I was just wondering if any fans get upset when Prince says things like "All the white people clap your hands on the four" or "Dancing like a white girl..."? I don't think I've ever heard any criticisms of lines like that but I was just wondering if anyone's ever gotten offended? Is anyone who does get offended being too sensitive? I'm black so the lines aren't directly directed at me but I just wanted to know how the white fans felt.
[This message was edited Tue Jun 29 19:51:38 2004 by CynicKill]

nah, i've always thought of it as kind of a harmless tease, nothing more.

I play along and clap on the four.

hey it's kinda true for a lot of white people.

not this one, though.

I'm white and I love it in D.M.S.R. when Prince says "All the white people clap your hands on the floor now". Prince doesn't mean it in an offensive way. He knows he has a racially mixed audience. His back up band, The Revolution, when he recorded that song, was racially mixed as well.

I was a Prince fan from day one. I listened to black music exclusively back then. I'm from the South and all my friends back in the day were black. The reason all my friends were black was because white people would not have anything to do with me for hanging with the blacks. I went skating on funk nights, I was like the male Teena Marie, one little snowflake in a room full of elbow to elbow blacks. White people HATED me for it! I didn't give a damn then and if times were still the same now, I still wouldn't give a damn.

Times are different now and I have friends of all races. Racism is definitely still here but people are more in the closet with it now and not outspoken with it like they were then. Most people now may stare but at least they keep their damned mouth shut!

A Prince concert is like freedom that I have never seen. I don't know why we all can't live together like that everyday. I saw a racially mixed audience, almost equally balanced. Whites and blacks that didn't even know each other were talking to each other before the concert and discussing Prince like they had been friends all their lives. Even when Prince was performing "Purple Rain" towards the end of the concert, two lesbians had moved into the aisle dancing together with their arms around each other. At some point, they even began kissing. People looked for just a second, and then continued looking at the concert like it was no big deal. This is how we should all be living together on an everyday basis!

CynicKill said:

here a lot of these "lines" in a lot of movies, music and TV, and I take it mostly with a grain of salt, or I don't listen.

I'm sure White Chicks is chock-full of "White people are so.... etc" lines.

Whatever, it's nothing my fragile sensibilities can't handle.

Don't really think Prince uses them in an offensive way, or even in a way that implies a harmless joke.
[This message was edited Tue Jun 29 20:25:28 2004 by savoirfaire]

Coming from someone else, I might get annoyed, but Prince has done so much to bring people of all races closer together so that when HE says something like that, I just think it's adorable and it makes me smile. LOL

I couldn't have said it better myself.

darladee said:

So true, at least coming from me (a white female). When he says it you can tell he means no harm, and come on, it is Prince, you just gotta love him. Right?

darladee said:

Prince intergrates all colors in his songs, i.e. white people, purple hippies, and scarlet pussies.

Prince is a little racist but so are alot of black folx (coming from a half black person)
its all in good fun
im getting tired of the steriotype that white people can't dance
look at michael ja...
err wait...
aww fawk it
they can't dance lol

Luv4oneanotha said:

it has never bothered me...but then again, i have a sense of humour. considering half of p's band was white my guess is that he was making fun of stereotypes. he knows his band had rhythm, lol! and there's many times (being out in a club) when i use the line "dancin' like a white girl".

so, no, that stuff is all funny when taken in context.

We all know what he's saying by Dancin like a white girl--I mean we ALL know.

But when I saw the video "Dinner with Delores" where the blond haired, black girl, Delores is Dancing and the dance is absolutely hillarious--it does seem sad that Prince of all people is allowing a stereotype to be portrayed in one of HIS videos.

AsianBomb777 said:

lmfao that video is hilarious! lol

I do.

It's patronizing and racist.

Why is it racist to point out the obvious, like whites can't dance or blacks have fuzzy hair or Kilngons have no sence of humour or superheroes have big chins or women can't park or animals can't solve crosswords or murderers are messed up or gays shouldnt play in goal or rappers do bling or computers crash or rain is wet or sugar is sweet.
It's only a bit of fun. It's more racist to ignore people than to make harmless fun of them and folks who get offended at the drop of a hat should'nt be allowed into hat stows.

I wonder if Prince had anything to do with this line from The Time's song "The Bird"...


White folks,you look too tight
You gotta shake your hands like the black folks,you might get some tonight

unremarkable said:

i always thought it was weirder that he didnt call out 'all the black people' in any sort of way on DMSR.... i think even japanese people got a look in on that song, as did white people, but no black people.

really though, it is about exploiting racial stereotypes, and people here will defend it in some way or another to make them feel better but a stupid stereotype is exactly that. no point in trying to defend or justify it.

omnithanos said:

It can be deemed as racist because it is an inaccurate generalisation. It is not obvious that white people can't dance, just as it's not obvious that all black people have fuzzy hair (Prince doesn't!). What is obvious is that it's a racial sterotype that gets repeated ad nauseum.

It's a stereotype, plain and simple, and therefore racist. And by the way, saying all black people have fuzzy hair is also a racial stereotype, as is women can't park, or kilngons (sic) have no sence (sic) of humour, or all Irish people are mad raving alcoholic bastards.

Taking offense at racial stereotypes is not indicative of a lack of sense of humour, it is indicative of a lack of tolerance for racism.

How is it more racist to ignore someone than to make fun of them ? (by the way, the type of 'fun' you are talking about is not harmless, it's harmful.) I for one would much rather be ignored than be told by some racist that I can't dance simply because I happen to be white.

And for the record, I damn well can dance.

thirstinhowlVIII said:

Doesn't he say "Negroes say" near the end?

Whats so wrong with generalisations? I'm white and can't dance much and I'm Irish and have had serious drink issues. Many many Irish people have, about 50%. Why do they have to set closing times in pubs here while in europe they stay open till whenever? And why are the streets lined with vomit? And why can't U drink beer in the cinema or in McDonalds here? If these generalisations weren't true then these rules wouldn't apply. Would it be wrong to make the generalisation that white people have light skin because you can argue that some of em have suntans.
The thing about Klingons is true cos they arent real and thats how they were written. The women thing is tongue in cheek but scientific studies show that the part of womens brains that deal with spacial awareness are generally not as developed as in a mans brain. That's why some of em can't park well, can't play snooker and can't putt on the green. Similarly men are lacking in the part of the brain which deals with comunication skills. That's why we generally lose agruments. And Prince only has straight hair cos he had it straightened. How come he had a mental afro on the cover of For You. Thats like saying the generalisation that black people mostly have darker skin than white people is false.
Ok what I said about making fun is better than ignoring is wrong. What I meant is that it's more racist to ignore someone because of their skin colour or whatever then to either confront or interact with them. Like if some dude rips off my shop am I supposed to say oh forget about it, he's a black dude or he's homeless. Treat everyone equally I say. Kick that homeless, black, asian, white, glasses wearing, red headed, cross dressing, athiest, jewish milkshake drinking, nazi protestant in the goolies and be done with it.
If I hear is it cos I is black line again i'll paint Shrek blue.

I doubt this bothers any white person. Us white people are used to comments like this.

AsylumUtopia said:

Prince DOES have fuzzy hair [see For You album cover]; he just relaxes it or straightens it!!

Well, I'm black and I can't dance a lick....but I DO have nappy, fuzzy hair and I'm proud of it! I love being black!

its only offensive if someone is being spiteful

AsylumUtopia said:

going to get my pic of prince with his big ass fuzzy afro