Trolls

If you’re organizing a gig for me, I probably sent you to this page, so you could be prepared for the onslaught of attacks from the various trolls.  Sorry about that, but it now comes with the territory of the modern political/social media landscape, and in various forms it long predates the internet.  It’s just that social media makes it all much, much worse.

To make it all more confusing, there are at least three interconnected political tendencies that target my gigs to get them canceled and to smear my reputation with all kinds of crazy talk.  No one should need to immerse themselves in the ideology of the troll of whichever variety.  All of them are following a philosophy that supports attacking those you disagree with and calling them all kinds of names.

I’ve written so extensively about all of these groups that just trying to digest what I’ve written on the subject is itself an overwhelming prospect.  So to try to simplify things, here I’m just naming and summarizing each of my groups of critics, with a link to a relevant article I’ve written about to provide a bit more info.

Rightwing Zionists

Particularly in England beginning in early 2024, venues, gig organizers, artists I’m performing with, and others have been getting nasty emails from people representing UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust, threatening legal action if they don’t cancel gigs, because I’m allegedly breaking British law by fomenting racial hatred against Jews.  With this group my offense is very clearcut — I think Israel is run by genocidal maniacs, and they think anyone who believes this should be condemned and silenced.

Gatekeepers of Antifascism

Loyal followers of Shane Burley, ideological guru of Rose City Antifa, and accelerationist platforms like It’s Going Down are adherents to a form of antifascism that calls for members of the far right to be physically assaulted at any given opportunity, and that anyone who thinks it’s a good idea, rather, to communicate with this people from this growing political tendency, is some kind of “red-brown” fascist who needs to have their careers destroyed and to have lies spread about them online incessantly as a way to hold them “accountable” for their transgressions.  This group is most active on X and on certain Subreddits, but serious recruits to this form of black-and-white thinking can be found in various parts of the world.  Because many members of Rose City Antifa are trans, as soon as you get on their shit list, you’re automatically also a transphobe, too.

The Antideutsch

If you’re in Germany or to a lesser degree in other German-speaking countries, you may know that those who identify as antifascists in Germany often fall into one of two subcategories — anti-imperialist, or Antideutsch.  The former tendency tends to be sensibly critical of US imperialism and Israeli settler-colonialism, while the latter tendency somehow or other believes that anyone who criticizes Israel is an antisemite, even if they’re Jewish.  They believe this while still considering themselves to be communists.  They will on occasion threaten to shut down gigs if the venue doesn’t shut it down first.