Image via Complex Original
Is it just us, or does SXSW 2015 seem like it's been kind of a drag? The tech, music, and film festival seems to be doing anything but keeping Austin weird. Artists are being attacked on stage, an increasing number of big brands are trying to brainwash us into buying their products, and celebrities aren't even showing up to their own movie premieres. Hopefully next year the festival steps up its game, or maybe this year will suck so much that fewer people will attend in 2016 and it'll finally become cool again. Who knows. We've rounded up the 10 Reasons Why SXSW Sucks This Year.
Someone's putting “Exclusively for White People” stickers on Austin businesses.
Not even the liberal capital of the Lone Star state can escape the iron grip of racism. Someone has been slapping stickers that read “exclusively for white people” on businesses around town, including Sugar Mama's Bakeshop and the storefront of an Austin clothing boutique called Rare Trends, which is located in a historically black district in Austin.
In one incident, cops Tasered a black man while a handcuffed white man ran away from the scene.
A recent video from SXSW this year shows a handcuffed white man running away while a black suspect is Tasered against a wall by five police officers. The white suspect was arrested eventually, but it doesn't make any sense as to how he was able to run all the way across the street while still handcuffed before any cops paid attention to him, as they surrounded a black suspect.
People are even calling the movies racist.
What happened to the days of premiering critically acclaimed, soon to be award-nominated films? Apparently, those days are over because they let racist trash masquerading as comedy premiere at SXSW now. Surely any film that perpetuates stereotypes about black people, the LGBTQ community, and rape would offend the generally progressive crowd in Austin. Audience members were not at all feeling Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell's prison comedy, Get Hard when it premiered at this year's festival. One of the attendees went as far as to say, “This film seemed racist as fuck.”
Run the Jewels was attacked onstage.
Killer Mike had to physically stop a man who rushed the stage in an attempt to assault El-P during a Run the Jewels performance at a Spotify House event. You know it's bad when even the performers aren't safe.
At least one band was robbed.
The JAG, a Nashville-based band set to perform at SXSW this year, found about $12,000 worth of gear burglarized straight from their van. All of the equipment they owned for 10 years was stolen from them, and they've been forced to borrow instruments from other bands before they perform and set up a GoFundMe to raise money for new gear.
Even Ryan Gosling can't hold a crowd's attention.
Ryan Gosling arrived at SXSW to promote his directorial debut, Lost River. However, during a presentation on the film, he was outshined by a marriage proposal in the audience. Gosling, to his credit, gracefully handed over his mic to the couple who stole his moment.
It's dominated by big brands.
SXSW Interactive just isn't what it used to be when everyone is trying to be a tech company. It's not just startups either; big brands are trying to get in on the action. Even McDonald's threw a party and offered wireless charging at SXSW this year. Keep Austin Corporate.
Even Tinder has been taken over by a weird marketing stunt.
Tinder users have found themselves swiping right to match with a mysterious woman named Ava, only to be directed to her Instagram account to find out that it was all part of an elaborate marketing ploy from the PR crew behind the new film, Ex Machina. Surely everyone at SXSW 2014 was still using Tinder, but at least they weren't falling in love with an Artificial Intelligence spambot (or maybe they still were).
Stars aren't showing up to their own premieres.
No one will admit it, but half the reason people go to the movie premieres at SXSW is to get a glimpse of the celebrities attending the premieres as well. Russell Brand didn't show up for his documentary Brand: A Second Coming, claiming that his behavior in the film made him too uncomfortable to watch.
There are just too many damn people.
There are more free parties this year, which seems like it might be a good idea until you realize it just means that every single party and showcase is way more crowded than it needs to be. Due to overcrowding, paying customers who've shelled out way too much money are being excluded from the showcases they already paid to see.