Rhyme Displays that Engrave Deep as X-Rays
November 28, 2017 2:44 PM   Subscribe

 
Heads up for anyone at work, this video has the singer saying "the n-word" throughout.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:50 PM on November 28, 2017


Glad I watched through to the second half, because I long ago decided never to pay attention to what anyone in a MAGA hat was spitting.
posted by Catblack at 2:56 PM on November 28, 2017


Yeah, that was a powerful statement. And it takes a full watch to get the full force of it.
posted by Fizz at 3:01 PM on November 28, 2017 [1 favorite]


Harsh, powerful, beautiful, prophetic.
posted by 4ster at 3:15 PM on November 28, 2017


The verses were well-written but I don't like the concept. I don't think that anyone has to get along with hateful racists and try and understand their perspectives. Hate to be a downer in the thread, but I just came away with this with a gross feeling. To be fair I am white and Joyner is black. Maybe there is a nuance I am missing.
posted by capricorn at 3:27 PM on November 28, 2017 [1 favorite]


whoa
posted by ardgedee at 3:31 PM on November 28, 2017


Capricorn: I completely hear where you are coming from, and I would probably regard this the same way if I had only heard the audio and not seen the video.

I think one of the strengths of this is in the subtleties of the video, the symbolism of how the white guy gets the MAGA hat knocked off his head and then seems to start listening and then nodding in agreement with what he is hearing, like he is opening up and coming around to the black guy's point of view.
posted by 4ster at 3:31 PM on November 28, 2017


Yeah, I got that, but the video still bugged me for the same reasons. Maybe I would have liked it more if they didn't hug in the end. I felt like both the track and video treated the issue of racism like "there are two sides that both need to be understood and heard".
posted by capricorn at 3:34 PM on November 28, 2017 [7 favorites]


Fair enough. Makes sense.
posted by 4ster at 3:36 PM on November 28, 2017


too easy, too angry, too much like cribs from yahoo news comments although the second part's better done - and the flaw is that indifference is a much more insidious and powerful enemy than the direct hate presented here

i might deal with that, but musically, this really isn't happening - a little tension, a little dissonance would help
posted by pyramid termite at 6:15 PM on November 28, 2017


This is pretty good. It resolves a bit weird. But that's part of theater or the musical form. Whatever, it's all good. I'm not racist.
posted by dmh at 6:16 PM on November 28, 2017


There aren't two sides to every story. There aren't two sides to this one. One side is a pack of racist, sexist, irrational, entitled fabulists, and presenting that side of the argument (such as it is) as equal to the other is unhelpful.

So I appreciate the intent but this is not for me.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:46 PM on November 28, 2017 [2 favorites]


I don't think it's supposed to be showing two people with legitimate grievances. I think it's just two angry people shouting about race, and it felt cathartic, in a way, to hear the sort of commonplace racism that's all around us but is hardly ever presented in drama.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:17 PM on November 28, 2017 [6 favorites]


I don't think that anyone has to get along with hateful racists

...except for every single person whose lives they have the power to fuck over.
posted by flabdablet at 11:07 PM on November 28, 2017 [1 favorite]


Only the second half contained legitimate grievances, but the polished flow lent credibility to both sides. I can't agree with that false equivalence.
posted by dazed_one at 12:27 AM on November 29, 2017


Grievances are always legitimate in the minds of those who hold them, in whose minds the opposing grievances of of others are typically not legitimate. Dismissing the grievances of others as not being legitimate won't make them go away; in fact it will likely make them double down. That's a dangerous road to take, down which lies such horrors as Brexit and a Trump presidency.

I do not accept that the the grievances in the first half of this video are legitimate but I do accept that a large number of people hold them and that *they* consider them legitimate - enough to have got us to where we are today. I don't think that simply dismissing those grievances as not legitimate is going to help. We have to do more. Unfortunately I don't (yet) know what but that's what I think this video is talking about.
posted by merlynkline at 2:18 AM on November 29, 2017 [7 favorites]


The first half seemed to me like the classical good argument technique of stating the opponent's argument as well as possible, not mocking it. Like, almost everything in there was something that people actually say while trying to support racism without considering themselves to be racist. You could cut the last half of the video and actual Trumpists would be sharing it unironically. It was a super-uncomfortable watch that first time because of that.

If you're aware enough to write those lyrics, you're aware enough to know just how much shit you're going to catch for that video. That was bold. Respect.
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 3:00 AM on November 29, 2017 [10 favorites]


That was fire. Good stuff.
posted by chunking express at 11:44 AM on November 29, 2017


This video brings to mind this interview with Daryl Davis on the topic of methods with which he has successfully engaged, and ultimately befriended, Klan members as a black man. I really don't mean to insinuate that black folks should have to bear the brunt of the emotional labor in this fight. Rather, I would like to think that the racist beliefs shared by many Americans, and represented by the MAGA hat-wearing person in the video above, might be swayed with some effort and consideration of common ground and shared goals. That is, there may yet be hope that we can work this thing out together to address the large economic, environmental, social, and other issues that threaten our society and future. Perhaps I am overly optimistic.

A quote from the podcast interview with Daryl Davis:
"Well, you know what? I think, personally, I feel that Donald Trump is the best thing that has happened to this country, and I’ll say why… Because as a result of his winning the election, all of the stuff that this country has denied for so long has now come to surface. We can no longer deny racism exists in abundance in this country. We are now in a global fishbowl. Everybody is looking at us. We are very hypocritical, we preach to other people how they should lead their country, we brag about being a country of equality, democracy and equal rights, and yet we don’t live up to that.

People turn a blind eye to racism in this country. “Oh, come on… The Klan? They vanish back in the ’50s and ’60s.” No, they’re still here. Yes, racism has been mitigated. People are saying, “Where is all this racism coming from? It’s all new.” No, it’s not new; it’s always been here. What’s new is they’re getting a lot more attention now because they feel emboldened by the most powerful man in the world, who is repeating their rhetoric. That’s why they’re coming out from under the carpet, from behind the rock, out of the woodwork.

What we’re seeing is just a resurgence of that which already exists, and I think it’s a good thing because you cannot address what you can’t see, and the people who did not believe it can no longer turn a blind eye, because it’s right there, and now we have to address it."
posted by mmmpickles at 11:39 PM on November 29, 2017 [3 favorites]


Mysonne - I'm Not Racist" Remix (Video)
posted by cashman at 7:10 AM on December 3, 2017


Mysonne - I'm Not Racist" Remix (Video)

Much, much, much better.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 3:17 AM on December 6, 2017 [1 favorite]


Stephen Redhead - You're Still A Racist (Joyner Lucas Freestyle) (Audio)

Not well rapped but I hope some big names start doing their versions. I've never heard of this guy before that I recall.
posted by cashman at 3:20 PM on December 7, 2017


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