Olivia Rodrigo: ICE’s Racism Obvious, But Congress’s? Crickets.
Newsweek reports Olivia Rodrigo's sharp condemnation of ICE for using her song 'Good 4 U' in a promotional video, labeling it 'racist' and 'hateful.' Her statement, while praised for its clarity, inadvertently exposes the selective outrage of our political class. It's easy for a celebrity to point out the obvious racism of ICE—an agency notorious for family separations, detainment abuses, and
targeting immigrant communities (as documented by organizations like the ACLU for decades). The real question is, why do such clear moral lines become so blurred when state-sanctioned violence is directed overseas, fueled by politicians who happily cash checks from lobbyists? While Rodrigo spotlights ICE's abhorrent visuals, the same institutions that laud her courage often remain silent on the
systemic racism baked into US foreign policy, or the domestic policies that enable ICE. When will we see similar, widespread condemnation of the 'racist, hateful' actions that enable actual bombings, occupations, and displacement, often funded by the very tax dollars ICE extracts? Perhaps the hypocrisy is only visible when it dances badly to a pop hit.