Not News: BossToneS Hate Nazis

If you disagree with these words and this sentiment then please do not continue to support The Mighty Mighty BossToneS – we don’t like you and you don’t understand us.

This was commentary that The Mighty Mighty BossToneS shared on an Instagram post following a video clip of President Barack Obama asking “How hard can that be? Saying that Nazis are bad?” Well, it’s 2018 and making sure people are still saying “Nazis are Bad” is news. And we’re here talking about it because it’s a big deal that bands like the Bosstones are telling their Nazi-sympathizing fans to fuck right off.

We’re not exactly sure how this played out, but the first post was just the clip without the comment. A short while later, the band posted the clip but inserted the words “just to be clear, read carefully” at the head of the video and then added their commentary. I didn’t have the stomach to read all of the comments on these posts but there were certainly those who were upset that the BossToneS would dare take a political stance. If the Street Dogs can beat up Nazis at their shows, then surely we can be comfortable with the Bosstones disinviting Nazis from theirs.

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“A ska band expressed a political opinion!?”

In the caption, the band makes it pretty clear that this is about Nazis and not about Obama:

If you have a problem with President Barack Obama as a man, his politics or his Presidency, that is different, you have that right, however misplaced it might be in this particular instance.

I understand that one could argue that Obama was a bit of a hypocrite in this clip, given some of his own policies on issues like extrajudicial killings and deportations. But in this moment, and for this particular post, we have to agree that Nazis are bad.

I don’t want to overstate how important it is that MMB is calling out their followers and listeners. This is what too many bands are afraid to do. They’re so scared of losing support that they say nothing. This tells their trash fans that it’s okay to be there, and it tells folks from marginalized groups that their concerns aren’t valid. This is about privilege. MMB was willing to put their privilege on the line. Now, the truth is, they may lose a few followers, but they’ll build goodwill with most of their supporters and perhaps pick up a few new ones along the way. They’ve only to gain by making a move like this. If I’m honest, I only wish they did this sooner and more often. Right now, I’ll take what I can get. There are Nazis and nazi-sympathizers among us and it’s too easy to pretend they’re not there or that they won’t have any impact on our community. That’s how we got to where we are.

TL;DR We have to tell Nazis, Nazi-sympathizers, racists, sexists, bigots and homophobes their views and their views are unacceptable and that they’re not welcome. It’s just that simple.


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