Many readers know the popular musician Chan Marshall by her stage name, Cat Power. Talented and beautiful, her musical creations and vocal intonations tend to reverberate deeply within many who listen to her, myself included.
Marshall took the courageous step of choosing to reveal her struggles with alcoholism and recovery several years ago and thereby provided hope for others involved in the same struggle. By all accounts, other than a few idiosyncrasies in performance, she does well to care for the world around her.
I know how seductive the cultural bandwagon of hating Israel can be. I once was a diehard supporter of the “Palestinian struggle” but now side strongly with Israel. This is why I wasn’t surprised when I saw this tweet in her Twitter timeline:
I get it. She made plans to perform in Israel at the Coachella festival. Her left-of-center fans flipped. They even went as far as creating a Facebook page to change her mind about performing in what they framed as “Apartheid Israel.” Though Elton John, Paul McCartney and Madonna all withstood the anti-Israel campaign’s effort to frame Israel as an “apartheid state,” Marshall gave in. Though I disagree, I can see an artist not wanting to be involved in conflict and feeling pain in her soul over war.
What happened next is where my understanding ceases.
Marshall didn’t just cancel her gig in Israel. She actively looked for a venue in “Occupied Palestine.” In so doing, she didn’t just step out of the conflict; she actively sided with Hamas.
She began tweeting a desire to find a venue in Ramallah. It’s unfortunate I didn’t screenshot her tweets, as she has now deleted them. However, a very supportive Now Toronto article references her efforts to find the Palestinian venue.
As expected, far left-of-center praises were heaped upon Marshall. Though I doubt Marshall would care, this author will no longer be able to sit and listen to her talented creations. My commitment to a decent and safe world will drastically interfere with appreciating the music of a woman who sides with men intent on targeting children for explosive dismemberment and death.
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