Quote from jorgeamado88:
I like Kanye Wests music, but from the songs I've heard I've never discovered anything racist about them. Do you have any examples to back up your claim that he's got that "white men are evil, keeping us down" mindset?
Maybe you're not listening hard enough.
From his "Heard 'em say" song:
Before you ask me to go get a job today,
can I at least get a raise on the minimum wage?
And I know the government administer aids,
Like most blacks (and all too many whites), no appreciation of how markets determine wages. It must be all one big, white racist plot to pay black people peanuts (let's face it, there the ones with the least skills, thus the ones getting the crappy jobs).
The goverment administers aids. (Black rates are higher than white, so it's whitey out to get 'em).
where I'm from the dope boys is the rock stars
but they can't cop cars without seein' cop cars
I guess they want us all behind bars, I know it, uh
Yep, whites just want blacks thrown into prison. Keen eye, Mr West.
...
So now my lil' cousin smokin' them cigarettes now
His job try to claim that he too niggerish now
Is it cuz his skin blacker than licorice now?
I can't figure it out, sick of it now,
My God man, it must be. Well done. You spotted evil white racism again. Bravo.
This isn't a cherry picked example, I simply chose it because it's getting a lot of air time at the moment. I wouldn't be at all surprised if his other big hit, that Golddigger song, or whatever it's caleld, has just as much nonsense in it. Afterall, this is Mr Kanye "Bush doesn't care about black people" West we're talking about.
Maybe to you all this seems harmless and innocent. And it probably does so because it's a black man saying it, and, apparently, they deserve more leeway. But just imagine a white man blaming his problems on blacks and there wouldn't even be any question about his racist attitudes.
Like, if a white wrote a song about giving up on basketball because the hectoring of blacks, who see basketball as their game, is too much to have to put up with, along with coaches' prejudices that he can't possibly be as good an athlete as blacks. (Funnily enough, the white man would be pretty much correct, certainly more so than Kanye West, but the song would be soon as hellishly racist, wouldn't it.)
I find it quite incredible that you ask me if I doubt that black people is a bigger obstacle than white people to improved race relations, as your statement implies there's no doubt about that. I'm at a loss as to why you would think so, but then again I do not live in the US and shall not claim to be familiar enough with the situation to say either way. I do however find it very hard to believe.
Fair enough. I suppose you haven't been exposed to the arguments yet. I've spent a lot of time in forums with blacks, listening to their points of view (amid incessant whining, accusations racism, and fully blown hatred, mind you), and I've become convinced that it's a no brainer. I suppose I don't blame you, as I was similarly convinced that whites are the real racists. But, what can I say? After reviewing everything, that viewpoint just seems so empty and baseless.
And even generalising an issue as race relations into "who's the bigger obstacle" is surprisingly simplistic. I do believe you have a more advanced analysis of the whole complex.
You know, call me cynical, but I've to grow very suspicious when people start appealing to "complexity". Sure, many things are quite complex, but I find this one of the more straightforward ones.
You did see the recent poll in France where 1/3 of the population agreed that they were "somewhat" racist? Of course US has a more recent history of segregation, and in Europe it's further back in time.
Personally, I don't blame the French at all for disliking Arabs. It was a huge mistake to ever let those people in. A huge mistake. Multiracialism and multiculturalis themselves are huge mistakes. These are some of the most idiotic ideas I have ever heard advanced.
But. You cannot generalise and say that every black man is a racist because there are leaders that (for personal gain) are making insane cries of racism. Your reasoning for "putting the blame on blacks" is not very sophisticated in my opinion (no offense meant).
I didn't say every black is a racist. I just consider them the bigger obstacle to improved race relations. Sure there are racist whites, too. Unfortunately, most white racists are far more rational in their reasons for their racism. You wouldn't know it from watching TV ("skinhead" nonsense, which is not even close) but they advance some very perplexing arguments for their positions. If you're interested, I'd welcome you to try and refute them.
All in all, I find it hard to believe US race problems will ever be solved, honestly. Well, the "solution" is to just avoid it, as most people currently do. Avoid it for long enough, and you can even kid yourself that it doesn't exist. If you've never lived there, you just don't know.
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