Why ‘swiping left’ on A$AP Rocky and people we disagree with is Wrong.
In the age of ‘swipe left’ and ‘ghosting’ (a practice whereby you discontinue communication with a romantic interest without explanation) it has become a common practice to discard entire relationships over a single incidence of contention or disagreement. Recently rapper A$AP Rocky has gotten into trouble and has suffered the wrath of ‘swipe left’ over past criticisms of Ferguson and the black lives matters movement.
On July 2nd A$AP Rocky was detained in Sweden after he and his crew allegedly beat two men and threw one of them to the ground. Since then he’s been jailed for several weeks while awaiting a pre trial hearing.
You can see the footage via tmz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqAkSyZyKUA
The incident drew the ire of his supporters and lawyers who claim he fought the men in self defense. In the video A$AP and his crew tried for over 10 minutes to deescalate the situation.
In fact one of the men assaulted A$AP’s security guards and was not retaliated against.
(https://www.tmz.com/2019/07/02/A$AP-rocky-played-peacemaker-before-crew-brawl-stockholm-sweden/)
In the video posted via TMZ A$AP had this to say:
“We don’t want to fight you all, we’re not trying to go to jail.” He later addressed the camera, saying, “We don’t want no problems with these boys. They keep following us.”
Despite the video evidence which supports his argument A$AP has been denied his repeated pleas for release. Whether you like or hate A$AP Rocky the video evidence indemnifies him of all liability and suggests that the New York based rapper might very well be a victim of bias.
Since then there’s been an outpouring of support from celebrities the likes of Justin Bieber, Diddy, Bruno Mars, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West who lobbied President Trump who called upon Swedish Prime minister in a bid to secure A$AP’s prompt release. There’s even been a change.org petition that has garnered over 400,000 signatures and there are rumbling of planned protests. However several members of the black community has not forgotten when A$AP put his foot in his mouth following the Ferguson Protests of Mike Brown.
In 2015 A$AP Rocky was quoted as saying:
“They’re not forcing me to do shit. I’m just gonna stay black and die. Why, because I’m black? So every time something happens because I’m black I gotta stand up? What the fuck am I, Al Sharpton now? I’m A$AP Rocky. I did not sign up to be no political activist. I wanna talk about my motherfuckin’ lean, my best friend dying, the girls that come in and out of my life, the jiggy fashion that I wear, my new inspirations in drugs! I don’t wanna talk about no f–king Ferguson and shit because I don’t live over there! I live in fucking Soho and Beverly Hills. I can’t relate. I’m in the studio; I’m in these fashion studios; I’m in these bitches’ drawers. I’m not doing anything outside of that. That’s my life.”
Ironically enough Al Sharpton was one of the very first appeals A$AP made across the bridge he burned down years ago. https://newsone.com/3882037/A$AP-rocky-sweden-jail-al-sharpton/
Many in the black community believes A$AP got what he deserved, some even laughed and celebrated his imprisonment. Nonetheless now that karma has drop kicked A$AP in the face we have a chance to proselytize an aloof celebrity into an advocate. A$AP’s suspicious imprisonment is the perfect ‘what if the shoe was on the other foot’ moment’ and we should not waste this opportunity with insults. Instead if A$AP be lifted up he can now use his sizable platform to benefit our collective struggle for civil rights.
Still salty?
There has been no beef between African Americans as was between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.You remember that speech ‘House Negro and the Field Negro where Malcom X launched a scathing rebuke of Martin Luther King and other Christian leaders?
No? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kf7fujM4ag
No attack on Dr. King was as succinct as this excerpt:
“ Just as the slave-master of that day used Tom, the house Negro, to keep the field Negroes in check, the same old slave-master today has Negroes who are nothing but modern Uncle Toms, 20th century Uncle Toms, to keep you and me in check, keep us under control, keep us passive and peaceful and nonviolent. That’s Tom making you nonviolent.” ( the parable of “house Negro.”King Solomon Baptist Church, Detroit. 10 November 1963.)
The mighty Malcolm X who had been the (literal) ‘Magneto’ to Martin Luther Kings ‘Xavier’ later put out another speech ‘the ballot or the bullet’ where he was quoted as saying :
“I’m not here to argue or discuss anything that we differ about, because it’s time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem, a problem that will make you catch hell whether you’re a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Muslim, or a nationalist. Whether you’re educated or illiterate, whether you live on the boulevard or in the alley, you’re going to catch hell just like I am. We’re all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man.”
Furthermore Malcolm X vowed to discontinue hostilities against his counterparts, preferring instead to rally under the umbrella of ‘Black Nationalism’ where blackness itself is the universal standard of solidarity. In fact Malcolm X vowed to answer any hostilities against Dr.King and other Christian leaders with violence if needed.
And in 1965 while Dr. King languished in jail Malcolm X actually met with Coretta Scott-King to offer her moral support.
“I didn’t come to Selma to make his job difficult,” he assured Coretta. “I really did come thinking that I could make it easier. If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King” (Scott King, 256).
If Malcolm X could evolve his thinking so can you. We must forgive brother Rocky as we have been forgiven and get guys like him going in the right direction. Why swipe left on a potential ally? Why ‘throw the whole’ person ‘away?’ Does the greater victory not lie in growth of character and integrity?
Empowered by the breadth and simplicity of social media we have goose stepped ourselves (and sensibilities) into contrived social spaces where only the thoughts and belief systems that most closely resemble our own are allowed to exist.
Armed with wide ranging powers of content control we have become architects of inorganic environments that shun diversity in thought. What benefits we have gleaned from control are proportionally lost in tolerance, understanding and the wisdom of compromise.
The double indemnity of ‘swipe left,’ is that you rob the fruit of correction from the offender and you rob yourself of an opportunity to expand your own understanding.
As we become more and more aware of the dangers of social media from psychologist and technology theorist this writer hopes you reconsider the next time your Twitter fingers take aim at a friend or colleague over a difference of opinion.
UPDATE: A$AP Rocky has since been released from jail.
https://www.tmz.com/2019/08/03/asap-rocky-returns-us-lax-photo-video-sweden/