Enjoyed FARINELLI -- Now I'm Sickened

After telling a friend that I enjoyed FARINELLI AND THE KING, especially Mark Rylance's performance, she was surprised I had supported the play. I was shocked when she explained. Did everyone else know what I didn't? That Rylance, along with Roger Waters, Caryl Churchill and other biased Brits, is one of the most virulent boycotters of Israel? I knew about Waters and Churchill, but not about Rylance, who I just learned protested the Globe Theater's inviting the Hebrew-language Habima company as early as 2002 while ignoring the theater's invites to China, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

I'm disgusted now that I've given $$ to anything associated with Rylance. And so, so disappointed that one of my (previously) favorite actors has chosen to align himself with BDS and others whose agenda is not to promote peace but to promote the destruction of Israel.

So sad.

mamaleh said: "...protested the Globe Theater's inviting the Hebrew-language Habima company as early as2002 while ignoring the theater'sinvites to China, Russia and Saudi Arabia."

That is sort of the point in a cultural boycott, though?

Rylance is one of 1,100 British artists, musicians, actors, etc., who signed the Artists for Palestine UK’s “artists’ pledge.”

It says:

“We support the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality. In response to the call from Palestinian artists and cultural workers for a cultural boycott of Israel, we pledge to accept neither professional invitations to Israel, nor funding, from any institutions linked to its government until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.”

Call_me_jorge said: "Good! Israel should be boycotted until they give back the Palestinians their land."

Jorge, are you EFFING kidding me?

What's the view like up on that horse, newintown?

Whenever I’m tempted to unblock someone, I just click “Reply to Message” and scroll down to read what they wrote. For whatever reason, posts aren’t blocked when you use that method.



Anyways, I lived in Israel for a while and I still don’t really understand the situation there. I have my opinions, and I do find some of the rhetoric on both sides ridiculous (yes, I just did the “both sides” thing) - but I have a hard time getting outraged about someone supporting or not supporting BDS.

mamaleh said: "After telling a friend that I enjoyed FARINELLI AND THE KING, especially Mark Rylance's performance, she was surprised I had supported the play. I was shocked when she explained.Did everyone else know what I didn't? That Rylance, along with Roger Waters, Caryl Churchill and other biased Brits,is one of the most virulent boycotters of Israel? I knew aboutWaters and Churchill, but not about Rylance, who I just learnedprotested the Globe Theater's inviting the Hebrew-language Habima company as early as2002 while ignoring the theater'sinvites to China, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

I'm disgusted now that I've given $$ to anything associated with Rylance. And so, so disappointed that one of my (previously) favorite actors has chosen to align himself with BDSand others whose agenda is not to promote peace but topromote the destruction of Israel.

So sad.

"

Well maybe next time before you buy tickets you can do research on the artists involved and see whether they support causes that you deem unacceptable, no?

Everyone is, of course, free to boycott what they want, and to alert others as they deem appropriate. Beyond that, I think it is fair to say this is not a superb choice for continuing this debate.

Having said that, regarding boycotts, the general Israeli take, ironically in this context perhaps, has (in far more heinous contexts) been to separate ideology from art