rolling "Is This Racist?" thread

maybe i'm the real racist

Who knew Gordon Lightfoot was such a racist.

Don't talk shit about Gordon Lightfoot

Maybe it's the earth's rotation that is the real racist.

"the watchman's gone" off sundown is all time

kkkopernican heliocentrism

tell me about the word "yankee". if a person (white, southern) uses that a lot, is it generally a problem? i realise it's not quite a confederate belt buckle, but something about it.

that whole damn album is amazing, christ

come on y'all the word "sundown" is not the issue here it's "sundown town"

i hardly ever use the word "yankee" & i only use it in certain cases where i'm speaking for a particular point of view that is not necessarily my own. e.g.

I think most people from the deep south would think I talk like a yankee though

― Mmm yes hello (crüt), Monday, December 23, 2013 4:50 PM (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

but thinking more deeply about the context of that word makes me not want to use it even in that context. the extent to which it's hideously offensive has only recently occurred to me tbh. :/

Is it offensive? I've never taken it seriously.

I think it carries as much baggage as the knee-jerk disdain for "southerners" or the broad generalizations about "the south" that you might hear in other parts of the country. It's not really used above the mason-dixon at all, unless you're referring to the baseball team.

It's especially a non-starter in the midwest/west as there's no real historical context. I might be a yankee to some in the southeastern US, but being called such has no real associations for me

i will use the word yankee to refer to particular northeast attitudes, cultural phenomena -- i think it's as offensive as calling someone "whitey" imo

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/21/russian-socialite-zhukova-racist-chair-naked-black-mannequin?CMP=fb_gu

http://i.imgur.com/ygULo1b.jpg

Jesus, Snoop

thread of snoop pictured with other ppl cuz he does this a lot

Yes, you are correct, Walter.

Only way that could've more awkward would have been if Snoop had posted "Stunt double for my kung-fu movie, hahahahahah."

I have a question. If a white was to cover a song by a black artist, which specifically deals with issues in the black community, it would be problematic to change the words to refer to a more general group, right? Say, The Bottle, by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson; changing "See that black boy over there, runnin' scared" to "See that young boy over there, runnin' scared".

Obviously alcoholism is a problem in many communities, but something about the re-appropriation makes me uncomfortable. And a white artist singing the original lyrics sounds like an accusatory outsider.

No big deal, just wondering what people's thoughts are.

Meant to be "If a white artist", of course.

well you could argue that changing the lyrics shows disrespect to the author so

i'm generally an "intent-over-content" guy when it comes to taboo language (erring on the side of not intentionally pissing people off for no fucking reason) so my inclination would be to respect authorial intent. i think chris rock's routine about white people singing along to rap may apply.

there's something problematic about removing blackness from a text in order for a white artist to be able to perform it but

well you could argue that changing the lyrics shows disrespect to the author

this isn't what's problematic about it. people covering songs change up the lyrics all the time and it's not "disrespectful," gtfo w/authorial totalitarianism, personalizing a song by changing the lyrics up a little is as totally ok. but when race is a factor, then the question gets a little thorny. (gender too maybe.)

my war against "so" at the end of a sentence continues in all cases

aero, your response seems to be "eh, change it if you want; author doesn't get to make you say what they want to but race and gender may make it complicated", which given that was the point of the conversation in the first place (unless i'm reading this wrong) doesn't really address the issue at all
http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/gabriel-peter-so-300x300.jpg...

I think the point was more "make sure the change says what you want it to say" and that sometimes erasing mention of color says something you don't intend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkLTwX0duY4

write a new song, bros

^^^^

gourdsplayingginandjuice.youtube.com

(gender too maybe.)

You have an issue with female singers gender-flipping lyrics so they're about guys?

no I just really hated "I Am Man," feel like it really missed the point

personally thought the Oran Juice Jones version of Bobbie Gentry "Fancy" was a lil awkward

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ov9082a1c

though i suppose me'shell self-identifies as bi, just always thought that would be a fun song to gender flip

Always wanted to do a cover of "Johnny, Are You Queer?"

Melissa Etheridge's comeback single: "Hello Lucille, Are You a Lesbian?"

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/711rXz-SD1L._SL1000_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71iZedLLhDL._SL1000_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516CX-%2BTixL.jpg

kinda lol, prob racist

eh, accurate enough, let's face it

love dude's hi top fade

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51OQOhWHWGL.jpg

it's the combo hi-top fade/AIR FORCE sweatshirt that kills me

It looks like you're racially segregating. Would you like help?

trying to do a clippy / afro joke; not working when i type it out
or even conceptually really

how about that katy perry video?

don't make me search bro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KSOMA3QBU0

racist against ancient egyptians

holy shit that is the best youtube preview image since "I Miss You"

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/youtube-to-remove-katy-perry-s-dark-horse-video-depicting-name-of-god-allah-youtube-to-remove-katy-perry-s-video-dark-horse-from-their-website

Dude's wearing like 10 necklaces. 90% of all necklaces are god-related. Odds are, one of his necklaces is gonna be someone's god.