Is it more socially acceptable for white people to listen...

to R&B, Hip Hop, and Rap than it is for black people to listen to rock, alternative, metal, and country? I ask this because I think these days whites aren't going to get a alot of shit for listening to hip hop. Not like a decade or two ago. Hell, I heard whites are the main consumers for rap and hip hop. However for some odd reason society still finds it strange when a black person listens to rock and metal even though we originated the genre. There are even some black folks that don't like R&B, hip hop, and rap at all and prefer to listen to rock and metal. Same thing goes for country.

Funny story happened to me a few years ago. I was in Army Basic Training(I'm not in the Army anymore, but that's another story). One of my Drill Sergeants liked to play loud rock music in his office. In BCT, you hardly ever get to listen to music. I thought it was a good thing seeing I was already a fan of rock music. So this song comes on(I still remember it. It was Addicted by Saving Abel)and I started rocking my head and enjoying the song with these two white guys in my unit. This other black dude came by and just looked at me like I grew a second head or something. He didn't say anything. I could tell he found it strange was listening to this song. He was probably thinking this: "Nigga, you know you black, right?" lol I shit you not.

So what do you think? Agree or disagree?

 

I see your point, I've always liked rock and black people I grew up with did as well. I knew a couple of thugged out dudes from the worst hoods in the city who even listened to country here and there. :smt020

 

Society or other black people that are close minded. Only certain black people who only listened to certain genres have questioned my taste. On the other side, I have had my best friend mention that he was surprised that I listened to getto boys. They have one real good song that has a way of making you see how mental illness affects people.

As some black people diversify their love of music, you tend to get less of the pressure of listening to only certain genres.

I disagree with society but agree with the scenario given.

 

Rock is one of those genres of black music that black people generally don't listen to. You can add techno and house (outside of Chicago) to that number. I prefer funk and soul but also like rock quite a bit. A lot of black people will deputize themselves as cultural police if they feel you're not toeing the line of Negro orthodoxy.

To that I say, "If you want to fuck with me that's fine, because I'll certainly fuck with you too."

 

one of the best rock songs ever. seeing these guys in march as they're touring with lenny kravitz

[YOUTUBE]NiRnAO0QJ0E[/YOUTUBE]

rock's not a black or white thing, it's an AUSTRALIAN thing

 

most of my contributions to the 'what song are you listening to now' thread are white rock/alt rock artists, but no one clowns me here for that. No one truly acknowledges them either..hell most people just skip em, and cosign someone else posting RnB or some old school hip hop. You can't help what you like and I generally listen to whatever sounds good.

Same thing at work. I love to turn on AOL radio 80s alternative and listen to Depeche mode, Joy Division, the Clash, the Smiths frequently, especially if i'm doing something solo. I used to get weird looks from my black coworkers, but the white ones thought it was interesting and cool, to have a black guy who shared some common ground. I'm more concerned with what makes my day go by smoother, and not their opinions, so it's all good.

Crank it up to 11 and have at it

 

When white people listen to music that's not traditionally thought of as white music they're being "cultured" when black people do the same they are trying to deny who they are. At least that's idea. White people are culturally though of as great thinkers and explorers so for them to indulge in other cultures and "celebrating it"(usually stealing it with no respect or acknowledgment to the people they stole from) while black people(especially in the US) are thought of as a group who are forever trying to find their cultural reality so taking time to explore anything outside of "black" culture is perceived as a denial of their own heritage.

I've said it before and I said it before as much as I detest this racism shit its fucking ingenius because we have to be the only slaves in history not only trapped by circumstance and geography but also by skin. The vast majority of us can't lie or deny who we are like Jews, Italians, Greeks, and Irish have been able to do when they've been oppressed.

One thing scene that comes to mind comes from the movie Hangin With The Homeboys and John Leguizamo's character says to Nester Serrano's character "Hey Fernando look at how they do our people" referring to the mistreatment of another Puerto Rican passerby and Nester's character replies "I don't know what you're talking about I'm Italian"
The rest of the movie Nester's character constantly denies being Hispanic because he recognizes the freedom of being white. It seems like an ongoing never ending cycle.

 

To your first paragraph:
I would go so far as to say its a specific problem to the US. Its weird how that works here. Very silly and double standards galore.

 

Its the result of what happens when a country is founded on race

 

Pretty much, I just hope we can get away from that.

 

A LOT of old people need to die off first. They're anchoring us

 

truth

 

I fear that is not gonna happen in my lifetime (and am scared it won't even happen within my children's lifetimes).

There are just two many people who have too much power to ever remove racism/prejudice from the US as a whole. :smt009

 

I refuse to believe that. Its working in other parts of the world. Why not here? I think Obama is a great step in the right direction. Hate him or love him he's normalizing the idea of black people in main stream culture outside of the traditional sports and entertainment arena.

 

Oh trust me, I can see how Obama has helped tremendously; but there are just too many "good ole boys" out there still who control a lot of the money out there and have influence. I wish it wasn't so, and I have always pointed to other countries where color doesn't matter the way it does here as a way of showing it can be done; but we are way too slow to accept people of different races and cultures.

 

agreed

puppet, pauper, liar or thief...it's nice to see someone of color in the white house. Got tired of looking at the same type of good ole southern boys tbh

 

I think that in general, since society is largely white-centric, it's more acceptable for whites to do anything than it is for a member of any minority group to do something not identified as characteristic of their ethnic group. That's the essence of minority identity in a majority society, to have who you are prescribed for you, to be defined and limited by what others think, rather than being empowered to be your own social actor. Whites (en masse, not indicting any individuals) are assumed to be in positions of power in social interactions and, as such, are free to do as they please, with only the ire of their parents to stop them. Sort of like how whites were free to go to all-black nightclubs during Prohibition and the Jazz Age to hear "race music" but non-whites could not attend their venues. It's a generalization, but I think it generally holds true.

That doesn't mean that people of a variety of backgrounds can't listen to a little bit of everything (I like at least one artist of every musical genre I've ever heard, with the possible exception of Mongolian throat-singing, but give me a few weeks to track down a song or two...). It just means that you're generally expected to conform to expectations.

 

So true and it applies to many other areas of life beyond music.

If a white person eats Filipino or Indonesian or Chilean or whatever cuisine he is exposing his palate to different flavors but if a black person tries a different cuisine then it's "what's wrong with soul food?".

If a white person tries to learn a foreign language it is simply someone expanding their mind or increasing their job skills or giving them more options in places to travel. If a black person tries to learn a foreign language it is a viewed as another lingual attempt at trying to get even further away from "blackness". In the minds of the accusers, learning proper English was the first lingual assault against blackness.

I could go on and on with many examples from the clothes we wear to the TV programs we watch to even where we choose to live, and of course the people we choose to date/marry, but you get the idea.

 

I grew up in Kenya so I will give a different perspective. I listened too different genre's of music when growing up. From Soul and R&B/Pop with artists like Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, MJ and others; to the Pop music of ABBA, The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb,Boney M and others; African sounds of Franco, Kanda Bongo Man, Mbilia Bell, Brenda Fassie and others; Reggae Sounds of Bob Marley, Joseph Hill and other roots sounds. Almost forgot I was also a big fan of old country with Kenny Rogers, Charlie Pride and Dolly Parton.

From my early exposure I can say that I appreciate any good music, but nowadays I am more inclined to listen too R&B, Reggae, Soft Rock and varied African music.