Luna's Neverending Rantage On Country Music & Racial Divides in America

[luna_k]

Okay, I'm watching the Vh1/MTV/CMT Relief Concert, and they're doing this little montage of celebrity reactions. I'm paraphrasing, but here's an idea of what they're saying:
++ (Black MTV VJ) - How can this be happening in America? What are we paying all these Federal organizations our taxes for

Comments

[photosinensis]

It's simple: as a general rule, White America doesn't care about black people. I wish it wasn't true, but it is. And besides, the hicks that do listen to mainstream country these days want their music to proclaim what big dicks they have. It's why they voted for Bush: they think that because he's all for war that he has a bigger dick. It's also why they own gas guzzling SUVs/Hummers/whatever the frak is hip in redneck country these days.

Of course, I could talk about the whole war, sex, and phallic imagery, but then I'd probably start quoting George Carlin a little too freely. But basically, he's right: the current government's attitude is "They have bigger dicks than we do? BOMB THEM!" And it's always the brown people, too.

[luna_k]

It's simple: as a general rule, White America doesn't care about black people. I wish it wasn't true, but it is.

*sigh* You're right, of course. And it's so easy for me to forget that outside of my ethnically diverse region, there's a whole lot of stretches of America where no one EVER sees a non-white person. I think West Virginia is 95%, and every time I visit the radio is nothing but christian or mainstream country stations.

[photosinensis]

Hey, in some parts of this country, radio doesn't exist. It's called rural Texas, where there just aren't enough people to support such things like radio and broadcast teevee. They do get cable, but no radio.

And the ethnic makeup of these areas? White. Very, very white. I'd be surprised if they'd ever actually seen a black person in real life. Okay, so near the border, it becomes more Mexican, but most of those families lived there when the entire state of Texas was a part of Mexico and fought alongside the revolutionaries during the Texas War of Independence.

[luna_k]

And the ethnic makeup of these areas? White. Very, very white. I'd be surprised if they'd ever actually seen a black person in real life.

Bleh. But you know, I just read a new study that over a third of the people in Texas are Latinos already, and they'll be the majority by 2030). I'm assuming that just means the heavily populated cities near the border, or something. Texas is HUUUUUUUUUUGE, so it's easy to imagine towns with nothing but white people as far as the eye can see.

[roisinmachine]

Man. I mean. I know it exists. How can I not? It's out there. But I just don't know where the fuck this 'White America' is. I guess I got lost on the way to the weekly meeting or some such.

Also, I hate mainstream country music. Jingo jingo all the way.

[luna_k]

Heh, I just threw the term White America out there, because I've been listening to too much Eminem recently.

Also, I hate mainstream country music. Jingo jingo all the way.

I grew up on three staples of music: 80's pop from my mom, classic rock from my dad, and country/bluegrass from my grandparents. They introduced me to everything from Loretta Lynn to Hank Williams to the Judds. In the 80's/early 90's, the music was all about stuff like heartbreak and being on the farm and occasionally boot scoot boogying.

I don't know what the fuck happened, but I miss the old days.

[roisinmachine]

I totally wasn't dissing you for the use of the term because, as I said, I know it exists. I'm just honestly baffled at the fact that I seem to be so disconnected from it. It's so easy for me to be in a bubble with my liberal family and friends and (fairly) city.

[luna_k]

Oh sweetie, disconnect can be a beautiful thing. :) I know I'm grateful to be living in such a diverse, multicultural area. I can get authentic Salvadorean cuisine, real Pan Asian take-out and Kenyan baskets all in the same shopping center 5 miles away. It's fabulous.

I seriously get freaked out when there's nothing but white people for miles. It makes me feel so average and boring.

[luna_k]

Holy crap, 77.11% of this country is white. WOW.

Why are there so many "Save Our State" & National Alliance types walking around feeling so threatened all the time, like the white race is about to be extinct and taken over by those job snatching immigrants? Sleep tight, whitey, you ain't going nowhere anytime soon.

::cries::

[roisinmachine]

Um. Woah.

See. Disconnect. Up until seventh grade, I never went to a school were white kids were the majority. And now my school is primarily white, closely followed by asian. Seriously.

God. Did you read the 'amerinidian' statistic? 0.9%. Jesus Christ.

[luna_k]

I think I've mentioned this a bunch of times, but my high school had kids from all over the world, speaking 64 different languages. My freshman P.E. class of 28 students had 22 Hispanic kids and like 2 white people. I was definitely the minority there.

God. Did you read the 'amerinidian' statistic? 0.9%. Jesus Christ.

I know - it's fucking tragic. The Europeans came over here with their smallpox and shypillis and basically anihilated the natives, and then our government spent the next couple hundred years shuffling them off to the barren desert lands. GAH.

But I guess to some white people, even being 77% of the country is just not nearly enough.

[valarltd]

Not when it's down from being 85% less than 50 years ago, and continuing to decline.

The reason the Republicans are so successful is that they use the white fear and hatred. They play up all the gay brown heathen women who are stealing jobs that rightfully belong to the White Christian Male(tm).

They use the fear of being out of work, the loathing that the kids can't get a good education and portray The Other as taking jobs and dragging down the schools (not to mention giving God the boot from the schools, which is "what really made them go downhill.")

[ceilidh]

This is why I don't listen to mainstream music, period. I can't tell you the last time I listened to the radio other than to listen to a morning talk show, and then rarely.

[anne_jumps]

I mean, it was a natural disaster and no one could have predicted or prepared for it.

Well gosh, I thought the talking point (and you know this guy knows the talking points, since he said "blame game") was that the people of NO had TWO WEEKS (yes, people have said "two weeks") to get out, but that the PRESIDENT and everyone in the administration had no way of knowing what was going on.

Also, nice job trying to act like it was the hurricane itself that was the only problem.