DIIV Issue Statement on Bassist’s "Inexcusable" 4Chan Posts, "Discussing His Future in the Band"

Photo by Tom Spray

Earlier this weekend, it was revealed that DIIV bassist Devin Ruben Perez (pictured far left) wrote sexist, racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic remarks on the website 4chan.

DIIV’s Zachary Cole Smith responded to these allegations extensively on Twitter “I will never EVER tolerate sexism, racism, homophobia, bullying, or bigotry of any kind. I’m doing everything to get to the bottom of this,” he tweeted. Perez himself tweeted, “I’m not sexist, racist or a misogynist and anyone who knows me knows that. I just said some dumb shit on an anime message board.”

Now, a representative for DIIV has sent over the following statement:

Cole doesn’t stand for any bigotry, hatred, sexism racism or homophobia, especially when it’s manifest in his own band. Cole and Devin are discussing what happened and his future in the band. Devin acknowledges what he did is very wrong. 4chan is a poisonous place. It’s the bowels of the internet. A place where Devin lost sight of what’s remotely appropriate and what isn’t. Racial slurs and sexist remarks are practically what comprise the entirety of the site. It’s important to examine the context of his comments, not to excuse them, but rather because it is a place that breeds, proliferates, and encourages dark and violent ideologies disguised as humor.

It needs to be exposed. It’s lurking just beneath the surface and it’s everywhere. Every journalist covering this story has a responsibility to expose 4chan for what it is. But regardless of the context, what Devin said is inexcusable. It will not be tolerated in the band or anywhere. But ultimately Cole and Devin are very close friends so this is a very hard thing for him to swallow, seeing such unexpected behavior like this from such a close friend. It is not being tolerated and is being dealt with right now.

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