Last week, we reported on a series of vile posts from Amy Schumer, some of whom compared all Gazans to rapists. The death toll in Gaza has passed 10,000, with the UN calling the battlefield a “children’s graveyard”.
He accused those calling for a push back or an end to the ongoing bombing of Palestinian civilians of anti-Semitism, even though thousands of Jewish protesters have taken these humanitarian stances.
At that time, we noted how stranger things Actor Noah Schnapp upset fans by cheering for Schumer against “haters.”
Now, Schnapp is coming under fire again for liking some truly appalling posts — specifically, a raunchy skit that manages to be both Islamophobic and queerphobic at the same time.
Red flags have been up for weeks
As many social media users have joked, the idea of the Demogorgon taking over Will Byers may be true.
stranger things The actor playing the character seems to have lost his way on a deeper level in recent weeks.
For most, the first warning sign was when they complimented Amy Schumer’s terrible post. It was, at best, completely toneless.
Sometimes, people cheer on their friends (or favorite stars, or whoever) even when they’re wrong.
Additionally, celebrity culture embraces a “toxic positivity” mentality. This puts body-shaming trolls in the same group as people with constructive criticism or honest feedback. And it labels them all “haters.”
That’s why Schumer suggested that people who oppose the ethnic cleansing in Gaza don’t find her attractive. And perhaps that’s why Schnapp was so eager to encourage him.
It’s more than rubbing elbows with Schumer
However, it seems Schnapp is going even further. It appears that, like Schumer, he is deliberately mixing protest against the deadly bombings of homes, hospitals and a university with anti-Semitism.
It is absolutely true that when Israel is in the news, anti-Semitism increases. And, of course, white nationalists have attempted to insert themselves into this narrative by condemning Israel. For all the wrong reasons.
But it is dishonest to pretend that all or most or even a large portion of the protesters are doing so because of antisemitism. Especially because white nationalists do not mourn Gazan’s dead. he only Too Hate Jews, and hope to impose war crimes committed by some on an entire demographic.
It’s clear that Schnapp understands that, no, people protesting the slaughter of Palestinians in their own homes and hospitals are not Nazis.
His “choice” makes it quite clear.
On Sunday, a writer named Noah Tishby shared a highly offensive “satirical” skit on Instagram. The video depicts a fake news show with an apparently LGBTQ+ interviewer talking to an extremely aggressive strawman purporting to represent Hamas.
a hardcore farce
The duo’s slogan is “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” an ambitious poem calling for the liberation of Palestine from apartheid.
The pair of interviewers quip that “Everyone is welcome, LGBTQH…” making it clear that the “H” stands for Hamas.
They interview a fake Hamas member, seemingly unable to understand as he threatens to kill them by calling them “infidels”.
This is the kind of evil, racist nonsense you saw after 9/11 in 2002.
But it’s 2023 and people are still doing it.
What has changed is the quality of the videos – and the homophobic tone has become less overt and more insidious.
a call is coming from inside the house
Which makes it extra weird that Noah Schnapp, who came out as gay less than a year ago, is sharing this.
Internalized homophobia isn’t just for those in closets. And even within the LGBTQ+ community, queerphobia can be a big problem.
You know how a woman with internalized misogyny might say, “I’m not like other girls” or “Girls are too dramatic!” Well, there are people in the LGBTQ+ community who hold similarly critical opinions.
Unfortunately, many marginalized communities have these issues. It is very easy to tear each other down while begging for crumbs of respect from fanatics.
And it also looks like Schnapp like It was happy to ignore this stereotyping of LGBTQ+ people – or Islamophobia.
We regret to tell you that this is not the end of Schnapp’s tasteless Instagram activity.
Total!
Ben Shapiro is one of the most vocal (and universally obnoxious) voices in political discourse of any kind.
Shapiro is also the architect of much anti-LGBTQ+ discourse. He completely promotes fanaticism and fear mongering.
Under any circumstances, Schnapp’s sharing the video of this wretched little guy (and thus endorsing him) would be disappointing at best. The context – the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza – makes it even worse. And this is also extremely hypocritical.
The “point” of the bitterly satirical video that Schnapp apparently liked so much was that people were supporting people who would dislike them, or be their enemies.
This is wrong.
This is completely hypocritical and shows zero self-awareness on Schnapp’s part. So let’s break it down.
Portraying Muslims as automatically anti-gay is bigotry – and a lie
Random LGBTQ+ people in the US (or other Americans) are not the “enemies” of the people of Gaza. Palestinians are just people – people who have lived under apartheid and increasingly brutal rule in their own country for generations.
To say that all people in Gaza are anti-gay and would not appreciate vocal support from Westerners is absurd. Saying they “must” be homophobic because they are Muslim is Islamophobic.
This video that Schnapp liked so much appears to be an attempt by Hamas to blur the lines between Hamas and the rest of the citizens. and reducing sympathy for the victims of the bombing campaign by portraying them as violent radicals.
Also, it’s great to remember that there are LGBTQ+ people in Gaza. Many thousands of them. Now there are very few of them.
One of the heartbreaking posts we saw last month was from a Palestinian man in Gaza, who wrote that the love of his life had died. And that, without that, he would not leave his home and would even let the IDF kill him. That post will haunt us all for some time.
Not to mention that, over the past few weeks, the IDF has almost certainly massacred more LGBTQ+ people than Hamas has since its inception.
look in the mirror
There’s one more thing to point out: The play Schnapp enjoyed was saying that people shouldn’t cheer for their “enemies.”
But stranger things The actor was doing just that when he posted and supported Shapiro. Shapiro explicitly opposes Schnapp’s rights as a gay man. He has made it his career.
He may not get the same malicious laugh that he did in the early seasons-always-sunny It looks like an Islamophobic video, but it is true. We wish Schnapp had chosen to be a better person.
