Yeah, so is this place. Well, unless you live in the sticks.
It's not totally different, and I am going to guess that your black friends probably secretly hate you if you call them derogatory slurs for black people.
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Kendrick Lamar calls out white fan for rapping n-word onstage with him at concert [Read OP]
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Yeah, so is this place. Well, unless you live in the sticks.
It's not totally different, and I am going to guess that your black friends probably secretly hate you if you call them derogatory slurs for black people.
lol go on up to sing and not sing.
I honestly can't blame people for unanimously and completely not knowing what social norms to work with in that situation.
Pretty sure I'd just stand there looking like this
Ya but... I mean... are you in the club dropping n-bombs and shit?
Well go ahead I'm done arguing in circles with you when your logic makes 0 sense.
Listen to the whole thing, if you'd like. Or just listen until 4:15. Truth: Some artist will not give you shit for it..plenty will. Being an ally ain't a pass. Folks need to get that already..
I didn't say not sing though; but whatever. I mean rappers already only rap 50-75% of their songs on stage and let the crowd fill in the rest, skipping the n-bombs wouldn't really seem odd.
You never listened to radio versions of music or live performances for television?lol go on up to sing and not sing.
I honestly can't blame people for unanimously and completely not knowing what social norms to work with in that situation.
Pretty sure I'd just stand there looking like this
Never heard a timely pause in a song when you know the word?
I just have to say I usually stay out of these kinds of threads because it doesn't involve me (I'm white) but the fact the previous thread was locked and a new one had to be started made me curious so I decided to take a look and after seeing the number of bans and the level of ignorance displayed I have come to realize that this is only a FRACTION of the ignorance that people of color have to deal with on a regular basis and I genuinely have no idea how you can shoulder it all. I really don't.
I was raised my whole life with my mom and my grandparents explicitly telling me that I could never EVER use the N word under any circumstance. In public or private. And had never really heard it outside of some older more.....shall we say "southern" relatives (I'm from Okalahoma) that my closest family intentionally kept their distance from aside from Christmas and Thanksgiving and of course there would the typical racist assholes that live in the kind of places I grew up. So I had always assumed that the people who used the N word were the hardcore racists and bigots. I honestly had no idea just how widespread this idiotic grey area of "Is it really that bad if I say it in this context?" was. I had no idea that it was that hard of a concept to grasp. I guess I just need to thank god I was raised the way I was by the people that loved me.
As a result I have a whole new respect to the level of patience displayed by people of color that I see on a daily basis on here and in real life when it comes to this kind of ignorance.
I was raised my whole life with my mom and my grandparents explicitly telling me that I could never EVER use the N word under any circumstance. In public or private. And had never really heard it outside of some older more.....shall we say "southern" relatives (I'm from Okalahoma) that my closest family intentionally kept their distance from aside from Christmas and Thanksgiving and of course there would the typical racist assholes that live in the kind of places I grew up. So I had always assumed that the people who used the N word were the hardcore racists and bigots. I honestly had no idea just how widespread this idiotic grey area of "Is it really that bad if I say it in this context?" was. I had no idea that it was that hard of a concept to grasp. I guess I just need to thank god I was raised the way I was by the people that loved me.
As a result I have a whole new respect to the level of patience displayed by people of color that I see on a daily basis on here and in real life when it comes to this kind of ignorance.
Yeah I get that. That's perfectly reasonable. But respectful and considerate are subjective and situational; it's not clear to me that in the context of the OP, where you're invited on stage to perform a song with the n-word in it, that it should be so obvious to any non-racist non-idiot what the respectful thing to do is.
If after the admonishment she had been like, no way man how dare you ask me not to say that word, then that would have been some obnoxious bullshit.
Based on what I've seen in that Reddit thread there needs to be more blowback towards artists who encourage people to sing/rap it to their own music. If it upsets 90% of black people, just because one particular artist likes ppl to do it doesn't make it excusable imo
Because the impact of the word as a slur, the context of the person saying it, doesn't change even if she's singing his song. Her lived experience (or rather lack of a specific lived experience) changes the meaning of the word compared to when he's singing it. No meaning is really lost when it is omitted by a white singer, and I'd say that people are generally socially fluent enough to understand why a white performer at a Kendrick Lamar concert is self-censoring a certain word (to prevent the inexorable impact of its slur-usage) in one of his songs while also intuiting the original intent Kendrick was aiming for in his song.
I remember back in grade school when we were going around the room reading Huck Finn out loud in class. The awkward pauses and mumbling every time Jim's name came up was one of the most terrifying and hilarious moments of my young life. Thankfully he was never in the parts I had to read.
lol go on up to sing and not sing.
I honestly can't blame people for unanimously and completely not knowing what social norms to work with in that situation.
Pretty sure I'd just stand there looking like this
And that would be a far far better solution than the alternative
I think the fact some are so shocked by it kind of shows it isn't so cut and dry. This goes beyond "should" and "should not" and into a realm that exists at the cross section of pop culture, privilege, and the dynamics behind reclamation.
A common word in the most popular music genre is going to be used by fans regardless of background. The expectations being on the fans to have the common sense to not use the words is unrealistic because unfortunately, privilege lets you bypass common sense. And that's before we get in the discussion of overthinking and people's varrying values when it comes to a situation like this. We're I in the situation, my though process would probably be "would he be offended if I said the word because I'm not black or would he be offended if I didn't say it because I'd be editing his lyrics and thus not respect the song?" Of course if he whispered to me beforehand "hey don't say the word", there'd be no issue.
Poor actors and people with a different way of approaching things have exacerbated the issue. Internet culture has done a number on the discussion as well with popular people like Idubbz advocating for a total defanging of the word by using it as much as possible regardless of context, and PoC agreeing with him has kind of muddied the waters as well.
Just saying "don't say it, end of story" puts the expectation on people to be better than they are when there's an overabundance of contrarians that need a reason for why they can't do something when that's never happened before in their privileged little lives.
Anyway, this was handled very well by all parties and the fact there's a controversy at all seems to go beyond the initial issue and back into the expected conversation.
Why on earth would I do that???
I wouldn't say it, but I'd definitely feel awkward going up there to not-sing a super-sensitive word because it's just...a pretty awkward situation to be in proximity to... then again, I'm pretty easily embarassed to begin with.
I think that's the big thing with a lot of controversial stories half the time is the sorta 'fallout' when it bring contrarians out of hiding to stir shit up.
Well yeah I would absolutely agree that the girl in question isn't a racist or a piece of shit based on the video. I don't think Kendrick thinks so either, we do have such reactions in this thread and in the earlier for sure. It's unfortunate but as long as those comments are coming from black people I can have some understanding for such strong reactions too, as they have to deal with a lot shit in their daily lives. I try not to scold them for acting emotional over it. It's easy for me to comment on the issue and keep a level head, since I don't suffer from similar bullshit as they do.
Most of my family lived long periods of time in Africa, with a lot of my family being born there. Most of my friends are black. If I'm a in-between do you really think people are evaluating the color of my skin to see if they are offended by the things I say or not? "O wait, this guy is 60% black, it's okay for him to be with us". I'm sorry but that's not the reality here, it is a really different culture. Again, America's perspective on racial issues is its own bubble and it's a totally different issue in other places. Racism still exists, and many times in disgusting ways, but the way you tackle it is your own and the way we do it is our own.
In the end it has to do with respect.
By the way, the peeps that shared the videos. Great videos, thanks!
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But you agree that the context creates some ambiguity, yes? And that it is not, in fact, blindingly obvious what the proper course of action is here. Some quick guidance from Lamar before people start would probably be a good idea in the future.
Honestly, I think even a lot of people here saying "absolutely never say it 100% of the time" don't mean that literally and actually believe there are a few exceptions. Trouble is, it's difficult to communicate that to non- black people without some of them *coughfoxnewscough* latching onto it and taking that as permission to use the word where it's not appropriate.
It is! Already posted it prior..
But what if it's too much work?
He's Canadian...we try to have a little more sense about this issue...especially since he's a Jane and Finch or Rexdale man.
Brooklyn Zoo
The man had the dopest radio edits
RIP to that magnificent bastard
Bizarre to see so many people leaping from reciting lyrics at a concert to use in everyday life.
Like, I can and have attended a concert where Kanye demanded the crowd to sing Golddigger with him. He went out of his way to make everyone comfortable yelling the chorus at him. He did this while riding a spaceship in the mist of a light show.
I'm not going to take that experience (or my music tastes in general) to 7-11 and be like, yo my nigga, can I get change for a $10?
If someone is doing that, then clearly there is something wrong with them.
Like, I can and have attended a concert where Kanye demanded the crowd to sing Golddigger with him. He went out of his way to make everyone comfortable yelling the chorus at him. He did this while riding a spaceship in the mist of a light show.
I'm not going to take that experience (or my music tastes in general) to 7-11 and be like, yo my nigga, can I get change for a $10?
If someone is doing that, then clearly there is something wrong with them.
'If you have a different opinion than ours, you're banned.' Why don't you just make that your official slogan resetera? Embarrassing.
If I gathered enough people to argue against 2+2=4 would folks then claim 2+4=4 is not cut and dry
Fuck I can easily gather enough people who think trans women aren't women... that doesn't mean it isn't cut and dry that trans women are in fact women.
Fuck I can easily gather enough people who think trans women aren't women... that doesn't mean it isn't cut and dry that trans women are in fact women.
If your "difference of opinion" is breaking TOS, then go kick rocks.
Welcome to a private forum.
Certain things need not be entertained.
I've got Kendrick tickets for this summer and I actually know all the lyrics to m.A.A.d city
PICK ME
Man.. that would make my life.
PICK ME
Man.. that would make my life.
your mileage may vary
oh man I keep BROTHER like him now
god what a mug...
While I can 100% agree there are far "worse" contexts to use the word, this is still in that "obvious" territory for me.
What exactly are you calling an "opinion" in this thread.
What has been said that isn't a fact in your opinion?
Good on Kendrick, and also Amine for highlighting this at his concert recently. The idea that it's acceptable for non black people to casually spew the n-word simply becasue it's in a song they like always bugged me. I've seen multiple black artists censor the n-word when performing live, despite the word being in their lyrics, so it's not hard or asking much for white people to do the same, especially given the historical element of white people saying that word.
"Why am I getting punished by the faculty board for trying to teach creationism in science class? There are plenty of people with arguments and exceptions, I'm just exploring options, it's not a cut and dry issue!"
User banned (one week): thread derailment
Kind of getting that vibe too... what's the point of a thread if we literally can't have a discussion? Really turning me off to this board.
If you don't know why you shouldn't say it and feel like something has been taken away from you, reflect on that. While reflecting, educate yourself, which you would have done anyway if understanding racism/history/other humans actually meant something to you. Its uncomfortable and difficult to learn/hear about but know that learning about it in the abstract, without having to live it, is getting off easy.
Then I will ask you. What exactly has been punished in this thread that you don't agree with?
Specifically what argument or "opinion" has been raised that you disagree with?
I mean...you're in line with Trump's thinking regarding the word at this point. Is that the side you want to be on?
Apparently I'm not fooling anyone but my myself, because that was it was...
'Deducing' from a daft one liner it that I'd like to be discussing "bigoted nonsense" here seems like lashing out to me. I'm well aware ERA is a left wing forum with stringent moderation rules, like GAF was before it, that's why I stuck around. Doesn't mean I won't find the way people have written some thing funny sometimes even if I'm in agreement with them on the issue.
Seeing as you've brought the mod post up independently, wouldn't it make posts like the one I was replying to to fairly redudant then? The mods are more than capable of making thread pronouncements without anybody else doing it. And no one is forcing anyone to repeat themselves in this thread, we could all be doing something else instead if we wanted.
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If you want to discuss all the loopholes to using the N-word, complain that there is an unreasonable stigma attached to the word and that black people should lighten up, I'm sure there are plenty of forums out there for you.
There's some dancing going around in this thread. That are claiming that people are being banned for merely disagreeing with others. Purposefully misinterpreting bans and conversations add nothing to the discussion, which is funny since the quality of discussions is the facade used to make low effort posts..
You all breathe refiner air up there. Share some of that class with your neighboring mates.
You all breathe refiner air up there. Share some of that class with your neighboring mates.
User banned (1 week): Concern trolling, pushing conspiracy theories as fact.
Im with Whoopi on this one.
Shouldn't put it in the song, if you don't want people repeating it.
end of story...oh, and nice setup Kendrick. You set that poor girl up.
Shouldn't put it in the song, if you don't want people repeating it.
end of story...oh, and nice setup Kendrick. You set that poor girl up.
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