Loss of life and in memoriams honoring victims are somber occasions. Making sure that their memories aren’t used as fodder for bad taste political agendas is one way that they can be honored. ICE recently released an apparent in memoriam video dedicated to Americans who were victims of violence. There’s very little context to the video outside of a sad chorus, a collage of people’s faces and an ICE logo following the sentence “This is our why.” The subtext is that the video stands as an explanation and excuse for whatever collateral damage happens as ICE attempts to “destroy the flood.” They used Radiohead’s “Let Down” as part of their propaganda and the band wants nothing to do with it. Page Six has coverage:
English rock band Radiohead told ICE to “go f— yourselves” on Friday after one of their songs had been used in a video mourning the victims of illegal immigrant crime.
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“We demand that the amateurs in control of the ICE social media account take it down. It ain’t funny, this song means a lot to us and other people, and you don’t get to appropriate it without a fight. Also, go f— yourselves… Radiohead,” the band said, according to NBC News and other news outlets.
Right-wing propaganda branch Libs of TikTok has since taken to Twitter to call for the government to ban band members from entering the country:
Maybe this is all part of the plan. Like we discussed with Kesha’s renunciation of the administrations use of her song “Blow,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung effectively thanked celebrities for speaking out against the state’s use of their music because it runs the numbers up. It’s a social media strategy that assumes being talked about en masse is a sign of good things to come — they must not be caught up on how the attention surrounding the Morbin memes cost Sony millions of dollars. It is very clear that the audience is side-eyeing and laughing at the administration, musicians included, but that is hard to see when you’re committed to ignoring any data that goes against your strongly held beliefs:
The government’s media strategy is a gamble. They can bank on the average citizen’s low literacy rates and tendency to be swayed by ethos, assume that the viewers will be directed to feel in ways that can be mobilized toward political ends before criticism or higher order thinking derails the manipulation — there is a basis for them thinking it will work. Capitalizing on fear and the suspicion that every American is a victim-in-waiting without executive intervention is exactly how they drummed up support for ICE, the Patriot Act, and a slew of other encroachments on our liberties. But how viable is that as a long-term strategy?
It was easy enough when Rage Against The Machine got swept under the rug as a band that got corrupted by the woke mind virus (the low literacy rates probably contributed to listeners not realizing that “some of them that burn crosses are the same that join forces” was anti-cop). But what about when it is also the White Stripes? And Foo Fighters? And Ozzy Osbourne? Tom Petty? Panic! At The Disco? Sabrina Carpenter and Kesha of all people? Billie Eilish and Justin Bieber wearing ICE Out pins, Jessica Alba and Pedro Pascal on stage with Bad Bunny? At every turn, all of the successful and outspoken celebrities cast univocal disdain and the only counterbalance is washed up rap rockers losing hundreds of thousands on failed MAGA festivals or open mic night tier performers lamenting how they can’t drink beer, we could be on the cusp of a resurgent “You’re weird” energy that will just as easily turn the tide against the previously successful propaganda strategies. Radiohead’s refusal is another jigsaw falling in to place.
You can listen to the updated playlist of artists that have issued cease and desists to the Trump administration below:
Earlier: You Could Make A Playlist Of All The Musicians Who Sued Trump For Playing Their Music
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boat builder who is learning to swim and is interested in rhetoric, Spinozists and humor. Getting back in to cycling wouldn’t hurt either. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
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