WOKE CULTURE: CANCEL COMBS & COKE?

Country artist Luke Combs is the latest to run into the buzzsaw of The Woke Police.

Social media’s Wonky Wokers blasted Combs, who had a global No.1 selling album in 2020, for the sin of previously having a Confederate flag sticker on his guitar and, worse, for performing in Ryan Upchurch’s video “Can I Get a Outlaw” standing in front of a Confederate flag.

The 2015 music video has had more than 73 million views with no complaints about the rebel flag—until this current volcanic eruption of woke lava, spewing hatred for anything that offends their snowflake sensibilities.

The problem with wokers is that they slept through history class. As Michael Savage has said, they don’t know the difference between tortellini, fettuccine, and Mussolini. If they did, they wouldn’t cherry pick their targets with such gleeful ignorance.

Clearly they aren’t aware that Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rolling Stones, Ted Nugent, Alabama—along with a slew of other bands, used the Confederate flag as a stage prop, or in promo photos and memorabilia. To these artists, the rebel flag wasn’t a racist proclamation—it was a symbol of Southern identity and regional pride. Charlie Daniels put it this way:

“The Confederate battle flag was a sign of defiance, a sign of pride, a declaration of a geographical area that you were proud to be from. That’s all it is to me . . . I know in my heart that most Southerners feel the same way.”

Associated Press, 1971.

The Woke Police judges Luke Combs for his past choices, but will they also hose former Democratic President Jimmy Carter who, as Governor of Georgia, had both the American flag and the Confederate flag flanking his desk in the Governor’s office? Will they require the editors of TIME magazine (May 31, 1971) for featuring Carter against the backdrop of Confederate and American flags to apologize?

Will they ask Sesame Street to repent for featuring Johnny Cash and the Muppets dancing and singing “Ghostriders in the Sky” in front of the Confederate flag on the Disney Channel? Maybe Big Bird needs to do an Apology Tour. Just saying. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander—or the Big Bird as the case may be.

Combs has since apologized saying, “As I've grown in my time as an artist, and as the world has changed drastically in the last five to seven years, I am now aware how painful that image can be. I would never want to be associated with something that brings so much hurt to someone else."

Okay . . . so . . . what will Combs do when the Woke Police take offense at the sight of the American flag on his jacket, shirt, or shoes? Oh wait, Nike already pulled the Betsy Ross flag from their shoes because former footballer Colin Kaepernick was offended by it.

If Luke Combs et al must apologize for their past association with the rebel flag, then by all means the members of the Woke Gestapo, specifically those who drink Coca-Cola products, should be required to publicly apologize for their blatant hypocrisy.

What’s that you say?

If these intolerant, cancel-culture vultures knew their history, they’d know that John Stith Pemberton was a biochemist and the inventor of Coca-Cola. They’d also know he served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Confederate Army. His final resting place is marked by a gravestone bearing a Confederate flag.

Arguably, by drinking a Coke, the Wokes are perpetuating the legacy of someone who not only stood in front of a Confederate flag strumming a guitar, but put his life on the line fighting for the Confederacy. We can’t have that now, can we?

Maybe Wokes should pay reparations—they should be forced to switch from Coke to Pepsi.

To be clear, I am not a fan of that historical symbol. Nor am I suggesting that the aforementioned companies and artists should be sanctioned over the rebel flag. In a free society, I can respectfully agree to disagree with my neighbor.

But, unlike the woke’s rush to judgment, I’m with James, the brother of Jesus, who rightly pointed out, “because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (2:13).

Imagine a world where we were quick to extend to one another mercy—not judgment.

The Weeknd Report: Super Bowl’s Epic Fumble

The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t the only ones to fumble their Super Bowl LV performance. I’m calling a flag on the play over the decision makers who picked Abel Tesfaye A.K.A. “The Weeknd” as the halftime entertainer for the largest TV audience of the year.

After more than 1,300 complaints were filed from 48 states with the FCC after 2020’s salacious belly dancing, booty shaking, crotch thrusting-fest with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, you’d think the NFL would look for a more family-friendly option in 2021.

Nope. Not even close.

Granted, The Weeknd didn’t sport black leather dominatrix getups, or prance around stage cavorting with a stripper pole as did J.Lo. That’s a plus. But his lyrical content is far more perverted, morally bankrupt, and sexually graphic than J.Lo’s inappropriate display. Think I’m exaggerating?

Take your pick of The Weeknd’s lyrical exhibition of genital gymnastics. Consider “Often,” “Love in the Sky,” or “Gone.” Google the lyrics and get back to me. Then there’s “Or Nah” which I guess is The Weeknd’s idea of a love song. He sings:

Can you lick the tip then throat the dick or nah? Can you let me stretch that p—y out or nah? . . . P—y so good, I had to save that sh-t for later, Took her to the kitchen, f—ked her right there on the table . . . I’m tryna keep that p—y wet, I’m tryna f—k her and her friends.”

Frank Sinatra he’s not. Imagine the conversation at the NFL headquarters when this sexual pervert and predator was recommended to take center stage in the living rooms of more than 100 million households on Super Bowl Sunday.

NFL COMMISSIONER: Who we got for halftime?

STAFF: Definitely go with The Weeknd

NFL COMMISSIONER: Who? Never heard of that.

STAFF: Um, sir, The Weeknd is a he . . . he’s from Toronto Canada, and he’s B-I-G. His “In Your Eyes” video has almost 90 million views. He’s got 2.5 billion streams and has 8 Top 20 hits on the GLOBAL Top 200 list with 4 global No.1s. And The Weeknd’s won 3 Grammys.

NFL COMMISSIONER: I’m liking that. Gotta love the international aspect of a Canadian artist. Any downside?

STAFF: Well, let’s just say his lyrics can be a bit . . . risqué . . . but most parents don’t won’t know the first thing about him—and he’s promised to keep his clothes on so we don’t anticipate any “wardrobe malfunctions” or “Nipplegate” issues.

Indeed. The Weeknd kept his clothes on, so what’s the big deal? Consider this.

The price of a 30-second Super Bowl LV commercial was $5,600,000. The Weeknd performed for about 13 minutes which means the international exposure to promote his brand—comprised of smutty lyrics and violent videos—was valued at roughly $145,600,000, along with the implicit NFL Seal of Approval.

Aren’t there more worthy artists to pick for the coveted halftime slot? Why does the NFL insist on picking morally bankrupt performers? What might that say about them? And, why do American families allow such depravity to take center stage in their homes?

The person of faith has a higher bar to set regarding their entertainment choices. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4a says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;  that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust.”

Does The Weeknd pass that test? Not even close. The NFL has fumbled their entertainment pick. But your family still has a choice whose voice they’ll to listen to this week.

Cancel Culture to Morgan Wallen: You’ve Been Chopped

I’m not a fan of the N-word and, for the record, I refuse to use such a degrading word myself. But the hypocrisy from the Cancel Culture Crowd is stunning. Here’s the latest.

On one hand, Cardi B uses the word “nigga” half a dozen times in her song “Be Careful”—which has more than 130,559,700 YouTube views—and she uses it several dozen times in “Sauce Boyz” . . . and makes big bucks doing so.

But . . . when country artist Morgan Wallen called a friend the N-word—BOOM!—Cumulus Media banned his music from 400+ radio stations for “using a racial slur”, his music was instantly dropped by Pandora, SiriusXM, and both Apple Music’s Today’s Country and Spotify’s Hot Country Songs axed him from their playlists.

But wait there’s more.

CMT is censoring all of Wallen’s appearances from their various platforms and his record company has suspended his recording contract. Now that Country Music has given him the boot, will Wallen take up singing the blues? Inquiring minds want to know.

Welcome to the sanctimonious Cancel Culture. Someone says the N-word and their entire career and livelihood is vaporized. Or not. Where is the outrage over Cardi B using racial slurs? Why aren’t streaming services and stores dropping her music?

This hypocritical censorship isn’t entirely new. Where was the same outrage when Ludacris—President Obama’s favorite rapper—wrote the little ditty “Too Many Niggas Not Enough Hoes“?

Or take Eminem, who used the N-word back in 1993. He claims the rap was “made out of anger, stupidity and frustration when I was a teenager.” At the time he rapped, “All the girls I like to bone have big butts / No they don’t, ’cause I don’t like that n***er sh*t / I’m just here to make a bigger hit.” (N-word aside, gotta like his adoring view of women.)

Rapper 50 Cent, who uses the N-word constantly, told NBC’s Today Show, “I’m not using it as a racial slur . . . It’s just slang.” He gets a pass from the left for raps like “To All My Niggars” and “The Realest Niggars.”

Then there’s Kid Rock who, back on June 19, 2013, appeared on Howard Stern and said,

“We all use the n-word. We call each other the n-word all the time. We cut it up. My dentist’s name is Taco. We say stuff like that all the time ‘What’s up my ni66er?’ We’re just living up pop-culture. We just call it like it is, like band members do in privacy.”

Shock jock Stern went on to ask whether or not Kid Rock used the N-word around his son—who happens to be half black. Answer? “Why can’t I say the N-word to him?” Nice.

Def Jam founder Russell Simmons who defended the use of the N-word, saying, “When we say ‘nigger’ now, it’s very positive.”

If the N-word is so “very positive” now, why did Paula Deen, The Queen of Cooking, get such a bad rap eight years ago? Her critics became boiling mad that Paula used the N-word three decades prior. She promptly lost endorsement deals worth more than $12.5 million when sponsors like Home Depot, Target, Walmart and the Food Network dropped her like a hot potato. Their argument was half-baked at best.

To her credit, Paula Deen has apologized several times. So has Morgan Wallen. Can’t say the same thing about Cardi B, Post Malone, Machine Gun Kelly, Ludacris, 50 Cent, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, Vanilla Ice or any number of rappers before and after them who have sold millions of albums drenched with the N-word.

This begs a few questions:

Why do Walmart and Target still carry their albums, books and videos? Why doesn’t YouTube suspend the streaming of their music videos? Why isn’t their music pulled from radio—satellite and terrestrial—just as Wallen’s music was banned?

Is it possible that the prevalence of N-words in rap and hip hop music over the last 40 years has popularized the word so much its become common parlance? Why, then, are we so surprised when Morgan Wallen or some suburban kid in Kansas throws around a word they’ve heard a million times in their headphones?

If using the N-word is so offensive—yes, even worthy of losing your entire career over, why aren’t we equally concerned about those peddling and profiteering from of its usage?

And what about the salacious words Wallen spewed? Sexually degrading terms for female genitals are Okay? Who decides which words are acceptable and which words get you cancelled?

While the Cancel Culture arbitrarily picks who will be held accountable and who gets a pass, there’s One who will hold all of us accountable for our word choices—even those said in private.

Jesus says, “But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Luke 12:36-37).

Thankfully, there’s some good news: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Jesus isn’t in the business of canceling us. He desires to transform us.