Otep Shamaya Claims “Fake News” Sites “Sensationalized” Her Mayhem/Homophobia Tweets
Earlier this week, when fans asked her why she and her band weren’t a part of this year’s Mayhem Fest, Otep Shamaya facetiously wondered aloud:
Lots of ppl asking why we aren’t on @MayhemFest this year. Could it be that one of their corporate sponsors is openly homophobic? Hmmm…
— ☆ OTEP SHAMAYA ☆ (@otepofficial) April 1, 2014
Which more than insinuates that homophobia is what kept her off the tour. Right? There’s no other way to interpret that, is there? It’s clearly not a serious question; it’s an allegation.
So. MetalSucks, and just about every other metal site out there, picked up on Otep’s tweet. And who the heck knows what happened behind-the-scenes after that, but now Otep has returned to Twitter to basically say… well… fuck, I actually don’t know what she thinks she’s saying. Read her little rant and see if you can figure it out:
Didn’t realize how many fake news blogs would sensationalize a single tweet I posted to try to take advantage of your ad clicks. #wow
— ☆ OTEP SHAMAYA ☆ (@otepofficial) April 2, 2014
My job as a cultural arsonist is to set fires inside the minds of the masses to make ppl think. Sometimes that has unintended consequences.
— ☆ OTEP SHAMAYA ☆ (@otepofficial) April 2, 2014
A lot of these fake news sites just repost tweets without adding any journalistic qualities to it at all so they can make $$$ from ur visit.
— ☆ OTEP SHAMAYA ☆ (@otepofficial) April 2, 2014
They invent fake controversies w/out investigating, w/out questioning, just to incite readers. My tweet about @MayhemFest is a good exmple
— ☆ OTEP SHAMAYA ☆ (@otepofficial) April 2, 2014
Thankfully, I just got off the phone with John Reese who runs @MayhemFest & we cleared up the misunderstandings & false reports.
— ☆ OTEP SHAMAYA ☆ (@otepofficial) April 2, 2014
Since the release of my 1st album in 2002, the extreme music community has come a long way in terms of social awareness & acceptance.
— ☆ OTEP SHAMAYA ☆ (@otepofficial) April 2, 2014
My conversation w/John Reese was productive & insightful. We’re both fighters who carved our own place in music. @MayhemFest #respect
— ☆ OTEP SHAMAYA ☆ (@otepofficial) April 2, 2014
Um… what? How did anyone “sensationalize” what she tweeted to create a “fake controversy”? Look at the tweet! It’s right there! It says what it says! So what were the “false reports” to which she’s referring? Did she not send that tweet? Was her account hacked? Did someone rearrange her allotted 140 characters?
And if a homophobic corporate sponsor didn’t keep her off the tour, then how was her tweet supposed to “set fires inside the minds of the masses to make ppl think,” anyway? Were we supposed to think, “Hm, interesting, there could be a corporate entity that is openly homophobic… but that clearly doesn’t apply here!” The first part — that corporations can be homophobic — is obvious, and only the most naive of her Twitter followers wouldn’t have already thought about that fact. The second part, however? The part where homophobia doesn’t apply in this particular situation? Well, that wouldn’t occur to ANYONE, because the whole reason she brought it up was to explain why she’s not part of Mayhem Fest this year.
Look: I’ve never been a big fan of Otep’s music, but I’ve always respected Shamaya for the fact that she is outspoken and stands up for her beliefs. But this… well… this is bullshit. Sorry. It reads like she needed to put out some fires before any bridges were burned, and she decided to use the internet as her scapegoat instead of just saying “I fucked up, I’m sorry.” That’s the kinda shit Dave Mustaine pulls. Lame.
[via The PRP]
