The headline has been altered by independent.
Here’s a link to an archived version
These aren’t really apt comparisons. None of the them are calling for the military to go and kill a citizen of another country.
None of it is okay. It encourages violence, it desensitizes us, we see a comedian triumphantly holding up a bloodied, decapitated POTUS head with a look of cold indifference on her face and we say, "Oh, it’s okay. It’s not a call to violence specifically, it’s just artistic expression.
I’m picking Trump ones because he’s a big, easy target & the examples are easily found. Not because I endorse Trump. It also showcases how extreme violence is given a platform, praised. But there are plenty more examples just a Google search away.
So it’s fine for people to depict killing a POTUS all the time, and other people you don’t like. That’s acceptable. Kill the white farmers in South Africa, after all, they’re part of an oppressor class & they deserve it. SHOOT to KILL. But calling for the death of 3 random people is a line too far, I guess? 🤨
Your qualms with this are just the result of a culture with no guardrails, no moral foundation. Human life isn’t considered sacred. We tolerate & celebrate depictions of death all the time. This only encourages senseless mass shootings, violence.
You’re really looking for a straw man argument for this, and I don’t even understand why. The release and reception of this song is vile, there is no need to try and grandstand and go “actually…”
You’re allowed to say something is fucked up without having to mention everything else fucked up and discuss which is more fucked up. You’re wasting energy on the stupidest thing.
we see a comedian triumphantly holding up a bloodied, decapitated POTUS head with a look of cold indifference on her face and we say
You’re dead / You’re canceled!
(That’s my only contribution, noting she received death threats & hatred, carry on otherwise I just remembered that one)
It encourages violence, it desensitizes us,
We can understand why that’s like, not a very concrete justification to be against espousing violence, right? I also find it weird, right, that we’re doing this step-around thing, where you’re calling everyone out for the hypocrisy of, oh, well, people are against this violence, but they’re not against this violence? Have you maybe considered that the two forms of violence are distinct? Perhaps that the two forms of violence are actually not similar? That people have reasons for, say, wanting violence against one party, but not another?
That’s what they’re commenting about. You say “it’s either all okay or none of it’s okay” because it encourages violence, right, but, I am giving you an opportunity to show your work, when it comes to this very basic claim, upon which rests the rest of your argument.
Toby Keith : Courtesy of the Red White and Blue - https://youtu.be/ruNrdmjcNTc?si=DmXKSLPI2SHVoQM-
There’s plenty more. Or are you just being obtuse on purpose?
Who is he calling for the marines to kill? I don’t see it in the lyrics at all. Sure, it talks about war (it’s essentially a hardcore version of the Star Spangled Banner, which talks about bombing). And the song was never as big as the song in the article. Additionally, this was over 20 years ago, which is a lot of time to change. That’s like saying that people can’t be upset at other countries for discriminating against LGBTQ+ people because American TV in the early 2000’s had jokes at their expense. Things change.
He’s calling for the killing of Iraqis, you know people in Iraq. You know, those innocent civilians the American government lied about having weapons of mass destruction. Then Toby Keith’s dream came true and the US set about levelling their land and killing millions of Iraqis.
Why the fuck does 20 years matter? Your statement did not mention a timeline. Show some integrity.
Ah, The international defence of “bygones”.
20 years is a lot of time for a 20 year old, right?
The bigger picture is that 20 years is still very recent history.
That’s like saying that people can’t be upset at other countries for discriminating against LGBTQ+ people because American TV in the early 2000’s had jokes at their expense
Yeah. It is. The fact the US still has TV shows that make those jokes, the very fact that morality is relative to the US is sort of the problem here. At best it is imperialism. At worst it is rank hypocrisy.
Courtesy of the Red White and Blue
How about you read the lyrics and see that for all of the patriotic bluster, they don’t even say a group or nation that of people should be on the receiving end of the requested military force. Just that they should go do the thing somewhere to the people who hit first. You’re comparing that to someone calling out specific people for death.
I hope you can see why your comparison immediately falls apart.
In your own words:-
calling for the military to go and kill a citizen of another country
Are Iraqis in Iraq not citizens of another country?
Have you read the lyrics? Do you struggle with understanding context?
Oh, and justice will be served and the battle will rage This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage And you’ll be sorry that you messed with The U.S. of A. ‘Cause we’ll put a boot in your ass It’s the American way Hey Uncle Sam, put your name at the top of his list And the Statue of Liberty started shakin’ her fist And the eagle will fly it’s gonna be hell When you hear mother freedom start ringin’ her bell And it’ll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you Oh, brought to you courtesy of the red white and blue
