The Pop Corporation

In more ‘what did you think was gonna happen?’ news, the fallout over SXSW and their ties to the US Army continues and, of course, with SXSW being held in Texas, the Texans are of course acting up. If you stick your head out of the window and keen your ear, you may be able to hear some Texans fury-wanking while firing their guns down their toilets.

We wrote about the initial hubbub last week, but now, it’s really ramping up with more and more bands pulling out of the event. Partly as a protest regarding the conflict in Gaza, partly in a ‘the army? really?‘ move, bands have been deciding that they don’t want to play at a show that basically doesn’t pay them a great deal in anything other than exposure.

With young people being outspoken about such things, enter the Texan Republicans who don’t like it up ’em.

Governor Greg Abbott took to Twitter to smooth things over and make the festival’s life much easier: “Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army Sponsorship. Bye. Don’t come back. Austin remains the HQ for the Army Futures Command. San Antonio is Military City USA. We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas. If you don’t like it, don’t come here.”

The organisers of SXSW must’ve been thrilled with this and fired up their copy editors and PR team and drafted a statement, seeing as everyone was pouring fuel on the fire.

SXSW said: “SXSW does not agree with Governor Abbott. We are an organisation that welcomes diverse viewpoints. Music is the soul of SXSW, and it has long been our legacy. We fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech. Across the globe, we are witnessing unspeakable tragedies, the rise of repressive regimes, and the increasing spread of violent conflict. It’s more crucial than ever that we come together to solve these greater humanitarian issues.”

Of course, the festival organisers are receiving a wedge of money from the US Army, so they can’t get all outspoken liberal hippy about the whole thing, even if they wanted to. They continued: “The defence industry has historically been a proving ground for many of the systems we rely on today. These institutions are often leaders in emerging technologies, and we believe it’s better to understand how their approach will impact our lives.”

“The Army’s sponsorship is part of our commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world. In regard to Collins Aerospace, they participated this year as a sponsor of two SXSW Pitch categories, giving entrepreneurs visibility and funding for potentially game-changing work.”

“We have and will continue to support human rights for all. The situation in the Middle East is tragic, and it illuminates the heightened importance of standing together against injustice.”

Cue up your centrist dad memes, if you like. They’re in a sticky situation whether it’s of their own making or not.