# I Pit Babale **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 7, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738 "2025-04-07T14:59:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 61
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1201 "2026-09-16T00:17:01Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > I assume you’re not lumping me into that _you_, correct?. Unless I’m missing the posts where you called Lyndsey Fifield a liar for her claims about Platner’s behavior, then you’re not in that group. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1202 "2026-09-16T00:22:50Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Unless I’m missing the posts where you called Lyndsey Fifield a liar for her claims about Platner’s behavior, then you’re not in that group. Who falls into that group? Smapti and DrD, maybe, from my memory? I’m not sure if anyone else does. No one in this thread, AFAICT. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1203 "2026-09-16T00:29:22Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Yeah, you can’t even pose as a [caricature Orthodox Jew with big hooked nose](https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-27483970) on stage without someone smearing you as anti-Semitic. It’s not even a proper nose. It’s polystyrene! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1204 "2026-09-16T00:38:13Z")
Come and see the ~~violence~~ anti-Semitism inherent in the system! [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGE0M2I5MmUtZWVkNi00MzVhLTlkNGYtODRjMzJkODQ5NjdmXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGE0M2I5MmUtZWVkNi00MzVhLTlkNGYtODRjMzJkODQ5NjdmXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg) “Hook” nose therefore clear caricature of a Jew. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1205 "2026-09-16T01:22:03Z")
…meanwhile today, from the noted antisemitic organization called J Street: > [@](#): > > **Over the past 3.5 years, the number of settlements and outposts has more than doubled** , from roughly 300 to over 650. > > Settlement growth has gone hand in hand with an exponential increase in settler violence that seeks to displace the territory’s Palestinian population. > > Since 2023, more than 5,300 settler attacks – often carried out with the IDF’s tacit or active support – together with the demolition of Palestinian structures, have fully or partially displaced 117 Palestinian communities. > > The result has been the de facto annexation of some 60% of the West Bank, with Israel establishing full control without a formal declaration of sovereignty. > … > **Israel now fully controls 92% of Israel-Palestine.** > > While Prime Minister Netanyahu had previously negotiated based on the possibility of some type of future Palestinian state, this government now claims all the land of Israel-Palestine and is aggressively implementing a comprehensive, systematic plan to realize its vision of a Greater Israel. > > The surprising part is how close they have already come. > > Maps produced by J Street Policy Fellow Frank Lowenstein and Policy Assistant Liam Hamama – recently featured in The New Yorker – show how Israel today fully controls approximately 92% of Israel-Palestine, while the population of Jews and non-Jews is split 50/50. > Babale loves to play the _deflection_ game. It allows them to pretend they’ve got the moral high ground when in reality they are defending this: the de facto annexation of Palestinian land, the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the West Bank, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. And the sad thing is that his tactics _work_. Nobody wants to talk about this. They will get baited into extended debates about podcasters that nobody here actually listens to. And what Macklemore did in 2014 was obviously antisemitic, was really fucking stupid, and was rightly condemned at the time; he apologised, and nothing he has done _since_ leads me to believe he did it out of a hatred of Jewish people or because he holds antisemitic views. I think he did it because he was fucking stupid. But we can both concede that what he did was antisemitic AND oppose what Israel is doing to Palestine and to Southern Lebanon; we can condemn this utterly rediculous war with Iran that is causing global disruption. We can look at what happened to Macklemore and say that this just isn’t right. The same as the activists who were targeted by ICE. For the people that spoke up for Palestine that got fired from their jobs, kicked out of their accommodation, for the people that worked for the UN and for the International Courts that face sanction from the US, which means they can’t even open a bank account now, for the grannies in the UK who got thrown in jail because they held up a sign in support of a “proscribed terrorist group.” It should be plainly obvious what Babale _actually_ stands for. They _won’t_ condemn the killing of Hind Rajab, of Refaat Alareer, of the 15 paramedics and aid workers that were slaughtered on the 23rd of March 2025. They literally just said they support Israel’s actions in Gaza and in defense of its actions in Gaza, I’m going to assume atrocities and all because they won’t condemn the most obvious examples of them. Babale supported the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In its short time being in charge of food distribution in Gaza, 2600 Palestinians in Gaza were massacred trying to get food from them. Nearly 20,000 people were injured. While they were running food distribution part of Gaza slipped into famine. Babale’s thought that the point of this video was that [“Ben Gvir has been bragging about how the prisons used to serve fresh baked pitas everyday until he got involved.”](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-discussion-thread-for-israel-gaza-west-bank-hijacks-tolerated/1031615/481) > **[Sanctioned Israeli minister deletes AI video mocking Palestinian prisoners](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-04/israel-minister-ben-gvir-deletes-palestinian-prisoner-videos/107109316)** > > Israel's far-right national security minister deletes two videos that were criticised for promoting the poor treatment of Palestinian prisoners. Babale described the Palestinians in this AI-generated video as “fat and jovial.” Babale _rightly_ condemns Macklemore for wearing an obviously antisemitic mask. But Babale can’t and _won’t_ condemn what was obviously a bigoted portrayal of Palestinians. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1206 "2026-09-16T06:19:00Z")
To be fair, if Macklemore is antisemitic, it would certainly make me think twice about supporting him as a person and artist as a “reward” for his support of Palestine or amplifying his voice specifically. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1207 "2026-09-16T07:01:09Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Unlike you, I don’t hate Palestinians. I want them to have a state of their own; you want to use them as a cudgel to attack “Zionists”. For a person who doesn’t hate Palestinians, you spend a lot of time desperately deflecting and denying their suffering and death at the hands of Israel. So we can file this into the bulging “Babale’s bullshit” file. Also, I like how once again you have attempted to project your hypocrisy and dogmatism onto me yet again. I’m not “using” the Palestinians. I think Israel has every right to exist as a sovereign nation. What I do think - and you clearly don’t - is that an apartheid state with widespread gross abuse of the oppressed demographic is bad. > [@Babale](#): > > Sure I can! The evidence of years of your posts on the subject indicate otherwise. > [@](#): > > I can’t imagine another reason for this guy to say it: You seem to think that posting a picture from 12 years ago supports your argument, but as has already been repeatedly pointed out to you it supports mine. The picture was hardly unknown and yet it posed no more issue to Kraft than Ye singing about Hitler did. But you’ve got nothing to support all the profoundly wrong statements you’ve made so you post the picture and accuse me of defending it (something you will note I have not done) and thus establish the thinnest of threads to your “anyone who objects to the murder of Palestinians is antisemitic” theme. Macklemore wasn’t removed from the Sheeran tour for being “antisemitic”; he was removed for making political statements about Palestine. He didn’t “screech about the Jews” when it happened either. Robert Kraft is on the BBC right now literally saying that Macklemore was removed due to political statements, which a normal person would find worrying if they weren’t already fine with the censorship of any criticism of Israel. But then we’ve established you’re not a normal person. > [@Babale](#): > > I love that you’re brain broken enough to feel like this is some kind of own. Yes, we’re all aware that this is your go-to whenever the subject of the ongoing pogrom against Palestinians in Gaza. So you’ve basically proven my point yet again. You want to see what a “broken brain” looks like? Try this: > [@Babale](#): > > Yes, I know that when Macklemore went online and tried to invite a man after Sheeran, he tied him in with his (((Zionist))) sponsor Kraft. I also know that there is exactly zero evidence for this other than Macklemore screeching that the Jews got him kicked off the tour. Or this: > [@Babale](#): > > sEtTlEr CoLoNiAlIsM, gEnOcIdE, eThNiC cLeAnSiNg ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1208 "2026-09-16T07:18:28Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I think Israel has every right to exist as a sovereign nation. What I do think - and you clearly don’t - is that an apartheid state with widespread gross abuse of the oppressed demographic is bad. I do think such a state would be bad. But because I’m not completely stupid, I can tell the difference between apartheid and an occupied territory. > [@Gyrate](#): > > You seem to think that posting a picture from 12 years ago supports your argument It certainly does support my argument that Macklemore is an antisemitic piece of shit. > [@Gyrate](#): > > Macklemore wasn’t removed from the Sheeran tour for being “antisemitic”; he was removed for making political statements about Palestine. I love that you think you are arguing against me here? You’re punching shadows. I conceeded that yes, additional information came out that showed that Kraft did influence Macklemore getting kicked off the tour; what isn’t clear at all is that Macklemore actually knew that when he made the post. > [@Gyrate](#): > > But then we’ve established you’re not a normal person. Said the guy defending Macklemore’s honor. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1209 "2026-09-16T07:19:04Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > To be fair, if Macklemore is antisemitic, it would certainly make me think twice about supporting him as a person and artist as a “reward” for his support of Palestine or amplifying his voice specifically. Then you are clearly not dedicated enough to the Omnicause. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1210 "2026-09-16T07:45:09Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I do think such a state would be bad. But because I’m not completely stupid, I can tell the difference between apartheid and an occupied territory. Oh, don’t sell yourself short. Your stupidity is pretty complete. As evidenced by the fact that you think that the two are mutually exclusive. > [@Babale](#): > > It certainly does support my argument that Macklemore is an antisemitic piece of shit. Which was never the argument. Your argument was that Macklemore was 1) cancelled for being antisemitic, 2) wasn’t cancelled but lied about being cancelled because he’s antisemitic, and/or 3) only says “Free Palestine” because he’s antisemitic. That goalpost is really racking up the air miles. > [@Babale](#): > > I love that you think you are arguing against me here? You’re punching shadows. I conceeded that yes, additional information came out that showed that Kraft did influence Macklemore getting kicked off the tour; what isn’t clear at all is that Macklemore actually knew that when he made the post. This is a “concession”? Stating that you were wrong in every way but if you pretend real hard you might have been kinda right? There is exactly zero evidence that Macklemore didn’t know what happened after he had a conversation with Ed Sheeran about what was going to happen and which turned out to be exactly what happened as corroborated by Kraft himself. And yet you keep doubling down. > [@Babale](#): > > Said the guy defending Macklemore’s honor. Lying again, I see. I’m just stating reality. I’m sorry that this is such a foreign concept to you. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1211 "2026-09-16T07:53:09Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > As evidenced by the fact that you think that the two are mutually exclusive. I mean, they literally are. Oh, that’s right, I forgot, slopulists like you and Humpty Dumpty use words to mean whatever you want them to mean. You’re right, “Occupied Territory” and “Thing that Gyrate dislikes” are not mutually exclusive. The rest of us who actually use definitions will be here in the real world, should you ever decide to pull your head out of your ass long enough to join us. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1212 "2026-09-16T09:53:25Z")
Hey Babs, how’s the Iran war going, you cowardly, idiotic, warmongering piece of shit? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1213 "2026-09-16T12:37:42Z")
Even Hegseth knows to stop bombing when he’s run out of ammo. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1214 "2026-09-16T12:40:27Z")
Hegseth, like Trump, is unable to admit when he made a mistake. @Babale appears to share that quality. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1215 "2026-09-16T13:27:05Z")
Some context around Macklemore’s costume: 1. [He apologized for it almost immediately](https://genius.com/Macklemore-response-to-accusations-of-jewish-stereotyping-annotated). His apology contained a link to the ADL. 2. One of the two songs he sang, while wearing this costume, was “Thrift Store,” a song about being frugal. The best possible interpretation of this, the most charitable, is that he’s supremely tone-deaf and stupid on the subject. His apology should have been, “What the fuck is wrong with me?” The more plausible interpretation, IMO, is that he thought singing his song about being thrifty would be extra funny if it was a Jew singing it. This moves on over into Speedy Gonzalez level of humor. When I first read the apology I was willing to concede that maybe he was super dumb. But “Thrift Store” makes it difficult for me to believe it wasn’t deliberate. In which case his apology is dishonest and should be wholly discarded. Macklemore shouldn’t be silenced by Kraft, that’s fucked up. But he also shouldn’t be lauded as a hero of free speech. Sometimes the victims of right-wing cancel culture are kinds of turds themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1216 "2026-09-16T14:16:29Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The more plausible interpretation, IMO, is that he thought singing his song about being thrifty would be extra funny if it was a Jew singing it. This moves on over into Speedy Gonzalez level of humor. And weirdly misdirected humor at that, since “Jews shop at thrift shops” isn’t any kind of known stereotype. (“Jews dislike paying retail price,” maybe - but that one’s mostly dropped off the radar aside from one mention in Weird Al’s “Pretty Fly for a Rabbi.”) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1217 "2026-09-16T14:18:17Z")
“Jews are thrifty” is a pretty well-worn stereotype, isn’t it? It seems most likely to me that he was playing off of that. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1218 "2026-09-16T14:28:26Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > 1. [He apologized for it almost immediately](https://genius.com/Macklemore-response-to-accusations-of-jewish-stereotyping-annotated). His apology contained a link to the ADL. His apology was basically a classic nonapology, “I’m sorry you were offended, it was just a zany coincidence! ZOMG!” which everyone knew was bullshit at the time. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > When I first read the apology I was willing to concede that maybe he was super dumb. But “Thrift Store” makes it difficult for me to believe it wasn’t deliberate. In which case his apology is dishonest and should be wholly discarded. On that, at least, we are on agreement. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1219 "2026-09-16T14:35:32Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > “I’m sorry you were offended, it was just a zany coincidence! ZOMG!” which everyone knew was bullshit at the time. I’ve haven’t followed this story at all, but “I’m sorry you were offended” isn’t the same as what he actually said, “I truly apologize to anybody that I may have offended”. Again, this isn’t something I’m paying much attention to, just pointing out that, while “I’m sorry you were offended” is a non-apology, I don’t think “I’m sorry I offended you” is. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1220 "2026-09-16T14:43:31Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’ve haven’t followed this story at all, but “I’m sorry you were offended” isn’t the same as what he actually said, “I truly apologize to anybody that I may have offended”. Here’s the closest I see to acknowledging what he did: > [@](#): > > I acknowledge how the costume could, within a context of stereotyping, be ascribed to a [Jewish caricature](https://genius.com/3223918/Macklemore-response-to-accusations-of-jewish-stereotyping/Jewish-caricature). I am here to say that it was absolutely not my intention, and unfortunately at the time I did not foresee the costume to be viewed in such regard. I’m saddened that this story, or any of my choices, would lead to any form of negativity. Imagine he instead said: > [@](#): > > While it was not my intention to costume myself in a stereotype, hindsight’s a bitch. I absolutely put on a costume that fit neatly into the stereotype; and to make matters worse, I sang a song about being frugal, feeding into yet another stereotype. While this was unintentional, it was also deeply thoughtless of me. I should have known better, and I should have been paying better attention. My thanks to those who correctly called me out for this. I apologize for my thoughtlessness and resolve to pay better attention to my costuming and other performance choices in the future. That second approach acknowledges doing something specifically wrong and doesn’t portray himself as a victim. It takes responsibility and suggests a future course of action. It would be a far better apology. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738.md?page=60) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738.md?page=62)