Adele Faces Petition Claiming ‘Hello’ Encourages Rape And Sexual Assault
Adele’s “Hello” is a song that has touched the hearts of many listeners. The song, which is about a woman remembering a former lover she regrets letting go of, seems innocent enough. However, over the past week, several people have come out of the woodwork in order to accuse Adele of promoting sexual harassment, sexual assault, and even rape.
The backlash over “Hello,” according to Fox411, all started at the University of Oklahoma.
“The University of Oklahoma’s Gender + Equality Center says Adele’s song ‘Hello’ helps ‘normalize sexual harassment.’ In a series of posters distributed on the university’s campus, the group cites the hit single’s verse: ‘I must have called a thousand times.'”
Now, the protests have gone online as a new petition at Change.org is asking radio stations to ban Adele’s “Hello” from the airwaves since it allegedly promotes rape. The mission statement is pretty angry.
“Adele’s ‘Hello’ promotes rape and sexual assault. Lyrics such as ‘Hello from the other side/I must have called a thousand times’ promote stalking, which could lead to sexual assault and rape. We are asking that all radio stations stop playing this song and we are asking President Obama to get involved.”
Some think this could just be a troll petition, but the people who signed it sound concerned enough.
“Adele is a bad role model for young women. I can’t wait till she gets her karma,” says Ernie Lopez of Costa Mesa, CA.
“Adele needs to think about the effects her music can have on people. This song is problematic in more ways than one,” claims Trisha Young of East Orange, NJ.
Quite shocking is the fact that some people shaming Adele for singing a song that is harmful to women are body shaming her in their comments after signing the petition.
“Adele is a pig,” signs Brian Lopez of Anaheim, CA.
“Adele Ugly Fat,” blurts out Brett Furtuskon of Detroit, MI.
This isn’t the first time a petition regarding Adele has appeared on Change.org. In December, there was a petition, which pictured Adele in front of a Confederate flag, claiming she needed to publicly recognize her “white privilege.”
“Adele sold over 3.38 million copies of her album ’25’ and the media is praising her as if Adele’s success has everything to do with talent. Rather, it’s her white privilege that has put her on top,” the petition claimed.
This petition went on to note that Adele has sold more than recent albums by Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Janet Jackson, while also stating the albums by the aforementioned artists were supposedly better. The mission statement of the petition says that the fawning over Adele by fans and the press continues to show how minorities are repressed in the music business.
Even though the petition has so far earned more than 200 signatures and has been featured on many news sites, Snopes believes it could just be a job of one creative troll or just an angry Rihanna fan. After all, the person who published the petition was named “Rihanna Jones” and didn’t come up in any recent Google searches. It’s also a possibility that the petition was legit and the creator disguised her name in order to avoid online threats.
Adele has yet to respond to any of these charges. Perhaps, Adele thinks the charges are so ridiculous that she won’t give them any attention. Do you think Adele should recognize her “privilege” and acknowledge the lyrics of “Hello”? Let us know in the comments section.
[Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP]
