn out as badly as the Tison gang did in 1978, so Jan time to prep your answers for the Department of Corrections.
So the Republicans are FINALLY admitting they’re OUT OF IDEAS and asking the public for input (Yah right they listen). Here’s my advice… if you want the Republican Party to make a comeback then QUIT being HO’s for those vain, self-serving, power mad, greed stricken silver spoon con artists that are running the multi-national corporations. Make Newt Gingrich, Tom Delay, Phil Gramm and those Conservative think tanks ADMIT they sold out the American middle class with the hidden legislation of the 90’s (in sort tell the truth).
SOMEONE take responsibility for the Bush/Cheney DISASTER. Fess up to all the waste, fraud, abuse, scandal, sexual deviancy, corruption, lies, deregulation, incompetence, job outsourcing, off-shore tax evasion, reckless economics, corporate welfare, war profiteering, Constitutional violations AND a Corporate Crime Wave of epic proportions. The WORST looting of a nation’s wealth and resources in the history of MANKIND!
And even after the American PEOPLE were just starting to recover then the ghost of Bush/Cheney oil drilling deregulation comes back to haunt the Gulf coast Red States. Y’know, those right-wing nutcases were chanting “drill baby drill” and get the government outta of their lives like they belonged to a fanatical cult. That oily disaster in the Gulf was NOT AN ACT OF GOD! It was the result of incompetent, scandalous government bureaucrats allowing the Oil Drilling Industrial Complex to cut corners… Collusion/Collaboration BETWEEN the Oil Industry and Federal Regulators? WHAT THE #*/!
NOW these hypocrites are blaming Obama/Biden for not saving them from BP’s oily disaster.
The Republican/Conservative culture didn’t take the time to consider our coastal borders could be breached (you listen to Rush Limbaugh instead of Greenpeace), people misplaced and natural environment destroyed for decades. All those tax dollars put into Homeland Security and we let Halliburton, BP and TransOcean do the equivalent of nuking the whole Gulf region of our nation. Oil radiating around Florida to reek havoc on the entire East Coast. AND FORGET ABOUT EATING THE SEAFOOD! AaaaaGgggggghhhhhhgggeerrr!
I’m going to make sure the history textbooks show what a bunch of silly stupid, self-absorbed, victimized, apathetic COWARDS you Conservatives wackos turned out to be (1980-2010). “I’m wondering if those who support that so-called Tea Party Movement really know where Republicans are leading them? It seems like the Tea Party rank and file are being used by a bunch of vain, self-serving, evil, power mad, greed stricken, K-Street Con Artists. The scum of the earth who hide their hideous faces by using Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin as spokespersons. Just look at their agenda items. It‘s like Ken Lay’s or Jack Abramoff’s wet dream:
1) Repeal Health Insurance Reform
2) Privatize Social Security or abolish it.
3) End Medicare
4) Extend Bush Tax Cuts for wealthy and Big Oil
5) Repeal Wall Street reform
6) Protect those responsible for Gulf oil disaster and future environmental catastrophes
7) Abolish or cut funding to Department of Education
8) Abolish Dept. of Energy
9) Abolish Environmental Protection Agency
10) Repeal 17th Amendment
11) Rewrite Bible and school textbooks,
12) Replace JESUS with Glenn Beck, Frank Church with Joe McCarthy…
13) After USA is destroyed by Republican Party low grade thought processes, BLAME Democrats/Liberals…”
Remember when the Soviets used to say “America would be destroyed from within”? Who knew it would be the Republican Party to make the Commie’s dream come true. Is there REALLY Americans out there who were ignorant enough to vote for these Republican LOSERS?