Disgusted at Kanye West and his sustained embrace of Nazism and Adolf Hitler?
There's a party planned in Los Angeles this weekend where you can unleash your revulsion, shedding some of your old Kanye gear in the process in exchange for a trophy.
A "Kanye Sucks" party is going down this Saturday night at Revenge Of, a comic book and pinball destination in Glassell Park known for its frequent events and gatherings.
The party starts at 6 pm and includes a charity split flipper tournament, in which two people independently control one of the respective flippers on the same pinball machine. A $10 donation will be taken at the door.
The store will also allow guests to trash a piece of Kanye merch in exchange for free Revenge Of t-shirt, which reads: "Say NO to Kanye" and "Community Over Bigotry." The name Kanye, placed over concentric rings, is crossed out with a thick black bar.
The shirts will also be sold at the event for $20 for anyone who never had any Ye merch in the first place but still wants to rock the tee. An eclectic playlist of punk, indie, and random tunes will play.
There will likely be players of Magic: The Gathering in the house, as there are every Saturday, while snacks and Uncle Paulie's sandwiches will be sold, alongside a dry bar of N/A beer and mocktails.
"It's just like a casual thing," says Jeff Eyser, an owner of Revenge Of. "We're going to have a trash can if you will, for people to throw out their Kanye-related merch in exchange for the Say No to Bigotry shirt we made. I figured [split-flipper" was kind of symbolic of people coming together."
Eyser says he was once a ""huuuuge" Kanye fan himself, before "things went downhill," deeming the rapper-producer's My Dark Twisted Fantasy "one of the greatest albums."
Like a lot of former fans, he's been appalled by Kanye's public statements and marketing of products that promote Nazism.
"I read a lot of TMZ, against my better judgement," Eyser jokes. A production designer by trade, the co-owner has worked on Kanye projects in the past, including a "Sunday Service" he'll only admit was "strange," without going into detail.
"I've been reading along with [Kanye] on Twitter the last couple of weeks and it was getting increasingly more hateful," he says. "And it got to a point where I felt, 'I've got to do something, to say something' with the small platform that I have, against his gigantic platform. It reached a tipping point for sure."
Despite the party's seemingly uncontroversial stance against Nazism and hate, the local jam hasn't been without its critics.
Donations from the shirt sales were initially set to go to Jewish Voice For Peace, which describes itself as "the largest Jewish Palestine solidarity organization in the world."
As some followers of the store reached out to voice their concerns or objections about that choice, Revenge Of has created a Google doc, asking where people would like to see the money go to "support organizations fighting intolerance and promoting peace."
"We initially chose that [organization] because they were [for] open liberation for all," Eyser says. "We definitely understand that there are people who are not fans of that organization, so we were like, 'Let us know what you think.' Because we're all about community, we want to hear what they say."
Another commenter on Instagram has objected to the imagery depicted on the t-shirt, writing:
"As a Black community member of Glassell Park, I find the action and promotion of this event disgusting. This is not accountability, and the speech and imagery used, although maybe not intentional, is extremely inappropriate in its suggestion of annihilation. Toss his stuff, but his name in front of bulleyes and slashed through is so harmful and hurtful."
Eyser, like many, is not trying to promote or wallow in controversy but strike a blow against a troubling new tolerance of, and enthusiasm for, tyranny, hate, and extremism, which appears to be on the rise.
So he's hoping to provide a fun, cathartic gathering where like-minded people can commiserate and deflate their frustrations while helping them get rid of any painful reminders of the "old Kanye" they once loved and looked up to.
Hopefully, someday Revenge Of can get its hands on a dumpster big enough for a Cybertruck. Until then, they invite one and all to the party on Saturday with whatever they wish to bring in an effort to smash bigotry.
March 15, 6 pm ~ Revenge Of ~ 3420 Eagle Rock Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90065
