On May 10, 2016, Skaii Jackson, 14-year-old American actress best known for her work with Disney, tweeted that Azealia Banks, American rapper and singer songwriter, should “simmer down a little”. This tweet was in reference to her racist tweets toward Zayn Malik, English singer-songwriter that Banks claims were necessary because Zayn had angered her. Who would’ve known that Banks and Jackson would be trending on twitter all night?
Well, I partially suspected it, and I predicted the outcome that eventually happened.
Seeing Azealia Banks’ track record of going on senseless twitter rants almost daily I feel it bears no explanation, but I’ll explain anyway. Azealia Banks is described by many as a “tired” or “angry” black woman, and in some ways, I get that. The thing I have a problem with is this:
Do not blame your foolish actions on the suffrage of an entire race.
Out of all of the things she does, this is the most dangerous. When you are in a position of power (or at least when you have a verified twitter account), you have some control over how people view things. In this case, blaming your actions on race problems, which is a heavily controversial topic, isn’t smart nor is it ethical. It also goes against something that she occasionally preaches: racial equality. I understand that she can say what she wants because of first amendment rights, but under no condition is it okay to call people racial slurs and tell a 14-year-old girl that her mom has been “pimping her out to disney”.
There’s a difference between what you can do and what is right to do.
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of Azealia Banks. I’ve never listened to a song by her. Why? Because I feel that it’s not even just a Banks' issue. It’s a worldwide issue amongst icons. I don’t support people that don’t act like good people, and it should be like that across the board. If Banks and others don’t care about their public image, or at least making a positive impact with your public image, why should I contribute to their income? These are questions that we should be asking. We should be holding the icons that influence the general society to a higher standard. If I said some of the things she said I would be ostracized.
After being dropped from a concert and made fun of by the general public, Banks tweeted a backhanded apology saying that she’s sorry that “people took offense”. On May 14, she posted a note on Instagram apologizing to the world. “Employing racial/sexual slurs/stereotypes in attempts to make fun of or degrade another person or group is absolutely unacceptable and is not fair or fun for anyone. Allowing my anger to get the best of me, I've managed to insult millions of people without reason,” Banks said. All in all, I feel that apologies aren’t enough. What I hope to see is a significant improvement. Less lashing out on social media and more regards for who she impacts. I guess if I could speak to her, I would say this:
“Every time I see you on my twitter timeline, you seem angry. Maybe even lost. Please seek anger management. I promise that it will pay off financially and you tend to lead an overall better life when you don’t let negative energy rot in your psyche like that. I want the help for you, and I hope that you want it for your career, your loved ones and yourself.”
