Ari Kytsya strikes back after a clip of the TikTok Awards featured her boyfriend, the rapper Yung Gravy, being pushed in front of the camera with a direct political inquiry, provoking a reaction of frustration.
In the video, a TikToker asks Yung Gravy, “Are you pro-Israel or pro-Palestine?” He quickly appears to dismiss the question and attempt to deflect.” Wow, alright bro, you won’t get views asking that kinda stuff. Hey, Yung Gravy brand new single…” This time, when asked the question, he says,”You’re not…” and swats the phone away. The reporter responds, “I’m sorry, bro, why you gotta hit me with that?”
Kytsya chimes in at this critical juncture, pointing out the close filming and offering her critique of the approach while remaining much calmer. “There are better positive ways to raise awareness than this,” Kytsya says. “I wouldn’t like someone’s phone that close to my face either. You guys are TikTokers, right?”
‘Free Palestine’: Kytsya Explains Her Position
Kytsya responded with her personal video, expressing herself clearly, sincerely, with conviction, self-awareness, and even regret.
“Free Palestine. I will never support a genocide,” she says. “I don’t care if people know what my political views are… I am in full support of Palestine.”
She defines her positions based on what she perceives as morality, as well as her own circumstances in life, by stating that “I am Liberal… My family isn’t citizens, okay? There. I’m a mattress actress,” then continues, “There is no way for me ever to be a Republican… Absolutely. It’s the furthest thing from what I’d be.”
Her message isn’t just what she’s standing for; it’s also what she would’ve liked to see happen in this situation. Kytsya explains that in reality, the reporter did not come after her, and she had only begun to defuse the situation once it escalated. “I would say I am an anxious person,” Kytsya says, “and I wish I had done it better in the heat of the situation.”
“I’m an anxious person, okay?” she continues, describing how intensely a phone might be held to a person’s face. However, she continues to say that, even if the phone were in her face, she would have answered the phone the same way.
@notburnttoasthehe Free Palestine
♬ [Nocturne No. 2] Piano Chopin(155315) – racoa_production
The Moment, A Complex One, and Speaking Too Late
Kytsya returns to the conflict between the desire for respectful discourse and the feeling that the truth about her situation makes “respectful” sound nearly irrelevant: “I would love to have respectful conversations,” she says, “what’s going on isn’t respectful anyway.”
She’s also upset about being termed a Republican and frustrated with herself for not saying more of what she means: “I’m disgusted that I didn’t go in and say stuff,” she says, turning the anger on herself: “Shut up, stop trying to explain things when you could have just said…”
But she concludes where she began: clearly and forcefully. “I’m pro-Palestine. I’m not a Republican. I’m Liberal.”
