Iconic country singer Dolly Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80 after “a short battle with cancer,” according to a statement from her family. After her death, a nation mourned, with tributes and obituaries filling the internet.
But some anonymous posters managed to attack Parton, who was not Jewish, with antisemitic slurs and imagery.
According to the British nongovernmental organization Campaign Against Antisemitism, the singer’s Wikipedia page was vandalized with the phrase “Jew lover” and a swastika in the wake of her death. The edits were reportedly a reference to Parton’s friendship with her Jewish manager of more than 20 years, Sandy Gallin.
“Jew lover” was listed as her name near the top of the profile. The swastika was added as an image directly below the name. Lower on the page, another section included the phrase “Adam Lanza Was a Hero,” a callout to the Sandy Hook school shooter, whose youngest victim on that 2012 day was a 6-year-old Jewish student.
Wikipedia’s volunteer editors and automated content filters quickly corrected the edits. But the Campaign Against Antisemitism captured them in a screenshot.
(Courtesy of the Campaign Against Antisemitism)
“The idea that someone would choose to exploit Dolly Parton’s death to spread antisemitic abuse online is utterly despicable. It takes a truly warped mind to turn a moment of mourning into an outlet for hatred,” the organization told Philadelphia Jewish Exponent in an emailed statement. “As the world grieves a music icon, antisemites, as always, seek only to spread hate.”
Today, Parton’s Wikipedia page notes she sold more than 100 million records, carried the nickname “the Queen of Country” and won 11 Grammy Awards. She also produced 49 studio albums, more than 3,000 songs and 25 Billboard No. 1 country singles. Her songs “Jolene” and “9 to 5” are among the best-known pieces in modern music history.
She did all that after being born in a one-room cabin on a subsistence farm in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com
