Tommy Vext Clarifies His Comments on Racism in Instagram Video
Bad Wolves frontman Tommy Vext took to Instagram to clarify comments he made in a video he shared earlier this week.
“‘Conspiracy theory,’ by definition, is ‘an idea that some covert but influential organization is responsible for a circumstance or event’,” began Vext. “On Monday I shared a diagram of a theoretical scenario that was explained to me, which has been widely misunderstood as my beliefs and opinion. As per usual, people failed to read the disclaimer that ‘I am in no way a political scientist or sociologist and have no authority on the subject. And that I am not claiming anything I expressed as truth.'”
Vext continued, “Predictably certain media outlets misquoted and misrepresented my inquiries as opinions and lambasted me to serve their own purposes, making the video go viral. Much like Drew Breeze [sic] I never imagined offending anyone one as I stated the disclaimer ‘I’m not a professional I just found this on the internet isn’t it interesting.'”
Vext added, “After several conversations with fellow artist/ thought leaders in the African American community I can see the insensitive timing of sharing such theories. And as I DID STATE in the video systemic racism IS indeed a very real pandemic that effects [sic] the judicial, economic, healthcare, housing & education systems in underserved black communities. However, my personal experience of White Americans and “white culture” over the past 20 years has not been one of hateful bigotry but unilateral acceptance. Maybe that’s just ‘Heavy Metal Privilege’ as our music community has a long history of condemning racism & fascism.”
Vext concluded, “I know It has been very hard time for everyone in this country. I spent my own time with thousands of volunteers cleaning up after the riots. We all can see across the globe that things are wrong but we are all struggling to make sense of it. It’s probably time to turn our attention to our families, our friends and communities so we can rebuild ourselves and get back on with our normal lives again. Love you all and can’t wait to see you when concerts start up again and may God Bless you and keep you till then.”
In Vext’s video, which has since been deleted, he highlighted a number of popular, but unsubstantiated, conspiracy theories, including how the Clinton Foundation and billionaire George Soros fund the Black Lives Matter group. He tried to explain, using magic markers, how racism doesn’t really exist.
Vext said, “We have turned into this — citizens policing other citizens over a veil of racism that doesn’t exist. I’m African American, I’m 38-years-old, I’ve grown up in this country and I have not experienced actual racism. I’ve spent 20 years traveling through 48 states and…50 countries all over the world. We don’t have a problem with race here. It’s all manufactured. Yes there is systemic racism, but it’s put in place by people like this [holds up marker representing Soros.] George Soros made his money by selling Jews to the Nazi Party. By ratting people out, that’s how he made his thing. Hillary Clinton is friends with David Duke, who’s the head of the KKK.”
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