For the longest time, American politics has been a excessive stakes sport that has huge penalties for practically everybody on the planet. And whereas our two events are actually solely set as much as serve a hyper wealthy donor class intent on dividing all of us so we keep at one another’s throats and don’t struggle again for actual change, they couldn’t have dreamed of the sort of bloodsport that political discourse has turn out to be in recent times.

For Otep Shamaya, that shift from frequent disagreement to excessive folks enacting violence on each other is a regrettable change in America. She mentioned her emotions on present affairs — and her hardline stance in opposition to folks on the far proper — throughout a latest interview with Heavy New York (transcribed by Blabbermouth).

“I miss the times of John McCain Republicans the place I might disagree with somebody all day, however we might nonetheless respect one another. The place we are actually politically is we’re truly combating fascism in America. And this isn’t the primary time. I imply, it’s not the primary time that it’s tried to rear its ugly head. In truth, issues have gotten higher. We’re simply not gonna allow them to regress to again to these occasions.

“I can’t keep in mind who stated it, however [it] caught with me, was that we have now to know the place we’ve been to know the place we’re to know the place we’re going. And that’s why historical past’s vital and that’s why proper now for me, anybody that also is carrying a purple hat, they’re not someone that I might even wanna have a discourse with. I’m not making an attempt to alter anyone’s thoughts anymore. I’m not making an attempt to do any of that.”

As an open member of the LGBTQ+ group, Otep stated the present anti-trans, anti-drag dialog that always casts queer people as “groomers” has been a significant sticking level for her, saying she’d quite not interact with that sort of bigotry in any respect.

“In case you are that simply pulled right into a tradition of hate and bigotry and want the extermination of various kinds of folks, together with homosexual folks like me, and wanna rip the rights away from girls — I’m a girl — and all the opposite issues that they’re making an attempt to do, in opposition to the trans group and that sort of factor, in case your complete place is predicated round hate and exclusion, then I don’t care when you hearken to my music or not, or come to my exhibits. I don’t care. I don’t. And I by no means have.”

With a brand new album out on September 15, dubbed The God Slayer, Otep’s been making the rounds a bit. She was lately featured on a Cinnamon Babe monitor, along with doing press as of late.

You possibly can try Otep’s full interview with Heavy New York under. Be sure you give them a like and comply with when you’re so inclined.