Before we get into Madonna’s ridiculous and sad thirst, let me just take a moment and say: Je Suis Charlie. The murders of 12 people– journalists, cartoonists and policemen – at the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris on Wednesday was a cowardly, infuriating and ultimately futile act of extremism and ignorance. There are many people giving tributes to the lives and the legacy of comedy, of satire, of freedom of speech. One of my favorites was Banksy’s Instagram drawing. Another favorite was what Jon Stewart had to say Wednesday night:
As I said, the tributes to the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists and editors are all over the place, and many of them are extremely moving. Not so moving? Madonna’s attempt to be like all the kidz and say something on her social media about the tragedy. Not content to cravenly foist her #RebelHeart album promotion on dead civil rights icons, Madonna once again took to Instagram in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack to post a “Je Suis Charlie” image. This is what she wrote:
These are very scary times we are living in. Ignorance breeds Intolerance and fear. We can only fight darkness with light! We are all Charlie! #revolutionoflove ❤️#rebelhearts
She followed that up with a photo of the people paying tribute to the Charlie Hebdo staffers in Paris, with these words:
We must respect AlL religions! But we must also RESPECT human life!! Killing in the name of G*D is man’s idea not G*D’s!!!!#livingforlove ❤️#rebelheart
Just how crass is this? On a scale of “Good God, that’s so stupid” to “this actually makes me sick, it’s so offensive”? Let’s play a little game. How offended would you be if, say, Angelina Jolie was on social media and she was like, “Je Suis Charlie, much love. Cartoonists are #Unbroken #OpeningWideChristmasDay”? At what point can we just say, hey, maybe we shouldn’t use a devastating international act of terrorism as a way to promote an album?
I guess we should be thankful though… at least Madonna didn’t Photoshop those black cords (#RebelHeart) onto the faces of the murdered cartoonists.
PS… Looking through Madonna’s Instagram at all of the dead icons she’s used for her #RebelHeart crap, I’m sort of surprised that she hasn’t Photoshopped black cords onto Anne Frank yet. I shouldn’t give her any ideas, right?
Photos courtesy of Madonna’s Instagram, Fame/Flynet.
she is revolting
Agreed. Friends paid tons to see her in concert, she was 3 hours late, common practice for her. She’s washed up. And yet we are talking about her, which is her goal. Ugh!
My friends and I paid a boatload to see her too (for nosebleed seats) and she was over an hour late. When she finally did arrive, the sound was awful and the show still ended at the same time (didn’t make up the time for making us all wait) and no encore at all. No explanations or apologies for us all sitting in the dark waiting for her old ass to show up.
She use to be good but is way over rated now and definitely not worth paying a lot to see. Now she just aggravates me and comes off as a little pathetic.
@Juliette
“…sitting in the dark waiting for her old ass to show up.”
girl, I LOL’ed so hard picturing this that I almost choked on my latte!!!! Hahahahaha
And I agree… She is soooo pathetic that I often feel second-hand embarrassment for her! Hang it up Madge!
Plus she is just so GD egotistical, get off your high horse “lady”. I will never forget this quote from her:
“Start saving your pennies now. People spend $300 on crazy things all the time, things like handbags. So work all year, scrape the money together, and come to my show. I’m worth it.“
No, actually you’re not. I went to see Roger Waters perform The Wall and had amazing seats for $75.00. He showed up on time, put on an amazing show and actually gave the audience tips on how to take pictures so they would show up better with all the effects.
I had floor seats to AC/DC for $100 & they blow this old hag out of the water anyday. She needs to take 10000 seats and realize she is done. She makes me ragey to be honest. With her stupid grills and trying to be cool (it ain’t working).
Pathetic. Okay, rant done. Have an awesome weekend everyone! Hopefully the fog will lift in Vancouver soon.
I saw Leonard Cohen a couple of years ago and not only was he on time, he sang for 2 and a half hours! It was a crazy good concert and he had so much energy and pizzazz. And the best part was that he was so happy to be there performing for the audience. My parents had seen him in concert a few days before me and raved about him as well. Madonna needs to have a seat and learn a few lessons.
I saw Louis CK in December for $8!
There are no excuses for her money gouging. She’s not worth it.
@littlehearts – Leonard Cohen is amazing in concert. I feel so lucky to have gotten to see him. As for Madonna, she’s hollow and nothing on earth will ever fill her up.
@Tiffany. So jealous you got to see Louis C.K. I love him but he never comes near enough to go see him. Bet he was awesome.
Totally agree. Revolting. Pathetic. Sad.
She is a dreadful women (who actually looks like she is having a stroke in the first pic where she’s wearing the hat). The Paris violence has been horrible and underlines the importance of free speech. The pencil cartoon isn’t a banksy BTW, the drawer’s name was given in the media, think a women called lucille? something but afraid I can’t recall. RIP to the innocents who have died.
Or is channeling her inner Joker…it may be said all the time but that IS what the photo made me think of.
This woman.
I can’t imagine the effort it takes her to wink.
It would have been fine, if she didn’t add the album name.
Exactly. I despair.
Yes exactly. All she had to add was #Jesuischarlie and it would have been perfect.
Yup.
The narcissism is too strong. She can’t help but be a self-promoting as*hole.
She wouldn’t have bothered if she couldn’t have added the album name. Crass. Incomprehensible insensitivity. I just loathe her.
Exactly.
That is very true, GoodNames. It sounds so harsh…but I think that is exactly the situation.
That is pretty sickening. No tragedy like that should be used for self-promotion. she is utterly shameless.
Yes. She is such a tool.
Using a tragedy to shill an album? Stay classy, Madge.
I can’t even.. >.<
Me either. Words fail me.
*quietly groans*
I just can’t with this woman. I just can’t.
By many accounts this Charlie Hebdo magazine is well known for being quite right-wing and anti-Islam, so calling them “dead icons” is a bit of a stretch.
Charlie Hebdo is not right wing or anti Islam, it’s actually anti everything. The whole thing about this magazine is that it takes to heart it’s right to judge, mock and insult everyone from the far right to the far left, all religions and everything in between. They’ve become more (in)famous recently because of the Mohammed cartoons, but actually no one is spared. They are very anti-Front National (the French far right) and make fun of them constantly as well.
… I need to read more/different accounts then, thanks for clarifying.
No, no. Charlie Hebdo is a LEFT wing magazine and fiercely secular. It routinely mocks France’s right wing and all religions. And the cartoonists and editor who died certainly have national treasure, if not icon, status in France. They were prominent figures.
Thank you for all the extra information, it is much appreciated and I feel that I know much more about the organisation/magazine.
No. Their aim was to ridicule every form of extremism, just look at the many many many covers they made to make fun of catholicism, or Marine le Pen (right wing party leader), of every other idiotic thing every party could say, or any religion, of Nicolas Sarkozy, of François Hollande, of Jesus, the Pope…
They were …(crying a bit right now)..(french) absolutly free. To the core. You have no right to say that about them . It’s terrifingly wrong.
They themselves would hate to be called icons, because it’s practically an insult to everything they stood for.
Hey Claire. jesuischarlie. We all are.
#Jesuischarlie #Jesuisahmed #charliehebdo
yes, sixer, claire, we all are Charlie
JE SUIS CHARLIE
Claireb and Snazzy .in are right this time in France we are living a tragedy and AC again today there is a new hostage in a kosher grocery and yesterday a young policiere 25 years died in addition to the 12 before yesterday .I am collapses and terrified for our world and I want to say thank you to all the testimonies that come from the world stand together facing the barbarism
@ Nora
Je suis de tout cœur avec vous. Mes condoleances les plus sinceres.
Yes, we don’t have much info yet (i’m following The Monde’s live cover) but it is related to the Charlie Hebdo attack. And they’re still tracking the two terrorists.
@ClaireB-Bostonian here with half my family in France.
My heart is with you all. I know how scary it is for your city to have endured such a tragedy with the perpetrators still on the loose. They will find them though, I promise.
I just something in the Tribune de Geneve about the Porte de Vincennes explosions and the hostages … I’m crying with you ClaireB, this is crazy
j’en ai marre!!
@ClaireB…I have found Skynews to have better live coverage, with more direct informations. So far, they are all located holding hostages.
@Claire B – Well Said. Appalling remarks
“I’d rather die standing than live on my knees,”. Stephane Charbonnier
Je suis Charlie
This Yank is with u and all those in France
Claire is right: CharlieHebdo made satire of extremists in every shape. France is living a tragedy today with these two hostage-situations. One with the killers of CharlieHebdo and the other with the killer of a police in Montrouge Wednesday (she died of the injuries Thursday morning). The men (the two brothers from CH and the police killer) are connected to each other. Jean-Marie Le Pen tweeted a picture of his daughter with the words “Stay Calm et vote Le Pen” (stay calm and vote for Le Pen). There is (was) Mandela and there is Le Pen…
#Jesuischarlie
My heart goes out to France and all of those impacted by this tragedy. My words are failing me now, but my heart is filled with so many complex emotions about this.
According to NPR, the kosher deli matter was still on going, but the perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo tragedy have been killed. They couldn’t independently confirm this, but reporters in France are saying this.
Je suis Charlie, aussi. Today was like a nightmare =((( I am glad it’s over, but at the same time I am afraid it won’t be *really* over for a very long time..
Claire and Nora, are you able to comment on the meaning of the “Je suis Charlie” phrase/hashtag? I know the obvious translation is “I am Charlie”, but as “Je suis” also means “I follow/I am following” (from the verb “suivre” – to follow), I’m wondering which is the correct translation in this case, and whether the global media got it right. Would love to hear your local views.
Just to say that Charb (the chief editor who was killed) patner is Jeannette Bouhgrab.
Jeannette Bouhgrab comes from a maroccan family and she was herself president of the HALDE which is the institution who fights all the discriminations in France.
Those men and woman fought racism with satire.
Yes, I have watched her last night on BFM Tv or maybe some other channel, not sure. Jeannette was so brave to speak so soon after the tragedy.
Jeannette Bouhgrab, Patrick Pelloux, so many courageous people.
Can’t wait for the end of this nightmare.
Bougrab just gave an interview to BBC News. She made me cry.
There’s two cartoons out there that people use to prove Charlie Hebdo’s racism, but both should be viewed within their context: they’re caricactures of the opinions of the Front National. So it seems as if they have racist connotations (and they do), but that’s because the Front National has racist opinions. Just a head’s up.
Thanks Wilma, I had seen those cartoons, that clarifies.
While what happened was horrifying and those people did not deserve to die, having looked through some of the archives of their work, I do raise an eyebrow at some of the work. There’s a lot of Islamaphobia in the West right now, and a lot of their work was intentionally picking at that scab. Somebody who lives in France could probably give a better picture of what the magazine’s intent was, though.
(My opinion may be influenced by the fact that a white perpetrator just bombed the NAACP here in the States and they’re going to great lengths to call him a lone psychopath rather than the terrorist he is, while using the word freely for Charlie Hebdo tragedy. And it’s a little uncomfortable that many news outlets aren’t pointing out that one of the officers who confronted and was killed by the perpetrators was Muslim himself.)
Again, their aim was extremism through all form. One of their most (in my opinion) beautiful cover is the one of the prophet Mahomet crying and saying “It’s so hard to be loved by assholes”. Another one shows the cartoonist Charb (one of the victim) passionatly kissing a muslim with the words “Love stronger than hate” , there are countless ones, sparing absolutely no one.
@Veronica
What Claire said.
But also… yes, I saw tweets about the differing coverage with the NAACP bombing and it is something to think of. A well-known comedian in the UK also tweeted about a particular British newspaper editorialising about free speech today. The same newspaper that tried to get that very comedian prosecuted for telling a bad taste joke about the Queen last year. Hypocrisy is everywhere, I’m sad to say.
Actually it is very left-wing and they have done really great work against The Front Nationale (The National Front) which is the far right wing party in France. Started by Jean Marie LePen and now headed by his daughter, they (Charlie Hebdo) did a drawing picture of a bloated Monsieur LePen on their front cover with a call to ban the party in France for the threat it presents to France and freedom!
France’s history in North Africa is a long and bloody one. They controlled Algeria for 140 years and treated the Algerian population as second class citizens. There is a real issue in France with not integrating the sizable muslim population into all aspects of French society so they feel as though they have a vested interest in being a part of society and not the isolation of the “banlieues” (impoverished outlying suburbs). However, it is difficult for any non-muslim citizen of France to “break into” many professional fields as you must be on a certain professional track by the time you start University or Polytechnic and there is no going back or making a mid-life course correction that many students/workers do here in the U.S.
Charlie Hebdo is the personification of French satire in print; one that goes back to its’ glory years of the Belle Epoque. It is not a right-wing newspaper.
“To kill a person in God’s name, is to make God a murderer” José Saramago
RIP to all the victims, cartoonists, hostages, police officers
Je suis Charlie Je suis Ahmed… When will the hatred and intolerance be over?
That actually isn’t a Banksy image. It’s by artist Lucille Clerc. There are so many fake Banksy social media accounts, this happens all the time.
She leaves the stench of craven desperation for relevance behind her wherever she goes.
Your reply really puzzled me. For a few minutes there, I was in France, and near tears.
She is so pathetic.
She makes me throw up every time I see her face.
RIght? That lead picture with the wink? What the H is going on there? Your in your 50s, woman, and you’d look a hell of a lot better with a less plastic face. She seriously looks like a Real Housewife.
Me, too. Hey Madonna, here’s a hashtag for ya…Je suis washed up. And what’s with that hat? Reminds me of Heidi in that Shirley Temple movie. She looks ridiculous.
So, so crass. The woman reeks of desperation.
The Banksy instagram account is fake, by the way, and that image is by Lucille Clerc. She deserves the credit for it.
Yes, please credit Lucille Clerc for that drawing and not Banksy.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/banksys-striking-illustrated-response-to-the-charlie-hebdo-attack-9964198.html
If she had retired long ago, she would be known for all she craves. She refuses to go away though, and is tearing down everything she worked so hard to become. From amazing to a mockery. Ridiculous. I used to be such a fan.
Me too! She and Cindy L. were my girls. Cindy grew as a person and an artist and still does some mind blowing stuff. Madonna got stuck in a juvenile, self centered faze that has become her life.
I think you’re right. All she’s doing now is making herself look desperate and out of it.
Did she make some major financial decisions that turned out to be disastrous and needs to shill this album or else lose all her money?
I’m so glad you mentioned Cindy Lauper’s contemporary work. Her album of standards was gorgeous and really showed off the fact that she has serious vocal chops. Her blues album was quite unfortunate, though. She can sing a lot of things, but she just sounded ridiculous trying to make her very very very pop voice work for blues. It just doesn’t.
ITA.
Madonna, a rebel at heart and Charlie Hebdo, she is so delusional.
And no, I must not respect all religions: tolerance yes, the most is tolerance as recognition.
I respect your RIGHT to believe anything you want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, but that doesn’t mean I have to respect WHAT you believe. I had this argument with coworkers when a 26 year old member of our staff died because her religion didn’t allow blood transfusions. She had two children under five. Everyone was saying you have to respect her for following her beliefs, and I said, no, actually, you don’t, because her beliefs are stupid. I respect that it was her choice, but I think anyone with a curable disease who dies on purpose, robbing their children of their mother and herself of a full life because of some extremely vague passage in the Bible is an idiot.
The same with this. I have zero respect for a religion, or rather this misrepresentation of a religion, that says you have to kill people for mocking your god. And zero tolerance for people who act on it.
perfectly stated, GNAT!
Yes, so much yes!!
Tolerance is an overused word. No one wants to be tolerated. To tolerate something means you endure it or put up with it.
@FingerBinger
since I can not approve any type of organized religion I can only tolerate it.
I get what you mean, FingerBinger, and it does have some negative connotation, but sometimes that’s all that can be expected of someone with entirely different beliefs – that you leave them in peace and tolerate their existence. You can’t embrace everything, or most people can’t.
But what you describe is what many of us feel toward religion, Fingerbinger. My personal belief is that religions are human-contrived systems whose purpose is control and manipulation. I absolutely respect many people who are religious, but my respect for them has to do with their actions, not their religious beliefs. I do not have respect for their religions. I put up with religion only to the extent necessary to remain polite.
Obviously she’s revolting. But, that image of her with the black hat and grill will always be my favorite. I literally cringe for her every time I see it. CLASSIC!
Congrats Kaiser. Our minds and hearts should be in Paris these days. Everyone should say Je suis Charlie.
It’s terrifying.
Oh, and in Madonna’s never-ending talent for ripping off other artists and issues in the name of originality and relevance, she ripped off the name Rebel Heart from a 2001 TV mini-series that was quite good, I watched it, about the Irish move towards independence in the early 20th century.
Je Suis Charlie. Period.
I have to admit I am enjo
There’s lame (what we’ve been seeing for the past few years), then there’s this. It is rage-inducing.
She looks like Rachel Zoe
Madonna is a narcissistic, revolting human being…To add that Rebel Heart hashtag just shows that she believes the world should revolve around her. How can someone be so heartless as to promote her album, when people have died and been wounded in such a horrific tradgedy. I just can’t understand it! I have been watching CNN constantly since this happened and find myself crying for the dead, and for the bravery and strength of the French people, standing together, and not letting these terroists bring them down! The world must stand together against these violent acts! From now on, after every post, I think I will #RebelHeartSucks….
JE SUIS CHARLIE…
Love every word you said and wholeheartedly agree. My heart is with all of the French people suffering from this tragedy.
And what’s really mind blowing is apparently she thinks she HAS a rebel heart. Since when? She likes to shock people and always has…not something I would consider a rebel. Just an attention-seeking narcissist. And the only shock she provides anymore is that of seeing a desperate old hag thinking she’s a rebel.
She’s a loser. I don’t care how many albums she’s sold.
She needs to put a butt plug in her mouth. Forever. How could she do this. I know it’s Madonna, but my god…no standards. So sad today for France and our world. I wish all of our French brothers and sisters much love.
Hahaha, bet if she did, she’d launch another Sex book.
well said. Thanks for the John Stewart link.
I’m a french girl, our country is in shock, we mourning our people : cartoonists we known since 20 years and others innocents who died for absolutely nothing. I see people crying all day long since wednesday (i’m a bookseller and customers wants to read Charlie Hebdo’s books, they are really in tears when they asked these books) and I think this woman is such a bitch for self-promoting herself. For sure : people don’t talk about her shitty album right now. How dare she.
JE SUIS CHARLIE. (see ? it’s not about you, madonna.)
Madonna thinks everything is about her. If it isn’t, she has to make it so. It was easy to turn a blind eye to her stupidity because it was (mostly) harmless, but as of late, she’s been showing her true colours. She’s got a blackened heart, not a rebellious one.
I think we’re overreacting (i’m being sarcastic). Like “Toto” said (down in the comments) : we don’t understand her “artistic message” 🙂
Merci Mathilde and I am truly sorry for your lovely country and people. JE SUIS CHARLIE!
Rebel heart, It just always makes me think Rihanna’s botched (whatever she says) rebelle fleur tattoo / thing.
Could that photo of her winking PLEASE be the only photo Celebitchy uses from here on out? I think it accurately captures her essence. Of course, unless, she tops it with something more hideous.
Madonna, please just go the f* away. Please.
Maybe if you all knew the messages behind the songs that she’s tagging you would understand. . This woman gets hated for everything she does. . The new album is all about love and crushing hate. . It’s actually very fitting but go on hating and loathing her. . It just shows that all you see is the surface and can’t bother to understand what her message really is.
Oh such hysterical drama over everything you don’t and can’t understand. You don’t get Madonna and her message, so you attack it. You don’t understand the implications of artists NOT speaking out against the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks. Artists SHOULD attach their projects to their call for tolerance and their expressions of outrage. With this and every other injustice, and horrific act that goes on in this world. BTW – Madonna has used those or similar words before in her performance art project from last year, so she’s consistent, and true in her stance. Think and learn before you post such ridiculous ignorance, people!
Yeah, you’re right, madonna is so altruistic. Thank you man, you’ve just made my day ! i haven’t smiled that much since wednesday’s blood bath.
Madonna? Is that you?
I wish. At least i’ll stop posting awful pictures on instagram and thinking of my retirement.
Va te faire foutre, Madonna.
Wow. I can’t even bring myself to repost old film reviews I wrote when an actor or director involved in said reviewed film kicks the can. It just seems too much like self-promotion on the back of a death.
Keep a civil heart in your breast, Madge!
Does anybody else think she looks like the old creepy guy from the poltergeist movies? Just sayin’….
She is like Lucille Bluth, except Lucille was an intentional joke.
She’s like Amy Poehler’s character in Mean Girls. Also, earlier, she apologized for using black political figures to promote her album. I’m sure she’ll issue a similar statement for this latest stunt. So much for being an Unapologetic B**ch.
That amazing drawing is made by Lucille Clerc, not Banksy.
http://instagram.com/p/xkaysJplPT/
But it was posted on a Banksy FAN page om Instagram, as if it was Banksy’s work.
Madonna has ALWAYS been about making everything about Madonna. To shill her auto tuned passing as “music” crap under the JesuisCharlie hashtag is beyond contemptible & should be the nails in her career.
I saw St. Paul and the Broken Bones at Shank Hall in Milwaukee last year for $10 — and they served $3 beers! I hate the “pomposity” (to claim a word from Steve Miller) of certain acts when they overcharge based on their overfed egos.
Yes she’s gross BUT it makes very little sense to object to her using the #jesuischarlie tag while doing something offensive and in really poor taste. That covers 99% of Hebdo cartoons.
Also while I personally view them as skewering in all directions it is not true to say they skewered all equally. They never fired a cartoonist for dubious depictions of Muslims that may have been directed at extremists but we’re also offensive to many average Muslims. They DID fire a cartoonist for alleged anti-semitism.
Of course she did!!!!