OPINION:
Ed Sheeran, on the heels of saying goodbye to his touring buddy, Macklemore, who had sparked a furor by using his concert platform to advocate for Palestinians — and who had come under fire from NFL stadium owner Robert Kraft — has now come out and said he’s sorry. So sorry, in fact, that he’s actually “so, so sorry.” Sorry for what exactly?
Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to be all politically correct and use our musical platform for something other than music.
“Noting that he didn’t want to disappoint fans and has ‘never wanted to be an activist musician,’ Ed Sheeran addressed the controversy surrounding his tour at the start of his Sept. 19 show at Lincoln Financial Field,” PhillyBurbs.com reported.
Sheeran’s words: “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions and I am making mistakes and I’m so, so sorry,” he said.
Apparently, he’s sorry that promoters booted Macklemore from his tour.
He should have been sorry for publicly involving himself in the very non-musical Israel-Hamas war. Musicians should stick with what they know — music.
It’s only the DEI-loving, P.C.-pushing, socialist-communist-Marxist crowd that wants politics to be injected into every aspect of life. It’s easier to sow divisions that way. It’s easier to split society into separate warring segments that way.
But the smart artist sticks to art and lets the politics stay to the side. Silent-like.
“Macklemore’s pro-Palestine advocacy during Ed Sheeran’s tour led to his removal,” Forbes wrote.
After that, the media swarmed and the fans swirled and sides were chosen and swords were drawn and hype went into hyperactive overdrive. Macklemore is entitled to his opinion. So is Sheeran. Thing is: Most fans don’t care about these musicians’ opinions. They only care about the music.
This whole trend of pressing celebrities — actors, athletes, musicians, etc. — into weighing in on political matters of the day has gone on far too long.
Hollywood’s Robert De Niro hates President Trump. NFL’s — err, make that former NFL’s — Colin Kaepernick hates police. Singer Bruce Springsteen hates Republicans. Mark Ruffalo, i.e. Hulk, hates whatever conservatives are doing at the time.
Enough.
“Hollywood goes quiet as stars rethink speaking out on politics,” The Hill wrote in August.
If only.
Jennifer Lawrence, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Paris Hilton — these are a few named in the article who’ve softened their voices for the November midterms and made the determined decision to keep their politics to themselves. But too little, too late. Everybody already knows where they stand on politics.
Johnson endorsed Joe Biden in 2020. Lawrence has a long history of criticizing Trump. Paris said in an interview she had voted for Trump in 2016, but then said, years later, she didn’t even vote in 2016.
“Paris Hilton Reveals She Voted for Donald Trump: ‘I’ve Known Him Since I Was a Little Girl,’” People reported in November, 2016.
“Paris Hilton says she ‘pretended’ to vote for Donald Trump in 2016 but actually ‘didn’t vote at all,’” Business Insider reported in March, 2023.
If celebrities kept their mouths shut when it came time to discuss politics, they wouldn’t have to lie at all.
They wouldn’t have to issue apologies.
They wouldn’t have to shed tears on stage as they beg forgiveness for their politics.
“Ed Sheeran weeps on stage, in emotional apology,” Yahoo wrote.
They wouldn’t have to donate big to make atonement for their political views.
“Macklemore responded [to public outcry] by donating his $1 million tour earnings to Palestinian aid,” Forbes wrote.
“Ed Sheeran said to donate $2M to charities in Middle East,” BBC News reported, via a YouTube headline.
And the world of fans and foes alike wouldn’t have to read, hear and stomach all the hours and days and weeks and months of hyperbolic news accounts and social media posts of who said what and who did what and whether that person should be de-platformed and boycotted and fired and more.
Musicians could just play music. Ball players could just play ball. Actors could just play their parts. And Americans could actually find relief from the ever-growing onslaught of political news that corrupts and intrudes on everyday life by, oh, let’s see, going to a game or a concert or movie.
And all celebrities have to do is learn and utter a very simple line when asked for their views on politics: “No comment.”
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “God-Given Or Bust: Defeating Marxism and Saving America With Biblical Truths,” is available by clicking HERE.
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