Litnet

So Die Antwoord just released a video in which they parody Lady Gaga as a brainless American, who gets hijacked, gives birth to a Parktown Prawn and then is eaten alive by a lion. Why the apparent animosity? She asked them to open for her (an offer they declined) and told them she was a fan.

I can appreciate both the groundbreaking visuals and popular music produced respectively by Lady Gaga and Die Antwoord. But let’s take the music, the lyrics and the visuals out of the equation for the moment. Let’s look at what they’ve done for humanity. Sure, there will be self-promotion involved in all humanitarian projects, but good work still gets done.

I will start with Gaga.

She has been an avid supporter of LGBTI rights from the start. For marriage equality she marched in Washington and made a passionate speech. The night before she made an impromptu appearance at a gay club and encouraged the audience to join the march. She celebrated Proposition 8 being overturned. She protested DADT. She in fact attended the 2010 MTV awards accompanied by four soldiers who left the US Air Force because they were not allowed to by openly gay because of DADT.

She has fought teenage homelessness.

She reached out to bullied, rejected children and at her concerts created a world for them where they could be themselves. She then reached out to the cool kids and told them to support the lone, bullied children. She co-founded the Born this Way Foundation with her mom.

She admitted to having an eating disorder and stated that she is proud of her current weigh gain. She launched the Body Revolution 2013.

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake Gaga donated proceeds of a concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall to the country's reconstruction fund. After the 2011 T?hoku earthquake and tsunami she designed and sold a special prayer bracelet – all proceeds went to the victims.

She is a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics which fights HIV/Aids.

She is currently encouraging her fans to communicate and debate issues around the US presidential election.

Okay, so over to Die Antwoord. What have they done for humanity, for LGBT rights, for homeless teenagers, for the HIV/Aids struggle? Nothing.

Reney Warrington