I was going back and forth with a family member about writing this blog post. She felt that I should just keep it quiet and wait until I fully assess what everyone is saying before I form my own opinion. In other words, she would rather I see what the majority thinks, and then jump on their boat regardless of how I felt. I usually try not to focus writing blog topics about random pop culture topics that emerge into the 24-hour news cycle. I leave that to the gossip bloggers and the myriad of other black blogs out there that choose to be more celebrity and pop-culture oriented with their content.
I use Twitter as my way of venting in 140 characters or less about my frustration of various topics of the day. If you follow BlackGirlNerds I tweet about everything from comic characters, to TV shows, to ridiculous Twitter rants by celebrities like Stacey Dash. It's nice to burn off a couple of brain cells every now and then by talking about random celebrities and what they are up to. But I try my best NOT to form an opinion or create social commentary about them in the form of a blog post on Black Girl Nerds. This blog is for informative content and topics that our subculture have a vested interest in.
However, today I feel compelled to comment about the controversial Brad Paisley song "Accidental Racist" featuring hip hop legend LL Cool J. I've been a fan of LL for years, with classics like "Around The Way Girl", "Mama Said Knock You Out", and "Hey Lover". I miss the kind of hip hop that LL Cool J put out there for kids with a taste for rap culture and the urban sound. When the news story broke about this song "Accidental Racist" I saw a clip of Brad Paisley on The Ellen Degeneres Show trying with great difficulty to articulate the meaning and the message behind the song.
I saw various followers on Twitter commenting with disgust about the song and its lyrics. When I read the lyrics to the song, I was amazed as to why these specific kinds of lyrics had to be implemented into the song. I totally get the intention behind creating this song. These guys simply want to deal with talking about race relations in our society. I will give major kudos to both artists for this lofty attempt. Any opportunity to address racism and the disparities of equality between blacks and non-blacks is something always worth having a conversation about. Let's face it, if we choose to ignore it, how can we become more progressive and work to facilitate change?
Now I will give my opinion about this, and feel free to comment below if you choose to agree or disagree, but I really feel like this song is a step backward in initiating racial progress. Here is the segment of the song that struck me the most:
I'm just a white man
(If you don't judge my do-rag)
Comin' to you from the southland
(I won't judge your red flag)
Tryin' to understand what it's like not to be I'm proud of where I'm from
(If you don't judge my gold chains)
But not everything we've done
(I'll forget the iron chains)
It ain't like you and me can re-write history
(Can't re-write history baby)
I think this is a short-sided attempt to try to make a point about the cultural differences between white men and black men. My hope is that LL himself chose to use ONLY himself as an example in these lyrics. If he did, then perhaps he needs to include his name and make it clear that the song is about LL Cool J and Brad Paisley ONLY. However, if this song is supposed to be about blacks and whites in general, then the song has completely missed the mark.
I have issues with black stereotypes. MAJOR issues. I hate every single last one of them. I have issues with stereotypes in general, because it's not only black communities that suffer from them, but so do other racial cultures. I was blessed to live in an area where I was exposed to a multitude of cultures that crushed every negative stereotype I would read in a book or see on a TV show.
Most of the black men I know don't wear do-rags or wear gold chains. I do know black men who choose to wear those type of accessories and have some in my own family. Overall, I just don't see many black men who dress that way. Perhaps its the culture that I surround myself in, which are a culture of nerds who wear ALL kinds of attire. I know black men who wear suits, jerseys, argyle sweaters, and dress shirts. I know black men who wear do-rags, fedoras, ascots, and baseball caps. I know black men who wear gold chains, piercings, or no jewelry whatsoever.
What's my point? I think a song like this reinforces stereotypes that all black men look this way. I know that any time a song or a movie (remember the Django Unchained controversy?) comes out that discusses race and slavery, there will be polarizing issues from both sides who either agree or disagree with the language being said about the specific content. Is Accidental Racist in fact racist? I wouldn't go so far as to say it is racist, but I think that there should be a broader representation as to what men of color look like. Not every black man looks like LL Cool J, so if you create a song about race please represent all of us.
There are black men who are judged because they choose to wear piercings, dye their hair color and wear punk attire.
There are black men who are judged because they choose wear graphic T-shirts of comic book characters or rock artists and are perceived as being not "black enough"
There are black men who dress up in formal attire like dress shirts and suits and are judged because of that.
Black men are judged not because of their attire but because of the color of their skin.
Do you think this song is progressive or is it a step back?
