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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

My comment to Macy Gray (UPDATED)

On Monday, performing artist Macy Gray posted this on her Facebook page:
I'm booked for 2 shows in TelAviv. I'm getting alot of letters from activists urging/begging me to boycott by NOT performing in protest of Apartheid against the Palestinians. What the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinians is disgusting, but I wana go. I gotta lotta fans there I dont want to cancel on and I dont know how my NOT going changes anything. What do you think? Stay or go?

There have been 2000 comments since then, and counting. Her Twitter account has likewise been swamped with comments, pro and con.

At this point I doubt that she will read all of them, but I added my voice to the cacophony.
The people of Israel love you. Not only that, but they love music, they love the arts, they love culture, they love science, they love people - and they love life.

Those who are demanding that you not perform, hate. They hate Israel, and their hate is so deep that it extends to Israeli people, to those who support Israel, and to countries that are allied with Israel. The comments here show only a tiny part of the hate they have.

It is usually a good bet to side with the lovers.

See also Balfour Street's post.

UPDATE: She seems to have decided to go to Israel after all. (h/t Challah Hu Akbar)

UPDATE 2: After the BDSers started attacking her for her decision, she wrote a classic tweet that says what I was saying, in a somewhat blunter manner (h/t CHA again):