It’s truly hard to make it through the day without offending
someone in today’s society. I mean…seriously,
just look at how the internet is these days.
People just launch into other people, trolling every aspect of online
life. A few months ago, I posted a
sarcastic comment on a Facebook discussion, hoping to get a chuckle. The owner of the thread exploded, hardcore,
with a rant a couple of paragraphs long about childishness and civility.
They are one to talk, though…. Over the past year or so, I’ve started noticing
a frightening trend, and I hate to say it made me realize something about
myself. Let’s start there, actually, on
the inside.
Racism is a thing, it happens daily, and it comes from every
angle. It is unfortunate garbage that
just about everyone has to deal with, and yes, I’m including “Reverse Racism”
which is one of the most racist statements I could possibly imagine. But my point is, Racism infuriates me, to no
end. The stupidity behind it, is jaw
dropping, and ‘all sides’ are starting to become more and more guilty.
I have a close friend who happens to have dark skin. He’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had,
so I feel slighted when I hear the “N” word because it insults my friend. I know some old folks that use it, because
that’s how they were raised, but every time they use it, I feel anger. To me, this feels perfectly natural, because
he’s my friend, I’m taking up for him.
But something in the News recently made me step back and
ponder something. I’m sure everyone
reading this heard about the Paula Deen inscident in some way, shape, or
form. I took an interest in it because
of one solitary thing. The person that
brought the lawsuit against her…was white.
Paula Deen is an ‘old folk’ like many I know that use the
n-word because they can’t get it out of their system. It’s despicable and I hate them for it. But, that being said, there is a line
here. She reference blacks using the
n-word, and a white person brought the lawsuit.
It was eventually thrown out because the person that brought the suit
wasn’t the one being slandered.
So, someone sued someone else because that someone else
slandered a third party. The whole thing
is an interesting affair. The courage of
this white person to stand up to another white because of racism to blacks is
admirable in my eyes. Mainly because I
would do the same if someone flat out used the n-word against my friends. But this opens up an odd box of worms, doesn’t
it?
As I was thinking about this odd conundrum, something else
happened. Avril Lavigne, came out of
with a video to her song, “Hello Kitty.”
I have to admit here, I have long since lost any respect for the art she
comes out with, as I do not appreciate her music in the slightest. Having said that, I can honestly say, I in no
way enjoy this song in particular. But
that isn’t the point here.
When the video hit YouTube, it was almost instantly
removed. For the first month the video
was out, at least, it was almost impossible to find. Why? Let’s
get into that….
According to some accounts I read, Avril made the video
utilizing a Japanese director with Japanese actors, to pay homage to Japanese
culture, which if you don’t know Hello Kitty if from Japan, then what rock have
you been hiding under. Apparently she
has a decent following there, which is understandable, as this inspiration
aspect of culture has been around for some time. Have said that, what’s my point?
The video was impossible to find, because people in the ‘Murica
culture believed that the video was “making fun” of Japanese culture, or, more
simply put, being racist. To this day,
you can look up the video on YouTube and see people arguing in the comments
about it being offensive to the Japanese.
Avril was effectively censored for a short time due to this
backlash of people putting voice to their feelings.
When looking at all three of these points together, I’m
starting to worry where we are headed without racism. People are now quick to point out that something
is racist, when the person being…racistized isn’t around. I will continue to stick up for my friends,
and through him the black community. I
will tell someone when they say the n-word that I do not want to hear it around
me. But is there a line?
People crossed a line with Avril Lavigne and her video,
because they were trying to say that she was representing all of ‘Murica when
she was being racist towards the Japanese, even though she really wasn’t. They were protecting themselves, not the
Japanese, in this case.
So, should I be more sad that people thing Avril Lavigne
speaks for the culture in the US, or that I differentiate myself from the offensive
a-holes who truly are racist. Either
way, it’s a sticky subject, with crazy precedents set on all sides of it. I just wish people could get over their
ignorance and move on, but…yeah…. Ain’t
gonna happen here in ‘Murica!
