I Hate Rap

[Sandra Craft]

Oh! Yes, I see the word play involved here now. It is suspect that any one would feel obligated to justify their non-racism beyond stating it unless specifically asked to. In fact, I think even the statement "I'm not a racist" can be suspect depending on context. It sort of screams for a "but," does it not?

Yes, it does, and it usually is followed by a "but".

[Asmodean]

The Asmo, He is not a racist, but Luxemburgers are evil. 

As long as it's just talking trash though, seriously as it may well be, without encouraging or committing illegal acts... Does it actually matter? So you don't like some attribute that I posess? Ok... What's your point?

I guess many people have a different attitude towards such things, but then again, never being offended is not a right.

[Pasta Chick]

Yes, and in this case, is parallel to saying "I can't be racist because I listen to some music by black musicians".

Which, of course, is blatantly false. In this case I'm reading it more as "I liked black music when those n***** knew their place and stayed in it!"

The longer this thread goes on the more I'm feeling as though the Asmo is pretty unfamiliar with an inherently racist culture, but objectively agrees with the statement that rap is generally disagreeable.

I do believe you can dislike rap without being racist. Especially if your music preferences tend toward easy listening and classical and vocal music. Typically these people also dislike most rock and such as well. It's discounting entire genres and having such a rabid feeling about it that you need to start topics online to discuss it... I mean, I'm not wild about polka, but I've never once felt the urge to start a topic about it... I just switch the channel when a polka show is on and when my neighbors had weekly polka club in their pool house I enjoyed that they were quite talented and had built a community for themselves.

[Davin]

As opposed to yodeling, which actually sounds like bleating, though I wouldn't call yodelers "lesser mammals."

You wouldn't? Some of them might well be. "Lesser mammals" is too broad a term though; perhaps "lesser humans" would be  better? A "lesser mammal" calls for the question of "As compared to what [other mammal]?" Answering "Elvis" or some such (As opposed to human, dolphin or, say, monkey) would be specific beyond the scope of the question. My version only calls for comparison within the species. Then, given a few criteria here and there, some humans are less compared to others.

I think it more implies mammals that are less than human a lot more than it implies a lesser mammal of the same species. It has been common for white racists in the US to refer to black people as apes, monkeys, animals (because most racists are idiots and think that humans are not animals), and/or beasts. So the term "lesser mammals" implies a similar meaning to these common racial slurs. They are meant to dehumanize black people. That is what disturbs me when a person would refer to rappers as "lesser mammals."

[Asmodean]

The longer this thread goes on the more I'm feeling as though the Asmo is pretty unfamiliar with an inherently racist culture, but objectively agrees with the statement that rap is generally disagreeable.

That's true. Have I met racists? Certainly. I've been their neighbour, coworker, ets, but I don't see it as a cultural norm in urban Norway. Most people here don't give a shit what color you are. Oh, they might care whether or not you are a Muslim or some such, but that's a completely different story. Actively being Muslim in a largely apatheistic society is a choice. Being black or brown or bright yellow is not... Provided you are not the late Michael Jackson come back to haunt this doomed world of ours. ( )

I do believe you can dislike rap without being racist.

Yes, and this sort of touches on my point from what seems like so long ago. Yesterday, was it?

As I see it, and I may well be wrong in my desire not to diminish the punching power of certain words, it takes more than some trash talk and personal taste to make a racist. For starters, you actually have to care what color a certain individual is to the exclusion of other considerations, such as education, intelligence, musical talent, personality... Whatever. That caring is something I, for one, just do not understand, and not for the lack of trying.

Especially if your music preferences tend toward easy listening and classical and vocal music.

Complexity. I generally like complexity. Most rap songs I like can be described as complex, just like with every other genre. What I don't like outright is searing, high-pitched notes coming at me in rapid succession. That's the reason for my general aversion to jazz music and the belowmentioned Polka for that matter, but there too are exceptions. Kenny G, for example, has contributed a number of jazzy tunes to my primary playlist.

Typically these people also dislike most rock and such as well. It's discounting entire genres and having such a rabid feeling about it that you need to start topics online to discuss it... I mean, I'm not wild about polka, but I've never once felt the urge to start a topic about it... I just switch the channel when a polka show is on and when my neighbors had weekly polka club in their pool house I enjoyed that they were quite talented and had built a community for themselves.

Well, yes, it's a valid point, and yet... Sometimes you just want to shoot the neighbour's dog. Or at least bitch loudly about it to anyone who cares to listen.

[Asmodean]

I think it more implies mammals that are less than human a lot more than it implies a lesser mammal of the same species.

It's a rather unintelligent implication, humans being "just another mammal" with them ear bones and mammary glands and hair in weird places as far as biology is concerned. But moving on;

It has been common for white racists in the US to refer to black people as apes, monkeys, animals (because most racists are idiots and think that humans are not animals), and/or beasts.

Yes, you see, I didn't know that.

I'm starting to like this thread. One gets to learn new stuff about overseas-variety of assholes. 

So the term "lesser mammals" implies a similar meaning to these common racial slurs. They are meant to dehumanize black people. That is what disturbs me when a person would refer to rappers as "lesser mammals."

But does it not matter who the term is being used by and how? Because as I indirectly demonstrated, it can mean something different to someone willing to reason about it with nothing implied than it can to someone who sees implications (that may or may not be there, depending on the speaker's attitude)?

[Davin]

Fuck off[,] Davin[,] you stupid cunt!

Consider me banned ... I'm outta here!

You know, one of the most important rules of the internet, is that if you're going to insult other people for spelling or punctuation errors, you can't make any yourself. I fixed it for you though. You're welcome.

[Davin]

I think it more implies mammals that are less than human a lot more than it implies a lesser mammal of the same species.

It's a rather unintelligent implication, humans being "just another mammal" with them ear bones and mammary glands and hair in weird places as far as biology is concerned. But moving on;

I don't think it is. I think if someone meant a lesser mammal in the same species, they'd likely say "lesser <whatever species>" as opposed to referring to mammals which implies that they mean a different species of mammal that is lesser than. I mean, if I'm talking biology and I want talk about the height of humans, I don't say "some taller mammals" because that implies that I am talking about different species. I would say, "some taller humans," because I'm talking about humans.

So the term "lesser mammals" implies a similar meaning to these common racial slurs. They are meant to dehumanize black people. That is what disturbs me when a person would refer to rappers as "lesser mammals."

But does it not matter who the term is being used by and how? Because as I indirectly demonstrated, it can mean something different to someone willing to reason about it with nothing implied than it can to someone who sees implications (that may or may not be there, depending on the speaker's attitude)?

Yes, I think that in some contexts it's not racist. But inside the original usage, which I keep bringing up because the person who said it has not yet recanted and tried to shift away from it. It's like the broken foot analogy. When you have a healthy foot, someone stepping on it will likely just result in an apology and you both move on. But if you have a broken foot, someone stepping on it will likely cause you a significant amount of pain and likely even cause damage to the foot making it take longer to heal. So while I think I could let something like that slide if it occurred in a time when there wasn't as much racism, right now, I want to protect that foot from both people that want to hurt it as well as from bumbling clumsy people.

[Pasta Chick]

I hate that the quoting doesn't really work from a phone...

You do not have to consciously hate or care about skin color to be racist. There is a brand of racism that employs blantant, vocal hate but there is also subconscious social racism. This a well documented thing. The sort of racism where you really don't know why, but hiring John James Smith III seems like a better idea than hiring Monique Makida Balewa. Or how you just hate that blasted rap noise.

[Magdalena]

It has been common for white racists in the US to refer to black people as apes, monkeys, animals (because most racists are idiots and think that humans are not animals), and/or beasts. So the term "lesser mammals" implies a similar meaning to these common racial slurs. They are meant to dehumanize black people. That is what disturbs me when a person would refer to rappers as "lesser mammals."

I'm glad you finally said it, Davin. I was hoping Icarus would (please pardon my vulgar vocabulary) have the balls to admit it and apologize, but instead we ended up hearing about 110 decibel sound intensity, huge speakers, watt amplifier, volts, huge auxiliary batteries, huge alternator, etc. The old, let's turn it around, right now.

He even said, "I am not the only old curmudgeon who can contrive uncomplimentary names for such social misfits." As if we didn't know he wasn't the only one.  Icarus also said, "The people who make all that noise are displaying anarchistic behavior." Really? You would think there would be a riot everyday where he lives, thanks to these...as he called them, "insensitive mongrels."

This type of racism also exists in the Latin American community. We are also trying to make people aware of this problem so that we can stop it. Univision is the same network that Trump told, Jorge Ramos, our Walter Cronkite, to go back to...In a tone that meant, "Go back to your country." Just like Icarus, that's not what he said, but we all are pretty sure that's what he meant because that's a common phrase racist use towards Latinos in the USA. This is hard to prove, but thanks to conversations like this one, we are unmasking the racists and they are running out of places to hide. Icarus, I'm sorry for such a strong accusation, but you must know, today, that many people saw what you did, and we are not OK with it anymore, we haven't been OK with it for a long time, but no one said anything about until today. I hope you take it as a learning experience the way Asmo is taking it.

Univision host fired for first lady comment

In a broadcast on Wednesday, Figueroa said, "Michelle Obama looks like she's part of the cast of 'Planet of the Apes.'" Figueroa made the comments as a photo of the first lady was shown on screen.
But in his statement today, Figueroa said that his comments were intended as a criticism of an unflattering job done by Obama's makeup artist.
"The full video clip in context shows that," he said.
Figueroa referred to his own background in asserting that he's "no racist."
"I come from a biracial Latino family with members like my father who are Afro-Latino," he said.
Figueroa showed contrition, too. He apologized to Obama and said there's "no excuse" to make a comment "that could be interpreted as offensive or racist during these volatile times we're living in."

I talked with my man about this whole conversation. He said something that made sense. If a bunch of white racist men want to get together and call blacks, "monkeys" then maybe you should leave and let them do what they enjoy. Maybe they talk amongst themselves about you being an atheist Latina and they don't have the balls to tell you how they really feel about Latinos "contaminating" their communities and their forums.

~We will see.

[Magdalena]

Fuck off Davin you stupid cunt!

Consider me banned ... I'm outta here!

I'm sorry, but this is funny.  Condemning rappers for using this same vulgar language? You know how to write the lyrics, you could make a pretty good British rapper if you set your mind to it. 

Anyways... Goodbye.

[Pasta Chick]

I hear you, Mags. I have felt out of place here just for being a woman for a while. 

[Magdalena]

I hear you, Mags. I have felt out of place here just for being a woman for a while. 

I know.

Keke called me a fucking idiot. It doesn't affect me because I know I'm not one. I mean, I'm not the smartest here, but I'm not a fucking idiot either. I've been called: Witch, dumb, asshole, nuthouse resident, fucking idiot, and one asked me if I did Lysergic acid diethylamide. I guess that's what you get when you're not one of THE club.

I have turned all those comments around and made jokes about them because I have thick skin, and (I think) I'm funny...a talent that not many people have, specially in this forum. But to tell you the truth, I am tired.

...And where have the moderator been all this time? I would like to know if the rules have changed. Are people gonna get red letters only when they are reported? When you, the moderator, feels they've broken the rules? or only when they offend you personally--the moderators?

[Davin]

The way moderation tends to work, is that a post gets flagged, then they are supposed to review and take action if necessary. Sometimes mods will happen upon a post that hasn't been flagged but deserves it. I don't think it's fair to expect a mod to see a post unless it has been flagged.

I don't flag many posts, and I don't flag any post where I am person that was attacked, because I don't care all that much.

Mostly, the only time I have a problem with moderation, is when a post gets flagged, and the moderator doesn't look at the context and/or automatically red letters the person flagged.

[Recusant]

A moderator did address the insulting post, even if mod red was not used.

Not every person who hates rap and makes dismissive comments about it is racist. Just saying.