XxAxX said:

There is no law against it. So what would you call it if it's not a right?
Freedom of religion includes the right to discuss it with others.
Anyone who chooses to go door to door can do so legally (ask the Girl Scouts, window salesmen, and all those kids in your neighborhood with bagfulls of candy in their rooms ).
Plus, I didn't make any assumptions about you. I responded to what YOU stated! You said Prince has a burning hatred for white people. I explained why I feel that is a ridiculous idea. You said that Prince referring to himself as a slave to WB was silly. I pointed out that it's not for us to say because we aren't the ones who went through it. Where's the generalization on my part???
I stand by what I said about Lincoln. He obviously didn't have much experience in dealing with minorities as a youth, so like many others during that time, he didn't see them as equals. So even if his view did not come from a malicious or hateful place, it's still racist to think that another group of folks is inferior.
As far as Prince goes, you should know that he doesn't have a burning hatred for white people. If he did, I'd think that you would have boycotted his albums, tours and websites by now.

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

you ain't alone.

Stunning work. I applaud you...LOUDLY!

nah its pants..mostly because I get the feeling that Pfrince is grasping at straws for something to be controversial about....but thats just my opinion and no doubt one that will be shouted down.

Its as if he was trying to out do Spike Lee for the day in the most paranoid stakes

purpledoveuk said:

It's not hard to outdo Spike Lee. He's not smart enough to write something like 'Avalanche' .

That doesn't change the fact that Lincoln wrote the 13th amendment and was the one responsible for getting it through congress. You say that, just like Prince signs it, to imply that Lincoln did nothing to free the slaves.

There would be no 13th amendment without Lincoln yet you give him no credit at all for it because some lunatic shot him for his beliefs. Do you give MLK Jr any credit for civil rights advances that he started but which were not ultimately accomplished until after he was shot?

Again, Linclon said



The 13th amendment is Lincoln's legacy.

alandail said:

You're right, and it probably always will be. That doesn't mean that someone like Prince can't point out all the facts regarding the situation, rather than just pointing out the things that make Lincoln look like a hero. If MLK did shady things, they should be pointed out too. They're all imperfect humans just like the rest of us.

theblueangel said:

Pretty simple. Exactly the point of the entire lyrical view of this song. Musically and vocally this is indeed one of Prince's most amazing achievements of the last decade, if not last two decades.

But I wish I could turn off the way I listen to songs; the lyrics are to me a huge part of a song's appeal to me.

And that's where this song to me misses the mark. Sure, I realise Prince probably wrote the entire song around the word's "Abraham Lincoln was a racist" as much as "we could fuck until the dawn" was created just for shock purposes.

My problem is that Prince's view on history is tainted by his lessons in the Jehova Witness cult. The lyrics to a song like Family Name are as racist as he claims Abe Lincoln was.

I will not say he was not. In the eyes of modern day knowledge he WAS. But then EVERY white was a racist through ignorance. It is easy to look back on history and see it through the glasses of the freedom we fought for, as a human race.

Whenever I hear the album The Rainbow Children and songs like Avalanche, I hear the AGENDA Prince has...and sadly to say it is one of propaganda.
[Edited 11/1/04 14:52pm]

Alandail, I understand what you're saying, but I still think that the only point that the song makes in regard to Lincoln is that he was a racist. It's quite simple. OdysseyMiles quoted Lincoln saying the following:


Now regardless of what your other thoughts are on Lincoln or his legacy, how can you deny that the above statement is a racist one? I think that's the point Prince is making...that even this so-called freer of the slaves was in fact a racist by definition.

OdysseyMiles said:

point out all of the facts? They lyrics say



which clearly implies Lincoln had nothing to do with the 13th amendment when he in fact wrote it.

theblueangel said:

He wasn't a "so-called" freer of the slaves. As author of the 13th amendment he was in fact the freer of the slaves.

While he clearly wasn't perfect, you can't deny that he was instrumental in ending slavery.

Not only that, Prince then says:




And here is the context where Lincoln said that:



Lincoln is saying that while making his case for the end of slavery in front of congress.

OdysseyMiles said:

ok. you're right i overstated that. i think he has a burning anger toward white people and accompanying 'system' of oppression that's been coloring his work lately. this is the impression, feeling, taste i get. and it turns me off because i don't think anger will change the world. it has its place, but anger begets more anger. hate begets more hate. only love can engender more love.

obviously i'm not a perfect human being and i never claimed to be. i'm speaking from the perspective of someone who's listened to his music over the years (since the beginning) and learned a lot from hearing his point of view. but i don't dig the recent stuff so much. i just feel he does an equal amount of harm as good when he attacks someone like lincoln.
[Edited 11/1/04 16:14pm]