Opinion: Ozzy Osbourne rightly slams Kanye's anti-semitism, but once 'admired' Hitler's 'charisma'

This story (and this opinion piece) is not only about Ozzy Osbourne, but it starts with how he has been in the news lately for various reasons. As noted recently on this site, he has announced his final live shows, and he's also going to get his second induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. At the same time, he is also still generating some coverage over scandals. So what is the issue now? It turns out there are multiple Ozzy-related ones currently in the news; he's called out Kanye West's behavior, which has increased scrutiny of some of Ozzy's own iffy past comments regarding a certain famous dictator.

In a surprising turn of events, Ozzy Osbourne, famed for his role in Black Sabbath, bashed Kanye West for Kanye's desire to sample the iconic track "War Pigs" in his music without permission in the song "Carnival." Ozzy referred to how West recently stirred controversy by repeatedly making anti-Semitic comments, including praising genocidal tyrant Adolf Hitler. Osbourne vehemently expressed his disdain for West's anti-Semitic remarks and apparent ideology, asserting that the rapper was denied permission to use the song due to these concerns. To his limited credit (and we do emphasize limited), West did eventually take a sample out, but only after prompting Osbourne's ire.

However, here is where the plot thickens: Yes, Osbourne took to social media to vent his frustrations, only to have his past words resurface from a 1982 interview where he shockingly cited Adolf Hitler as an influence. The resurfacing of this interview, in which Osbourne expressed admiration for Hitler's charisma albeit condemning his actions, added fuel to the fire of controversy surrounding Osbourne's condemnation of West because some feel Ozzy was being hypocritical.

How to avoid a Hitler-related scandal, unlike Kanye West or Ozzy Osbourne

As we explore this issue, it seems relevant to look at how one might avoid such a scandal (be they celebrity or otherwise). A possible complicating factor is that others have similarly noted Hitler's ability to control crowds, including respected historians. For example, Laurence Rees, a historian and former Head of BBC TV History Programmes, gave a speech on The Charisma of Adolf Hitler.

Now, despite making it clear he did not support the dictator, some might accuse someone who discusses Hitler's personality of doing a flawed job (especially when everyone has a different opinion). And here's a preview of a BBC documentary, emphasized as attempting to expose Hitler's propaganda methods, most certainly to criticize them and condemn his worldviews:

So, for some, the question may emerge: How does one draw the line between simply noting an evil leader had "charisma," and implying that it was perhaps a respectable trait that almost overshadows their crimes?

The answer, at least to my mind, is simple: When possible, instead of focusing so much on charismatic dictators or other sinister people (like Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, or an orange menace I won't specifically name), maybe focus more on charismatic non-dictators who promoted things like freedom, democracy, human rights, and other relatively good stuff (people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Frederick Douglass, etc.). At the very least, there will be less of a genocide-y aftertaste.

The specifics of what Ozzy Osbourne said...and why, yes, it's pretty bad

This specific debacle began when West sought to utilize a segment of "War Pigs" during a listening event, but was denied permission due to his alleged anti-Semitic behavior. Osbourne wrote, in all caps: "“@KANYEWEST ASKED PERMISSION TO SAMPLE A SECTION OF A 1983 LIVE PERFORMANCE OF ‘IRON MAN’ FROM THE US FESTIVAL WITHOUT VOCALS & WAS REFUSED PERMISSION BECAUSE HE IS AN ANTISEMITE AND HAS CAUSED UNTOLD HEARTACHE TO MANY...HE WENT AHEAD AND USED THE SAMPLE ANYWAY AT HIS ALBUM LISTENING PARTY LAST NIGHT. I WANT NO ASSOCIATION WITH THIS MAN!"

Despite this denial, West initially proceeded to use the sample, leading Osbourne to publicly denounce him. It's also true that, during West's performance, his controversial, anti-semitic lyrics — "And I’m still crazy, bipolar, anti-Semite...And I’m still the king" — reportedly caused the streaming service to shut down the livestream.

As the backlash between Ozzy and Kanye intensified, some highlighted Osbourne's own controversial remarks from decades prior, questioning his credibility in condemning West. Specifically, Ozzy said in the 1982 interview (linked above): "Adolf Hitler had a charisma, in a bad way, and I kind of admired him. He was a freak, he was a lunatic, but he had something about him, you know. It was bad what he did, it was terrible what he did, he killed all of these people and whatever, but it was like, he had something about him, you know. I admired him, not for what he was, but for people."

Final thoughts pt. 1: Both Kanye, Ozzy, and others often earn their negative scrutiny

Here's what one can fairly say: The 1982 interview resurfaced, showcasing Osbourne's admiration for Hitler's charisma despite [italics]kind of condemning his atrocities. This juxtaposition of past and present controversies has cast a shadow over Osbourne's recent condemnation of West, leaving the iconic musician facing scrutiny and criticism. Yet, Osbourne has so far remained silent in response to the mounting backlash. That is his choice, and it could be that he will come out with some sort of statement elaborating on his position (I'm guessing to express regret).

Both "Ye" and Ozzy will have defenders, and they will cite various reasons aside from overt racism/ignorance for the behavior in question. With West, it might be the fact he has bipolar disorder — something he even rapped about during the live stream, though he specifically acknowledged he's still anti-semitic, thus almost instantly debunking the theory that his recent outbursts are solely due to mental illness of any kind (to be fair, they didn't have the appearance of being normal, at least for many people).

Similarly, one assumes Ozzy fans might mount their own defense, saying something along the lines of "It was the '80s, Ozzy was probably coked out of his mind," or some such thing. However, racism is certainly not always a side effect of drugs, or any obvious mental health issues. Often it has to do with cultural upbringing, power games, what one finds acceptable, and what people think they might get away with.

Final thoughts pt. 2: Celebrity heroification has its limits

Though some will accuse this article of just being a scandal-seeking, "race-baiting" hit piece, it's nevertheless also a fact that these happened. Similarly, if I'm going to pick on the Osbournes some more: Holly Robinson Peete, one of the original hosts of CBS daytime talk show The Talk, had alleged on Twitter: "I'm old enough to remember when Sharon [Osbourne] complained that I was too 'ghetto' for #theTalk...then I was gone..." Leah Remini stepped up to back up Peete's claim.

At the end of the day, I think one can separate the art from the artist, if that is their prerogative. After all, if we really peered behind the curtain and saw every rotten thingh every artist may have done, how much art would even be left? At the same time, so-called "call-out culture" is inevitable, and some of it absolutely makes sense and has its place. And if it doesn't, just imagine you were wronged by some celebrity; would you just want to stay silent, or might you want to shout it from the rooftops?

If you say or do something wrong and someone doesn't like it, they might say something about it. It can really be that simple, and, again, it's time humans spent a little more time being role models for others rather than expecting them to occur naturally in pop culture. If you meet your heroes, they might stop being heroes, and that is the cold, hard truth on display here.