The Washington Examiner, without noting that its normal readers are of the political persuasion to have backed this, compares the cancellation of prominent Russian artists to the "freedom fries" of 20 years ago when France refused to back the US invasion of Iraq. It also compares it to the anti-German hysteria of World War I.
And, yes, also dangerous. The operatic singer Ann Netebko has relatives back in Russia. What? She's supposed to denounce Putin now so she can keep singing at the Met and risk her family being arrested?
Even sillier, per that piece, is orchestras cancelling Russian music, like the Welsh one canceleing a Tchaikovsky performance.
That led me to Tweet and Facebook that I was listening on YouTube to that Russian Commie Shostakovich as conducted by that Russian Kondrashin. To go full-on, I should listen to Gergiev conduct Shosty.
Per that piece, which also says Wimbledon is talking about canceling Australian Open champ Daniil Medvedev, or people wondering why the NHL's Washington Capitals haven't already canceled Alex Ovechkin (who probably thanks doorknobs for his sports union) or this one about tennis tournaments in the West being asked to cancel Russian team entries, and maybe pushing for individual Russian players to be banned, what next?
And, if we're cancelling people because they won't denounce tyrants of their homeland, to riff on Enes Freedom, then why haven't Chinese artists or athletes been cancelled for not denouncing Xi Jinping?
Or, to look back at tennis 19 years ago, did the French Open demand that U.S. players denounce Bush's invasion of Iraq or be cancelled?
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