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Petition Demands Adele Admit She’s Successful Only Because She’s White
National Review ^ | 12/07/2015 | Katherine Timpf

Posted on 12/08/2015 7:01:03 AM PST by SeekAndFind

A petition addressed to Adele, President Obama, and Billboard on Change.org demands that the singer admit that she has "little talent" and is succeeding mainly because of her white privilege.

"Adele sold over 3.38 million copies of her album '25' and the media is praising her as if Adele's success has everything to do with talent," reads the petition, written by Rhianna Jones.

"Rather, it's her white privilege that has put her on top," it declares.

The petitioners also "demand that Adele donates her money to African-American causes such as #Blacklivesmatter."

It's not clear why exactly the petition is also addressed to President Obama -- perhaps Ms. Jones is outraged that the leader of the free world hasn't pushed the less important issues like ISIS aside to deal with the more serious ones like a singer's being white and successful at the same time. (I mean, would an executive order requiring Adele to admit she is only successful because she is white and give away her money to people who are not white in order to stay in the country really be too much to ask?)

Honestly, Adele is an interesting target for this kind of criticism. First of all, despite the fact that some might think this would be impossible for a white person, Adele actually had a pretty tough upbringing: Her father was an admitted drunk who walked out on the family when she was just three years old. Second -- white or not -- hardly anyone thinks of Adele as having the typical look of a successful female performer. Whether someone is calling her fat or asking her how she manages to handle weighing more than others in her industry, any discussion of her image concerns how different she looks and how tough it must be to look that way.

Although Jones's petition had just 31 supporters at the time of publication, its very existence is ridiculous enough -- and for so many reasons. After all, even if Adele did have a privileged upbringing and was a size 0 with D-cups, saying that she has just "a little talent" is objectively wrong. "A little talent" is the kind of phrase you use to describe someone who had the best voice in the high-school choir before going on to realize she needed to get a real job. Fan or not, anyone with ears and the ability to know what words mean would have to admit that Adele falls into a different category.

-- Katherine Timpf is a reporter for National Review Online.


TOPICS: Music/Entertainment; Society; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: adele; privilege; whiteness
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To: SeekAndFind

We’re supposed to believe not one single black person has ever bought her CDs.


61 posted on 12/08/2015 9:24:54 AM PST by bgill (CDC site, "We still do not know exactly how people are infected with Ebola")
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To: AppyPappy
Shoot, I can sing. Why not me?

Because we've heard you sing........LOL

62 posted on 12/08/2015 9:29:47 AM PST by Hot Tabasco
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To: csvset

I discovered Ruhan on Pandora
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl-FCgE2FQQ

The girl you posted is amazing and a winderful voice.

Love her transitions and attenuations.


63 posted on 12/08/2015 9:31:54 AM PST by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy" 6Yourself ala Louis Prima)
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To: SeekAndFind; Gamecock; SaveFerris; FredZarguna; PROCON
The petitioners also "demand that Adele donates her money to African-American causes such as #Blacklivesmatter."

Dear Mizz Jones,

A donation has been made in your name to the All Lives Matter Fund.

The All Lives Matter Fund. Money For All Lives.

64 posted on 12/08/2015 9:36:47 AM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: Blue Turtle
Hopefully she will avoid Bobby Brown.
65 posted on 12/08/2015 9:41:18 AM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (Proud Infidel, Gun Nut, Religious Fanatic and Freedom Fiend)
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To: csvset

She is married and was before the baby arrived IIRC.


66 posted on 12/08/2015 9:43:32 AM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (Proud Infidel, Gun Nut, Religious Fanatic and Freedom Fiend)
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To: Vendome

Thanks for the link. Beautiful voice.


67 posted on 12/08/2015 9:55:14 AM PST by csvset ( Illegitimi non carborundum)
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To: csvset

Like your girl, I can’t understand a word but, wonderful voices.

Not Maria Callas but, wonderful never the less.


68 posted on 12/08/2015 9:59:49 AM PST by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy" 6Yourself ala Louis Prima)
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To: Defiant

She also considers hardcore rap and hip hop music, so yes, she is stupid!


69 posted on 12/08/2015 10:13:35 AM PST by kcvl
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To: csvset

Have you seen the Barberettes? Or Barbarettes? I forget which. They are adorable Korean girls.


70 posted on 12/08/2015 10:22:33 AM PST by smalltownslick
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To: Let's Roll

Sadly, no.


71 posted on 12/08/2015 11:04:40 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: SeekAndFind

“White privilege” does not give you the power, range, and richness of Adeles voice. People are getting crazy.


72 posted on 12/08/2015 12:15:14 PM PST by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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To: SeekAndFind

No doubt she’s crying all the way to the bank.

Tell the critics to f*** off, Adele.


73 posted on 12/08/2015 12:51:53 PM PST by Jack Hammer
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To: SeekAndFind

White privilege.. the calling card of a loser.


74 posted on 12/08/2015 1:16:54 PM PST by Trillian
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To: InterceptPoint

They had her on the muzak loop at work here ... talented lady, but I’ve had more than enough.

I think that for me the thing that bugs me is her music mostly seems so ... oh, dark, baby done me wrong, unhappy kind of stuff. Soulful, but sometimes you don’t wanna sing (or hear) the blues all the time.


75 posted on 12/08/2015 1:17:08 PM PST by Kommodor (Terrorist, Journalist or Democrat? I can't tell the difference.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Considering the domination of some music genres by people other than ‘white’, where’s the beef?


76 posted on 12/08/2015 1:20:16 PM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: SeekAndFind; Jack Hydrazine; Norm Lenhart; Salamander; TheOldLady; spyone; To Hell With Poverty; ...

This is the Modern Music Ping List. Our topic is music from the 20th and 21st century, from Ravel and Shostakovich through to the Synth Pioneers and beyond.

Topic suggestions are always welcome, and pings to music-related threads are appreciated.

FReepmail or reply to this post to be added to or removed from this list.

77 posted on 12/08/2015 1:22:20 PM PST by Squawk 8888 (I don't run; if you see me running, you should run too.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Had to check it our on youtube. The lady has a set of pipes and isn’t singing out her nose like so many do any more.


78 posted on 12/08/2015 1:37:21 PM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: Carpe Cerevisi
>>Why were Millini Vanillini big?

I think you mean "Milli Vanilli".

I forgot, Miley Minnelli... Liza's kid.

79 posted on 12/08/2015 3:49:19 PM PST by a fool in paradise (The goal of Socialism is Communism. Marx and Lenin were in agreement on this.)
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To: Carpe Cerevisi
>> Why did they get a Grammy when they couldn’t even sing???

They gave it back once they were exposed as frauds.

Then when is Obama giving back his two Grammies?

80 posted on 12/08/2015 3:50:11 PM PST by a fool in paradise (The goal of Socialism is Communism. Marx and Lenin were in agreement on this.)
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