Amanda Palmer has waded into the Macklemore debate, and the results aren't pretty.
Macklemore's Grammy win for Best Rap Album has launched a thousand essays about 'white privilege' this week, and even led to Macklemore apologising to Kendrick Lamar via text message ("It's weird and sucks that I robbed you," it read).
Macklemore has admitted in the past that he's "benefited from being white", but that hasn't stopped the entire internet pointing this out to him as if it's a revelation. Watching all this from afar, Amanda Palmer — never one to shy away from controversy — decided to get involved today.
aie aie aie. RT @VorSaulus Are you going to write anything about @macklemore apologizing for being white? :P Just kidding, love ya!
— Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) January 28, 2014saw "12 years a slave" last night (wept. a lot.) thought about recent macklemore/grammys drama. and felt really, deeply sad for america.
— Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) January 28, 2014there was a race-fueled pile-on because people thought he was unqualified to beat out black artists. it just... RT @punkypeggy Macklemore?
— Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) January 28, 2014..more fuel on the fire of a deep-seated, generally unaddressed race problem in america that is simmering loudly getting worse by the second
— Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) January 28, 2014i won't argue about macklmore. i'll just ask you to read this. thanks @fakedansavage and @arielleishammin). here: http://t.co/xGmRPYOD4R
— Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) January 28, 2014as with feminism -> "[we] have a long way to go, & criticizing allies for 'not getting it perfect' is not going to get us there any faster"
— Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) January 28, 201412 Years a Slave drove the point home. the privileged (whites/straights/menfolk) MUST be allowed to fight for change. not just the oppressed
— Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) January 28, 2014watching SEETHING internet race hatred - both directions, around practically every issue in pop culture - says a lot re: where america is at
— Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) January 28, 2014loving this discussion...have to hop off for the day and get the book written. carry on without, yellers and lovers alike xxx
— Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) January 28, 2014The reactions from people who like to be offended by things have been swift.
Things I want to hear Amanda Palmer's opinion about: BASICALLY NOTHING and definitely not anything related to race or feminism
— Christina (@bellarky) January 29, 2014Growing evidence that Amanda Palmer should probably just stop talking https://t.co/Ni0zCL6D9v
— laura olin (@lauraolin) January 29, 2014.@amandapalmer I thought you couldn't get any worse, but making 12 years a slave all about white people takes the cake, even for you
— jay, femme traitor (@jaythenerdkid) January 29, 2014I didn't know who Amanda Palmer was before 3 minutes ago. I'll just rewind to 4 minutes ago and keep it moving...
— Prison Culture (@prisonculture) January 29, 2014is amanda palmer actually a person or some sort of horrible golem constructed out of self importance and white privilege
— soviet death witch (@dotcormunism) January 29, 2014I haven't read the tweet but apparently Amanda Palmer said "Macklemore" and "12 Years a Slave" in the same sentence.
— Andy Khouri (@andykhouri) January 28, 2014Whatever Amanda Palmer is doing right now she should probably consider not doing it. But I've been saying that for years.
— Susie Cagle (@susie_c) January 28, 2014I want to go home from work but Amanda Palmer is ending “SEETHING race hatred” on Twitter and I can’t look away. pic.twitter.com/zzsadHgQGo
— Michelle Dean (@michelledean) January 28, 2014In the last 5 minutes I've read http://t.co/4uqEQYAAR2 and Amanda Palmer's thoughts on 12 Years a Slave and I think I finally understand OJ
— Jawn Constantine (@theindigi) January 28, 2014Amanda Palmer is the #1 cause of *dead* amongst black twitterers in America. Y"all be careful out there.
— david brothers (@hermanos) January 28, 2014FUN FACT: Amanda Palmer was the first person I blocked on twitter.
— Molldus Operandi (@ilikemints) January 29, 2014enough about amanda palmer let's talk about ROBERT palmer *"Bad Case of Loving You" immediately starts blaring over every speaker on Earth*
— Raymond Noodles (@thesearesongs) January 29, 2014Amanda Palmer is everyone's TOTALLY CRAZY ex girlfriend who years later, everyone realized probably just had undiagnosed bi-polar disorder
— Emma Bowers (@EmmaBowers) January 29, 2014Guys I was making dinner, did Macklemore and Amanda Palmer create a black hole of smug pretentiousness and get sucked in?
— Space Bigfoot (@jason1749) January 29, 2014Someone ask Amanda Palmer what pop star Schlindler's list reminds her of
— Eve Vawter (@EveVawter) January 29, 2014Still don't know who Amanda Palmer is, but she certainly seems to be w/o a clue. 12 Yrs a Slave made her feel bad for Macklemore... WUT
— Audrey (@Aew1) January 29, 2014@amandapalmer Oh my god please stop talking you are the absolute worst
— Colin (@justlikecolin) January 29, 2014I'm not familiar with @amandapalmer 's work, but I *do* know that she's a glib asshole.
— #NoTPP (@RealFoodChoice) January 29, 2014You know you really fucked up when there’s a Buzzfeed listicle about all the times you fucked up http://t.co/7hDMt0cTFd
— ゴツゴツスペースジジェク (@frkbmb) January 29, 2014As far as we're aware, Kendrick Lamar has yet to reply to Macklemore's text message (or Amanda Palmer's tweets, for that matter).
For an Australian perspective on the issue, you can read this Tim Levinson (aka Urthboy) piece from last year about how he unintentionally benefits from racism.
