If last week’s election proved anything, it’s that America is still vastly divided. While only 55% of eligible voters even bothered showing up at the polls, the number of people voting in Donald Trump as our next president (26.3%) was about as much as those voting for Hillary Clinton (26.5%). Se by getting involved in politics and stating your voice one way or the other, you risk alienating half of your fans if you’re a band or artist.
Chicago instrumental post-metal quartet Pelican had no problem stating their position in the wake of last week’s election, urging their fans to make a donation to the American Civil Liberties Union following Trump’s election. It appears to have opened up a can of worms, with some of their supposed “fans” asking them to stay out of politics. Many of their fans back their support of the non-partisan nonprofit, but the whole thread is somewhat indicative of the state of politics in 2016. However, some of the conservatives on the thread seem to think that the ACLU is government-funded. And there are others that just want an instrumental band to play music and not state any particular beliefs at all. Regardless, Pelican seem to have no problem with losing a few fans that don’t agree with their specific ideology. At the end of the day, Pelican can endorse whatever or whoever they want, and they’re not alone in their support of the ACLU, with the organization having raised over $7.2 million since Trump’s election.
