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Post by The Curmudgeon on Jun 26, 2008 22:56:31 GMT 2
Racism, to me, is one of the most frustrating, pointless social diseases in the world. It's bred of ignorance and nothing else. The Curmudgeon doesn't mind hate - but hate on what someone DOES and SAYS, not 'cos someone happens to have a better tan than you.
I hate to sound all "We Are The World" here, but seriously; the fact that racism is still such a huge, ugly part of the world is monumentally depressing. You go onto 99% of Youtube videos that feature a black person and I can pretty much guarantee you're gonna see the "n" bomb dropped, and not in the "friendly" way that has seemingly taken over the world.
At a metal festival this week in the UK, a British rapper (Lethal Bizzle) was (rather unwisely) booked to appear. He was met with a sea of bottles before he even opened his mouth to rap, and among the torrent of missiles were toy monkeys and banana's with racist slurs written on them. How fucking SAD is that?
So does racism affect YOUR life? Do you encounter this hatred in your everyday routines and the people you deal with? I would say I do, but its the casual ignorant type, absently using words like "Paki" (I even heard this classic last week; "I'm not racist, but I hate Paki's"), and it really gets me down because there's no beating it. You're not going to change someone's mind if they're this stupid. And the fact racism is alive and well on youth orientated things like Youtube and rock gigs is heart breaking.
I hate to sound all holier-than-thou and kill joy, because I can appreciate cracks aimed at races and beliefs - but there's got to be a level, a boundary. Racist ignorance being shown in, say, The Office, is funny because it's shown as not the right way to act. I'm not politically correct for the sake of it - I can make jokes like anyone, but then again I make jokes about child molesters and 9/11. It doesn't mean I actually BELIEVE it, but "gallows" humour is part and parcel of human expression - always has been. It's when words and beliefs are GENUINE that it becomes something else, something far more sinister and poisonous.
Anyway - does it effect YOU?
Thoughts?
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Post by trashcanman on Jun 27, 2008 11:33:37 GMT 2
Christ man, America has a whole history with black racism based on slavery (a Civil War over it even). What is the main issue in the UK? Or is it just fashionable to be an asshole? I know that European metal fans are the most passionate about the art, but when you become hostile to other styles of music you close your mind and become a fucking bigot. And it is NEVER cool to use race as a way to express your disapproval of anything. You don't like the music? Go get a beer or something. A diverse mind needs diverse music. I have a fire burning inside of me that assures I will always favor punk and metal, but I'm much more than that as a person. I love the intelligently combative and savvy street culture of classic rap, the groove of reggae and ska, the fun of funk, the artistry showmanship and technicality of classic rock, the expressiveness of folk, the innovation of stylistic mash-ups, the soul of the blues....I could go on.
I deal with harmless racism every day: I was born into it and I married into it. Just ignorant okies and thoughtless upscale types who never stoop to speaking to people different fomr them and make assumptions about other people based on wah they see on Fox News. Garden-variety ignorance. They never treat people poorly, they just make stupid statements behind people's backs. So embarrassing. But my neck of the woods is so wonderfully diverse that out walking the streets racism is nearly non-existent amon gmy generation. We've got very healthy populations of Asians and Blacks, plus nearly half of the rest is Mexican. Whites make up less than half of the total population. All of the cultures intermingle frequently. I love it. Let the old assholes sit in their towers; out in the streets racism is dying a slow, quiet death in Central California. My in-laws are afraid minorities are taking over. I say "So what?".
I don't have time to get into this now, but Barack Obama's presidential campaign has brought a cesspool of racial hatred out of the American political media. Good. Maybe now that it's out in the open, we can fucking kill it. Let me know if you want some clips or stories about the kind of jaw-dropping shit that has been said about squeaky-clean Obama and I'll take you for a ride.
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Post by The Curmudgeon on Jun 27, 2008 16:40:05 GMT 2
Do I want to see blood-boiling ignorance and stupidity? Hmmm.. yeah, go on then - as the Manics said, Know Your Enemy. What's been said?
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Post by Ben on Jun 27, 2008 17:19:05 GMT 2
I don't condone racism, and frankly, is pisses me off most of the time, but I say fuck being "politically correct." If I call a black person an asshole, or any other number of insults that don't begin with "n", it's because I don't like him as a person. It does not automatically make me a racist-black-hating-no-good with no respect for other cultures. Of course, these days I can't call a black person anything but "friend" if I don't want to be accused of "hating" their race as a whole. If that same person calls me a honkie, or a cracker, or some other name regarding my white skin, no one gives a damn. Apparently we're supposed to take it, since black people had to put up with the previous generation of white people and their arrogance. What these idiots (who jump from their chairs at the the most ridiculous things just to scream "racism!" at anyone who's white) don't understand is that, like Trashcanman already mentioned, racism is dying with each new generation. Us young people don't really give a damn whether someone's black, white, blue, or orange (to quote a classic feel-good movie). Here's an example of what I'm talking about. I'm sure you've all read about this already, but here it is. www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/clint%20eastwood%20says%20spike%20lee%20should%20shut%20his%20face_1070697Gotta love that old guy. |
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Post by The Curmudgeon on Jun 27, 2008 18:02:55 GMT 2
Amen, Ben. Hey, that rhymes. Yeah, I totally agree - I've always said the same thing - if you call a guy an idiot it's because you think he's an idiot - regardless of whether they're black or white.
And good ol' Clint. Spike Lee is the master of "oh, he's a RACIST!" finger pointing, and its good to see someone not take the bait. Even at 70+, I bet Clint could still kick Spike's ass any day of the week.
Oh wait, talking about a white guy beating up a black guy..? RACIST!
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Post by trashcanman on Jun 28, 2008 12:10:16 GMT 2
In the words of Ian Mackaye: "I'm sorry For something I didn't do Lynched somebody But I don't know who You blame me for slavery A hundred years before I was born Guilty of being white I'm a convict Of a racist crime I've only served 19 years of my time Guilty of being white" Okay, about the campaign. There has been fears of attempts on Obama's life by racist groups and so Clinton drops this little nugget: youtube.com/watch?v=E0QAewVrR28 and then feigns ignorance after the fact. Snopes.com has an entier section of their site dedicated to the outright lies that have been spread about him. www.snopes.com/politics/obama/obama.asp ...And another about a particualr email that has circulated professing to have caught him in 50 lies: www.snopes.com/politics/obama/50lies.aspSpeaks for itself: youtube.com/watch?v=m8sRgQsXSMk&feature=relatedFYI: American latinos and blacks have a historical mutual dislike. Obama's former preacher is a bit...mmmmmm.. let's say "flamboyant". Clinton's campaign dug up this decade-old nugget to frighten white America. You have no fucking idea how often this shit has been played and re-played on the news. youtube.com/watch?v=m8sRgQsXSMk&feature=relatedScary? No. Much of it is true. Is Obama saying these things? No he said this: youtube.com/watch?v=_7piGy0u43cGot a problem with that? Could Bush conduct himself with such class and grace? And still they attack with lies and baseless accusations; this time about his wife. youtube.com/watch?v=-g5P9_e43sEOoooooh, "whitey"! I'm SOOOOOOOOO offended! Aren't you? I'll believe it when I see it and I still won't give a shit. Oh wait, this just in: the tape has surfaced! Check it out for yourself: youtube.com/watch?v=aZi6U811hxE&feature=relatedGotta love Fox News. youtube.com/watch?v=Cit-XeYs9dwIt never fucking ends so I'll stop now, but you get the idea. November can not come fast enough for me. |
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Post by trashcanman on Jun 30, 2008 2:16:46 GMT 2
Hold on: one more I forgot. This was Clinton's campaign advisor: youtube.com/watch?v=XNPeG-WtXt4&feature=relatedBecause it's SOOOOOOO much easier to get into a position of power in America if you're not a white man. The black man is always keeping us down! Piss off, bitch. Oh, and Ben let me shed some light on the whole "honkie" thing. Nobody cares because white men have never been oppressed in this country. Talk to an older black person from the South. Have you ever seen any of your friends beaten, shot, or hung from the nearest tree after somebody called you a honkie or cracker for no reason whatsoerver? Ever had bricks thrown at you as yu arrived at school adn had to be escorted by police into the bulding while a murderous crowd yelled "DIE CRACKER!" at you? Words like "nigger", "coon" , etc have been used for verbal terrorism against black people for decades and longer. It will take at least a generation to remove that instictive fear and hatred. That's why white-based racial insults pack no punch. It's unfair to some of us, but it's not unreasonable when put into perspective. |
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Post by Ben on Jun 30, 2008 3:37:12 GMT 2
I understand that Trashcanman. My point is that making racial comments against whites (cracker, honkie, etc) shouldn't be "ok" (while making racial comments against any minority is completely unacceptable) just because of the past. People should at least be consistent with what they deem acceptable. All or nothing, I say.
In my opinion, history is poor justification for the present.
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Post by The Curmudgeon on Jun 30, 2008 20:26:13 GMT 2
The thing is, the word "nigger" is around more than ever. Whilst it was a word casually thrown around in the 60s in America, now its ubiquity is really quite depressing, and you can't even question its irritating double standards without getting the racist tag thrown on you. www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM9pAhu6SxkMTV has pretty much brainwashed every white kid in the world to think that the casual use of the word "nigger" is OK. But they've also re-inforced the idea into very young kids minds that BLACK PEOPLE are "niggers." Even if you've got good parents that don't want you using that kind of language and don't bring you up thinking that way, it doesn't matter - as soon as you switch music channels on there's that big ol' N bomb. So I really don't see the word "nigger" going away anytime soon, if ever. |
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Post by trashcanman on Jul 1, 2008 0:48:33 GMT 2
True, true, all true. Making racial comeents about anybody is not okay unless everybody present is cool with it regardless of history. MTV and BET are garbage that have harmed the image and culture of the black community more than they will ever be able to measure. Remember that show "The Boondocks" I was telling you about? N-bombs in every single sentence but it manages to uplift black culture even as it tears it down. Aaron McGruder's point is that words are just words and the meaning of those words varies and evolves over time. He uses the word comedically and casually and emphasizes that if we all get used to the fact that people are going to say shit we don't like no matter what and the only sensible defense is to get over yourself and make it a joke. Some day it will be considered laughably quaint to use "nigger" as an insult. Mark my words.
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