Now, by becoming educated, earning a strong income and moving out of an urban area and into a suburb, is a black person leaving their culture behind or are they helping to strengthen their culture and their race as a whole? They are helping to break a stereotype. They are making a change.

And THAT is racism my friends. What does the color of your skin have to do with the music you like or should listen to? Nothing at all.



It shows in your rants.



Once again, it shows.



Country music is a derivative of plantation spirituals (ever notice the intense level of pain in the songs and the somber subject matter?) Check out Pamela Foster's book My Country: The African D...c Heritage for more info about the roots of Country music from actual country/southern music scholars and reputed musicologists.



Woop-dee-doo. You now qualify for your "I'm Down with the Colored Kids" decoder ring. I know more about the works of Chaucer and other authors of 17th century English Renaissance literature than a majority of the non-college educated population in the U.S. -- and I'm black. Am I suddenly a reputed scholar on 17th century English Renaissance literature? No. Do I hold more ties to it than the Englishpeople in the UK whose ancestors were actually descendents of that actual Renaissance? No.



Your ancestors never originated it. Therefore, it isn't yours historically.



Yes they can. Example: Salsa and Tejano are authentically Latino-American musical artforms indigenous to the Latino American people within the United States. You, as a white person, cannot lay claim to its roots or form allegiances with its cultivation. Sure, you can listen to it and consume it with your dollars, but it's not yours to own and bastardize. Another example: Miami Bass music is an artform exclusively created in the Southeastern U.S., a Swedish boy from outer Djursholm can't just come in and take it over because it never belonged to him. Yes, he can TRY to emulate it, but he can never lay claim to it because it's not his.



Melting pot is the wrong terminology to describe America. To melt something down is to gel it to conform to ONE SINGLE thing -- in essence, to ASSIMILATE. Assimilation is never a celebration of diversity. We live in a "salad bowl" society, mixed with all different types of cultures, religions, sexual orientations, ethnicities, outlooks and viewpoints. For you to melt all these facets into one homogenized, one-size-fits-all, politically correct, McDonald's Happy meal facade defeats the idea of diversity to begin with and is more parallel to Nazi Germany than the American ideal.



Let me guess, the TV show Bionic Woman was the first time "French braids" were introduced. Oh, and I bet corn rows are a "gang thing." It's obvious that you're uninformed about a lot of the subjects you so voluntarily give "knowlegde" on. "Cornrows" is not the latest fad, it's a traditional African hairstyle thousands of years old. Oh yeah and "Ashanti" is not some crappy R&B singer, it's actually a people in Africa =0 Read "Before The Mayflower" by Lerone Bennet, a book which goes in concrete detail on the music, literature, luminaries, history, culture, education, traditions, customs, et cetera of Africa and the African Diaspora you know oh, so much about.

chemmie said:

I applaud you JANFAN4L.

minneapolisgenius said:

Whao,,,you really hide that "hard" side of you. Glad to see that you exposed it

Well, at least this thread is getting back on topic... BUT, chemmie and gman1966 you guys are OUT OF LINE here... I understand it's a passionate issue, and you both do make good point--but the personal attacks you two are undertaking here, will NOT be tolerated. Consider yourselves both warned. It's ok to disagree, but personal verbal assaults are not allowed as per the site rules.

ben said:

Absolutely right, I made a mistake and let that guy push my buttons. I apologize for the profanity to the orger's (Of course that is excluding that guy)

"I've watched Justin Timberlake,but every single move he does is stolen"---Mick Jagger,speaking to the Mirror of London

Melting pot is the wrong terminology to describe America. To melt something down is to gel it to conform to ONE SINGLE thing -- in essence, to ASSIMILATE. Assimilation is never a celebration of diversity. We live in a "salad bowl" society, mixed with all different types of cultures, religions, sexual orientations, ethnicities, outlooks and viewpoints. For you to melt all these facets into one homogenized, one-size-fits-all, politically correct, McDonald's Happy meal facade defeats the idea of diversity to begin with and is more parallel to Nazi Germany than the American ideal.

DavidEye said:

This coming from the "inventor" of the blues. Thanks, DavidEye. The irony was not lost on me.

: I think the biggest difference between most white and black people is, black people know white people better than white people know black people. Think about it. What black man, woman or child doesn't have contact with white people on a day to day basis? Black folks are forced to interact with white people in just living their day to day lives. In contrast, you have many white people who can live their whole lives without ever really interacting with black folks outside of having them carry their bags at the airport or clearing off their table when they go out to eat. Many of those types end up forming their opinions of black people based on TV and pop cutler because they have no real insight as to how most black folks really live. That's why I have big problems with the direction hip hop has gone. Some 50 year old white lady in Iowa sees 50 Cent on MTV and thinks that is the typical young black man. But that is a whole other subject so I need to leave that be for now.

: I think the biggest difference between most white and black people is, black people know white people better than white people know black people. Think about it. What black man, woman or child doesn't have contact with white people on a day to day basis? Black folks are forced to interact with white people in just living their day to day lives. In contrast, you have many white people who can live their whole lives without ever really interacting with black folks outside of having them carry their bags at the airport or clearing off their table when they go out to eat. Many of those types end up forming their opinions of black people based on TV and pop cutler because they have no real insight as to how most black folks really live. That's why I have big problems with the direction hip hop has gone. Some 50 year old white lady in Iowa sees 50 Cent on MTV and thinks that is the typical young black man. But that is a whole other subject so I need to leave that be for now.

So we agree? No black person should b allowed to perform classical ('white') music and no one who isn't from the ghetto is able or should b allowed to like hop-hop or r'nb?

I can't believe you guys are still arguing about this...LET IT GO people! Obviously after 109 posts, nothing will display who's wrong or right, so JUST BEAT IT! BEAT IT! No one wants to be defeated...


Can we like start another on how Mariah is a hoochie or something? Come on, please???
[This message was edited Fri Jun 20 11:53:41 PDT 2003 by purplegypsy]

intha916 said:

Where the hell do you live??? Maybe in middle America or the English countryside, but I live in London. Hell, theer are more black people in my workplace than whites.

purplegypsy said:

Exchanging points of view is not arguing. Part of the problem is too much is left unsaid.

intha916 said:

Uh, what would you call arguing then? People were calling each other racist pigs and telling each other to fuck off.

Well, I didn't think it was humanly possible to somehow fit a Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera concert in the Politics and Religion forum, but there you go, you've succesfully made a political issue out of it.