orgers, i am getting very perturbed.there have been numerous chats about prince's race.why is his race a factor, when you enjoy his music? black,white,latino,german,mexican, love the man for his music.

For fuck sake, do you have to quote the whole message guys - it makes it kinda difficult to read this thread when you quote giant pictures in every darn reply!

Back on topic, it seems to me that many (remember when you flame me that I didn't say all) Black entertainers only play the race card when their careers are taking a turn for the worse.

When they're doing commercially well, it doesn't seem to be something they bring up, funny that.


/
[This message was edited Fri Mar 26 12:22:19 2004 by Romance1600]

[This message was edited Fri Mar 26 12:24:48 2004 by mochalox]

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

cool

CalhounSq said:

Shit, everyone knows Jesus is a black midget lesbian with 1 leg and no hair.

...and MJ is a tall, leggy asian woman with a beard.

mochalox said:

Back on topic, it seems to me that many (remember when you flame me that I didn't say all) Black entertainers only play the race card when their careers are taking a turn for the worse.

When they're doing commercially well, it doesn't seem to be something they bring up, funny that.



but not as funny as when people wish they'd stop doing it. Maybe people grow older and more mature and realize you can't sing/rehash 20 year old songs all the time to please some people.

meltwithu said:

How little do you know

AndGodCreatedMe said:

no..tell me..how little do i know..please.

Sueme said:

EXACT-FUCKING-LY.

FunnyWayOfStoppinTheJuice said:

What kind of morons were these?

What kind of morons said that? And why even dignify it with a response?

Anyway, race baiting sucks. I fail to see the relevance of Mariah, Michael, Malcolm or minstrelry to the discussion.

FunnyWayOfStoppinTheJuice said:

Okay now that was one hell of a post!! Yes Prince is black there is no rational thought process that can argue that. As for claiming the most talented that ain't new and I will tell you something else if you look in the past that hasn't been reserved for light skinned blacks that could pass for bi racial. Nat King Cole and Jimmi Hendrix come to mind.
I think that most white american thinks racism is using the N word or not sitting in the same resturant as blacks or whatever race, but it goes deeper than that. Hell we crossed that bridge decades ago. No it is the recognition and respect of ones talent and culture. It is the accpetance and celebration of this. Imagine if people tried to make Gay folks that they like not Gay because they were talented and the what not. See how foolish that would be?
Also ever since Purple Rain really Prince has come back home in one way or another musically. Although I never really thought that he left. Prince has always been funky and soulful he just loved rock guitar and belive it or not there are many black folk that do so that whenever he does a blistering guitar solo some people thought he was reaching out to a white audience when I just thought he played what his heart felt.
Still I apprieciate the post because it said what needed to be said and who can fault you for that?
Peace

Brilliant imagery. Brilliant...

In my opinion I look at Prince and I see a black man.

However, when I look at Gregory Williams', the author of one of my most favorite books on the planet, "Life on the Color Line." I see a white man. Dr. Williams' was a guest in a class I took last summer. A white student asked: "So, what do you consider yourself?" He said: "African American." So, that's what I think when I see him, but, again, it's not what I see. (His mother was white, his father half white, half black; Williams was first raised as white, and became "colored" when he was 10.) Apparently, for incredibly complicated historical reasons, no matter how light-skinned Prince is, he'll never be considered white in America.

CalhounSq said:

amen to that! that, and i totally think funnyway was right the fuck on in his sentiments, too.

Well the old thing was, 1% black then youre 100% black - which I consider complete bullshit. My friends wife is half black and half white, she considers herself 'mixed race' not just black.

jagshrapnel said:

Oh, it can get so technical. I read F. James Davis' "Who is Black?" years ago and learned that a person who is 3/4 black (meaning 3 of 4 grandparents are black) is considered a sambo (or griff). He also explains the term "mulatto." It originated from the Spanish word for mule, "the ungainly, stubborn and sterile offspring of a donkey and a horse." The idea that people of mixed race couldn't breed made it an unpleasant word. I never use it.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Muchas gracias.

You guys make it so difficult. Prince is obviously African. And he's also obviously European. It's not an either or thing. He might have other things as well. Eventually that'll be the norm in America and ultimately around the world if we don't kill eachother first. It's time to embrace eachother and quit worrying about these little differences. We're all different, yet we all have our similarities.

If that doesn't work for you, think of Prince as being somewhere in the spectrum between Wesley Snipes and Tom Cruise (for lack of better examples).

whodknee said:

life ain't that easy.

To be honest, Prince's race never once crossed my mind as I listened to the albums and watched the movies.....










.....until I came to the Org, that is. Over and over, the Race Debate has been rehashed. Black? European? Mixed? Filipino? Asian? Native American? Who cares?

Apparently, many of you do.

Why is this? Why the debate? Why the argument?


Especially people who say he's becoming more "black" lately, or that he's "coming home" musically, or seem to get upset that he's dated more white or light-skinned women than black. What utter bullshit!

Regardless of Prince's race, should it matter who he's seeing? As long as no one's getting hurt, NO.

As for the music, I am aware that certain styles of music are associated with different ethnic groups. But beeing associated doesn't make jazz or R&B more "black", and rock and pop more "white". Music has no colour.

It's amazing that in 2004, and after so much time listening to Prince's music and his message, some of you can't seem to get over it.

As many of you who behave this way on the Org are older than me, can it be safe to assume that this preoccupation with race is a generational quirk?

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

My granny's side, we try and keep it on the hush. People who really don't know what he stood for (especially towards the end), tend to judge you. I don't care though, I'm proud of who he was and what he did. I'll do my best to continue some of what he started.

Blue

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

But u have to want it, rather than martyrdom. That doesn't help anybody.

If everybody had the attitude of whodknee who could possibly argue that we wouldn't be better off?

Nothing wrong with ideals. Personally I think this whole idea of blackness and degrees of whatever is absolute tripe.

Wasn't it the great Popeye who once said, "I am what I am".

To be really, really painfully honest, back when I was first discovering Prince back in the early '80s, I didn't think of him as black or white or Hispanic or Italian or whatever. He just WAS. If anything, he was purple. He was an alien. A cartoon character come to live in the real world like Roger Rabbit. These days, it's a bit different - he's made enough statements to put the labels on himself where he wouldn't before - but still, I've always thought that he brings up race out of a sincere interest and feeling of affiliation rather than some kind of obligation or affectation.

whodknee said:

Yeah, Ma and Pa Nelson lied.

PRINCE is black. IS THEIR SOMETHING WRONG WITH BEING BLACK???

being black, in this country at least, means that u have the blood of 1 or more races flowing through your veins. its called being AMERICAN. BLACK PEOPLE in America ARE MULTI-RACIAL, this is why many of us look like other people.

again: what's wrong with being black?

my answer: absolutely nothing.

if your parents are of different races that makes u bi-racial. if your parents, parents are of different races, for instance: grandmom black and granddad asian and the other set is black than darling, that makes u black. not bi-racial. i'm not saying u shouldn't be proud of your heritage. i'm saying that u are negro, like the rest of black america. it is pointless 2 point out my ancestors different ethnicities. i am not ashamed and it sure as hell doesn't make me feel better than being "just black". BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL. everyone is trying 2 be ANYTHING other than black these days. what the f*uck?!! learn your history and be proud of who & what u are!! PRINCE is.

back in the day, PRINCE was young, he had not experienced much of the bullshit of racism that comes with realization and age. unfortunately, he has been through some sh*t, and like all of us, has discovered that discrimination is ALIVE & WELL. i don't sugar-coat a thing. i'm just calling it as it is.

again: BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL. be PROUD of who u are!!!!!

Prince is Purple

"1967 on a bus marked public school rode me a group of unsuspecting Political tools-Parents wondered what it'd be like 2 have another colour near..."

U know it's very easy 4 somebody (and I do mean alot of peole who have commented on this thread) to say Race and Colour don't matter probably because U don't or never had 2 deal with it.
I 4 example am a self made millionaire and have been since age 24 (Im now 29) and it would be very easy 4 me 2 say that Money doesn't matter but that would be ignorant and totally insensitive 2 people not that well off.
I could say it doesn't matter if Ur Muslim- Try telling that 2 the people of Palestine, Afghanistan & Iraq.
I could say it doesn't matter if Ur gay and yet alot of my gay friends get alot of abuse.

The truth is baby...JUST BECAUSE A PROBLEM IS NOT AFFECTING U-DOESN'T MEAN THERE'S NOT A PROBLEM!

If we are all gonna follow prince music then we gotta recognise the message behind alot of the words. Why ignore Prince telling y'all Thomas Jefferson had slaves and shit or dissing Musicology cos it isn't Rock enough and sounds 2 James Brown

IT SEEMS ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAPPY TO ENJOY THE MUSIC BUT ARE UNHAPPY 2 ACKNOWLEDGE WHERE THE MUSIC'S FROM


I love U all

JOEYCOCO said:[quote]PRINCE is black. IS THEIR SOMETHING WRONG WITH BEING BLACK???


Uhm, I dont know what page u r reading but at no point did anyone here say there was ANYTHING WRONG with being black.
I can almost guarantee you that 90% of Prince plans are open-minded and have a mind of their own, (at least i like to think that).

You know that saying "Its like preaching to the converted"?

I for one, never saw Prince as a colour. Just a fusion of music that I was instinctivly drawn too.