Sarah Palin Is Suing Azealia Banks

According to People, a certain former vice presidential nominee is lawyering up against a popular rapper, and it could lead to some fireworks — Sarah Palin is suing Azealia Banks, over an angry Twitter diatribe that the ex-politico blasted as "dangerous." It's already become a very fraught back-and-forth, with Palin rebuking Banks' tweets in an angry Facebook post on Tuesday, and Banks hitting back with in open letter posted to Tumblr.

Here's what happened, basically: on Sunday, Banks sent out a number of sexually explicit tweets about Palin, of an extremely hostile variety, a seemingly earnest response to a fake news article that claimed Palin had said black people enjoyed slavery. Banks' responses included saying that Palin should have her head shaved, have sex with a black man, and then be locked in a cupboard (be warned, it's pretty unpleasant).

For the record, a number of conservative sites have characterized the tweets as Banks calling for Palin to be raped, although she denied this on Twitter, claiming she wasn't talking about a violent sexual assault. That said, Palin's response was extremely forceful, and she's apparently aiming to take legal action because of it.

Here's how Palin responded:

Hey Female Rapper - listen up, little darling. No one has any idea what you're wigging out about in these bizarre, violent rants against me, but you're obviously not exercising enough intelligence to acknowledge you've been sucked into believing some fake interview in which I supposedly offered comments representing the antithesis of my truth.

In this life, you're blessed to have been given an influential platform. So have I. Why don't we strengthen both our platforms and work together on something worthwhile - like condemning racism, along with empowering young women to defend themselves against a most misogynist, degrading, devastating assault perpetrated by evil men - rape.

Thanks. And now I'll go through my young daughter's playlist to make sure there hasn't been any inadvertent addition of any anti-woman, pro-rape garbage that you seem to endorse, which perpetuates the cultural challenges we face in America. I encourage other parents to do the same.

God bless you Ms. Banks, as you consider a change of heart.

- Sarah Palin

Banks' response was a good deal longer than Palin's, and it did include some goodwill, and apology for "any emotional distress or reputational scarring" her "crass" response may have caused.

She didn't mince words about why she was duped by that satirical article, however — she pinned the blame on the propensity of American conservatives to say racist things.

Dear Sarah Palin,

I hope this message reaches you in good spirits and in good health. I want to start this letter off by telling you that I actually, really like you. While many other American people may see you as someone to be ridiculed, I truly believe that you possess a certain "je ne sais quoi," (a french term which is often interpreted to denote one's inexplicable charisma.) Given a bit of book-reading/media-training/patience, that charisma could become your magic carpet. There is something very charismatic and misunderstood about you. The misunderstood bit oftentimes reminds me of myself. You're very passionate about the things you believe in, super determined, and most certainly aware of who you are and where you stand in this world, as a parent, as a politician, but most importantly, as a woman.

Given the propensity of conservative right-wing media publications to veer into very fearful/erroneous/baseless/contradictory/prejudice analyses of us "melanated," peoples of the United States, It should come as no shock to you that a satirical article accusing you of saying, "Even the French understand that Slavery wasn't our fault because the negroes liked it," Would be provocative enough to ruffle a few feathers. Now since learning that the article was not published officially, I sincerely apologize for any emotional distress or reputational scarring i may have caused you.

In my honest defense, i was completely kidding. I happen to have a really crass, New-York-City sense of humor, and regularly make silly jokes in attempts make light of situations which make me uncomfortable. As the fabric of the American Nation is EMBEDDED with racism, I merely made a raCIALly driven joke to counter what i believed to be real, raCIST rhetoric. Also, i never said you should be raped. I used the term "run a train," which is slang for group sex, NOT for "rape." There are many distinctions between the two. As a woman, I would never trivialize something as lewd and criminal to provide myself any sort of comic relief because it simply… just isn't funny. (and no, urbandictionary.com is not a reputable source of information to seek clarity on the aforementioned dichotomy). However, i find great irony in the right-wing media's attempt to "victimize," you in this situation. Seeking empathy through sensationalism is something left-leaning liberals are frequently ridiculed for by the Right. But American Hypocrisy is nothing new.

Considering the imminence of 2016's polarizing presidential election, I've taken it upon myself to do my own social research. I've recently had the opportunity to indulge in a few lengthy conversations with some very popular conservative figures. I've concluded: Amongst millennial conservatives, Censorship paired with the (questionable) social necessity for political correctness are atop the list of social grievances. It is as though this newest generation of conservative voters desire the right to express their true feelings, free of any filter and free of any consequence. I too harbor a similar sentiment regarding censorship and self-expression, as i am an artist. I cherish my ability to express myself freely, yet remain totally aware that for every action, there will be a reaction.

All in All, Woman to Woman, I hope you will accept my sincerest apology.

Sincerely,

-Miss Azealia A Banks.

Banks also followed her reply up with a pretty scathing P.S. list too, however.

P.S.:

-I am an EXTREMELY intelligent woman, Mrs. Palin.

-"Hey Female Rapper," was your way to euphemize what you REALLY wanted to say. What you wanted to say was, "Hey little Stereotypical Black, Thing!"

-Realize that stereotypes are a product of what I like to call the "Critical White Gaze." The basic fundamentals of the Critical White Gaze are Fear, Ignorance, Curiosity, and Fetishization.

-Intelligence is not something which can be quantified in 140 Characters.

-Twitter is not real, neither is your opinion of me!

-If Bristol Palin listened to my music she probably wouldn't have all those cotdamn kids!!!! ;-P #sis #iud #stayinschool #causeitsthebest

Needless to say, it doesn't appear that there's much love lost here, in spite of Banks' somewhat surprising statements of fondness for Palin at the outset of her open letter. In any case, Palin just told People that she'd be suing, so it'll be fascinating to see where things go next.