Tweeting last night that he is "banned in Australia" — indicating the refusal of his visa application and the subsequent cancellation of his forthcoming tour — Tyler, The Creator, always magnanimous in defeat, declared victory for Collective Shout activist Coralie Alison by naming her directly as the reason he won’t be visiting his "favourite place".
Totally unbeknownst to the Benevolent Creator (whose personal history with the group extends back so far as 2013 when the ever level-headed artiste called another of its members a "fucking whore" and a "cunt" in an attack that would make Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek grimace) nothing happens in a vacuum — no, not even rampant misogyny and casual homophobia. Which obviously wouldn’t have anything to do with being denied entry.
And, "Because Internet", it took about as much time as you’d think for the @’s to fill up with the kind of flippant death threats that conversely might make a person feel like they’ve really achieved something positive with their campaign to keep someone out of their country.
Funny thing, though: the refusal of Tyler’s visa isn’t down to Collective Shout. It isn’t down to anything. Because, actually, his visa hasn’t been refused and, as Frontier Touring make clear on their Facebook page, he hasn’t been banned from entering Australia: "With respect to media reports that Tyler the Creator’s visa has been refused, Frontier would like to advise that this is not the case… The department for immigration has raised issues with the visa application but it has not been refused".
Still, never let the truth get in the way of calling out someone campaigning against lyrics that preach extreme violence against women, including but not limited to "murder, genital mutilation, stuffing them into car boots, trapping them in his basement, raping their corpses and burying their bodies", and unleashing an @-tsunami of violence against women to prove them wrong.
Stay classy.
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