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Listening to independent journalist Tim Poole recently, he made a point about free speech which changed much of my previous thinking.
Free speech, yes, Poole said. But only for people who actually believe in free speech.
Free speech fundamentalism, advocating free speech even on behalf of people who avowedly do not believe in free speech, is a wrongheaded idea. It’s handing the knife to people whose sole goal is to slit your throat. If someone clearly does not believe in free speech for all, then they don’t deserve it for themselves. If you demand that others play by a certain set of rules, then you’re bound by those rules, too.
All of which is a long-winded way to say: suck it up, Jack Black and Kyle Gass. This is the world you wanted. Live in it.
Tenacious D, the comedy-rock duo fronted by Hollywood A-list celebrity Jack Black, has postponed their concert in Newcastle as an Australian senator called for the band to be deported over “evil” comments made about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet said the duo should be “immediately removed from the country” after Black’s bandmate “wished for the death of the president” during a concert in Sydney on Sunday.
Kyle Gass made the comment at the ICC Theatre in Sydney on Sunday night, which was also his 64th birthday.
In footage shared on social media, Black presented Gass with a birthday cake on stage and asked him to “make a wish”.
“Don’t miss Trump next time,” Gass joked before the crowd burst in laughter.
As independent journalist Avi Yemini pointed out, plenty of non-leftists have been tarred and feathered for less. Katie Hopkins posted a silly online joke about being confined in hotel quarantine. She was summarily deported. The left cheered rapturously.
OK, so those are the rules, now? Fine.
Now, it’s the left’s turn to live by them, too.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Frontier Touring said Tuesday night’s Tenacious D concert would not go ahead, although the promoter did not provide any reasons for the decision.
“Frontier Touring regret to advise that Tenacious D’s concert tonight at Newcastle Entertainment Centre has been postponed,” Frontier Touring said.
Frontier Touring may have dodged admitting the reason, but Black was at least honest about it. After “what was said at the show on Sunday… I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour.” Curiously, Black hinted at a deeper falling out, writing: “and all future creative plans on hold”.
Black claimed, in the statement, that “I was blindsided by what was said.” Which may well be true: it’s difficult to tell, in the long-distance video, but, to be fair, Black didn’t seem to join in the laughter as enthusiastically as some of the crowd. Perhaps he could see his career collapsing around him faster than Cathy Griffin’s. Time for some serious damage control. Even if it means throwing a best friend under the bus.
No doubt Gass thought he was just playing to the peanut gallery, but the fact remains that he incited political violence.
The joke did not sit well with Senator Babet, who condemned the comments.
“To advocate and or wish for the assassination of a President is egregious, disgusting, filthy, evil, and not acceptable in any way, shape or form,” Senator Babet said.
“This was not a joke, he was deadly serious when he wished for the death of the President.”
Senator Babet called on Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to immediately revoke the pair’s visas.
“Australia wrongly locked up Novak Djokovic and deported him because he allegedly undermined public trust in vaccination. Allowing Tenacious D to remain in Australia after calling for the death of a President is unthinkable, and affirms the weakness of our current Prime Minister.”
The Australian
Now, you can wax all self-righteous that “we don’t do cancel culture!” but the fact remains that this is the world the left wanted. These are the rules, now. Make an off-colour joke and your career can be over.
We didn’t make the rules. They did: now, they can suck it up.
