“Hey this f*cking song is dedicated to you, you f*cking c*nt.”
If you like stories where no one is right, you’ll love this one. Tyler, the Creator and the rest of Odd Future visited Australia this week, much to the dismay of Talitha Stone, a member of the online feminist activist group Collective Shout. They’ve spearheaded a campaign to kick Tyler out of the country, because of his lyrics that “promote hate speech against women, perpetuating male entitlement to use women’s bodies…Tyler the Creator’s glorification of rape and violence against women could be considered inciting his fans to commit violent crimes against them.”
The “lyrics = EVIL” argument is never the right road to go down (see: Columbine, Marilyn Manson), but at least it’s not as juvenile and abhorrent as what Tyler did during a show on Thursday. According to Pitchfork:
Tyler, in characteristically petulant fashion, went on a rant against Stone during his show last night (she was in attendance). “F*cking bitch, I wish she could hear me call her a bitch, too, f*cking whore,” he said. “Yeah, I got a sold-out show right now bitch. Hey this f*cking song is dedicated to you, you f*cking c*nt.”
“I was petrified,” Stone, who captured clear video of the rant on her phone. “I was standing among the crowd of people chanting along with threats toward me.” She’s since reported him to the police on grounds of verbal abuse, but her efforts might be futile: “F*CK THAT SHOW WAS THE BEST F*CK,” Tyler tweeted. “AUS WAS AWES… THEY MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WAS IMPORTANT TONIGHT DUDE.” (Via)
One unlucky proponent of Stone’s cause: conservative Australian House of Representatives member Alex Hawke.
Hawke told the House of Representatives this week, per The Music: “Allowing this man a visa to promote this misogyny to audiences, including children, is a complete disgrace and an insult to all of us, and to women in particular. Australia must be clear that we have a zero tolerance for these extreme acts of violence, and the government and the minister have power to take action against this sort of intolerance and those encouraging the dehumanisation of women.”
Hawke has gone so far as to involve Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, saying: “Prime Minister, I urge you…to seriously reconsider and review the visa granted to Tyler, The Creator under section 501, the character assessment test. All of us should stop the spread of this vile message against women.” (Via)
So, yeah. Remember that racist Mountain Dew commercial? Those seem like the good ol’ days now.
