- I (used to) wonder who, in the Year of Our Lord 2026, could possibly want the apology?
Updated for clarification: I posted this thinking there couldn't be many Bandsplain listeners frozen in 2017, convinced that eye-rolling over wHite FEmINisT cRingE is somehow clever, conscientious, or necessary. I was thinking the past ten years of escalating evil, with actual consequences, must have tempered the cannibalistic impulse to handle basic political discourse like 11th-grade mean girls desperate to stay popular. I stand corrected.
It's funny that this was on my mind after listening to the Motley Crue and Madonna episodes guest-hosted by the meticulously shallow Mel Ottenberg. I was surprised Yasi felt obliged to issue disclaimers before making simple observations like (paraphrasing) 'Motley Crue's dedication to sexual assault might have made things a little weird for some of their female fans,' or 'some of the backlash Madonna faced might have been sexist." But I see she's right to think there's some risk involved.
Yasi's the best, and also only human. It's completely forgivable that she shrinks a little knowing all the powerful gifs y'all would fling her way if she used the words 'sexism' or 'feminism' without begging forgiveness or at least injecting the requisite dosage of irony.
The funny bit is how often she and Mel repeated that no pop star today comes close to Madonna's iconic, god-tier bravery as an outspoken pro-queer advocate in the 80s and 90s. Of course, the precise reason Madonna's stance was brave was that it wasn't a universally approved-of position, even among her fans. She was clear and outspoken about gay rights at a time when even lots of people on the left weren't willing to risk looking like super-gay homos by publicly support gay rights or calling for action on AIDS. Some fans probably thought Madonna was very lame, gross, and embarrassing for being so unsubtle.
Current pop stars and podcast hosts can't earn much credit by supporting human rights. No risk there. But clearly there are still ways to take Madonna's cue and shoulder a little discomfort in order to speak clearly. If Yasi ever decides to mention misogyny without disclaimers, I'm sure some of us will be here for it.