Posted on 04/12/2013 7:09:46 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Country music star Brad Paisley is either an idiot or a genius. If he wrote the song "Accidental Racist" to stir a whirlwind of (mostly bad) publicity, he's a genius. But the negative cultural consensus strongly suggests he should have never been dumb enough to try to write a racial-harmony song. Paisley performed the song as a dialogue with rapper LL Cool J, now a star on the CBS drama "NCIS: LA." He says he wrote the song when he felt he had to defend wearing a T-shirt celebrating the country band Alabama, a shirt with the Confederate flag on it. In the song, he tries to suggest to a black man he met that the flag just says he's a fan of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Paisley sings, "I'm just a white man comin' to you from the southland / Tryin' to understand what it's like not to be. I'm proud of where I'm from but not everything we've done / And it ain't like you and me can re-write history." LL Cool J wrote his half of the song, and replies in part: "I guess we're both guilty of judgin' the cover, not the book. I'd love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air."
Cheesy? Sure. But isn't this the kind of Kumbaya sentiment liberal elites embrace in their quest for racial harmony? Yes, that's what they say. But when it's what you offer, they react with their true colors.
It was quickly trashed as racially clueless. NPR's new race and culture blogger Gene Demby, fresh from The Huffington Post, quoted comedian Patton Oswalt's tweet: "Can't wait for Brad Paisley and LL Cool J's next single 'Whoopsy Daisy, Holocaust, My Bad.'"
Oswalt must have been mocking the clunkiest line in the song, when LL Cool J alludes to slavery by saying, "If you don't judge my gold chains / I'll forget the iron chains." NPR's Demby complained, "A lot of people felt as if it was kind of shearing off kind of the rough edges of our history."
Comedian and Current TV host John Fugelsang tweeted Paisley should have "gone with original title 'Well-Intentioned But Totally Ignorant Institutionalized Racist.'"
If one wants to see both institutionalized racism and an embarrassing attempt at whites trying to pander on race, I'd rather recommend "The Jimmy Fallon Show" on NBC.
Dennis Coles, better known by his rap persona "Ghostface Killah," was introduced with great enthusiasm by Fallon, before performing his song "I Declare War" from the new album "Twelve Reasons to Die." He was joined on the microphone by "Masta Killa" and "Killah Priest." Fallon even announced there was a "Twelve Reasons to Die" comic book soon available for sale -- because it's never too early to sell the drug pusher/gangster lifestyle to children. That's their Kumbaya.
"I Declare War" was not an exceptionally violent rap song. It was a very typical violent rap song, with profanity and N-words, boasting about shooting and killing.
This was how NPR defined the concept behind the album, "the creation myth of a black superhero set in 1960s Italy." Ghostface "leaves to start a black syndicate, falls in love with a boss's daughter and makes a ton of money importing cocaine. For these crimes, the criminal organization he came up in murders him and dumps his body in a vat of acetate. His former friends press 12 records from his remains, but when those records play, his vengeful spirit arises. Though he was rebuffed and disrespected in life, in legend the Ghostface Killah becomes immortal."
It should be seen as "totally ignorant institutionalized racism" for record executives to make millions of dollars selling an assembly line of poisonous music that glamorizes a violent criminal lifestyle. After many decades in which tens of thousands of young black men were gunned down by other young black men, how can it be said that country music is the genre that's terribly insensitive to what's happening on this war front? This rolling slaughter is now the "rough edges of our history," and the popular culture glorifies it, romanticizes it and commodifies it.
Brad Paisley-shredding NPR is streaming this whole album on its website, applauding how it features "jangly, tumbleweed guitar that warms the cold-hearted comic book-style violence," and hailing one song for how our alleged hero Ghostface Killah "bobs and weaves with the track, but he maintains a forthright and basically conversational sentence structure, which, when he's describing the ways he might murder your children, really twists the knife."
NPR's reviewer is probably referring to the song "Murder Spree," which is a grotesque listing of vicious murder styles -- from dismemberment to pushing brains out the back of a human head. Spin magazine praises its "mix of brute violence and graceful eloquence."
This country is sick and getting sicker. Don't blame Brad Paisley and LL Cool J.
Brad just jumped the shark. it’s bad enough that the opposition calls us names but someone supposedly in the Country Class should know better.
So he says we should be more sensitive? When all you have is a hammer....
It’s time to stand up and tell everyone to get a life. It’s not always about you and your feelings.
I think because it had the Stars & Bars on it.
Brad Paisley is an idiot
To each his own. I am sure some artists I like will not meet your approval, but I am not a Paisley fan.
Besides if he does not want to be insulted quit acting like Bieber and every other spoiled musician that thinks they are so gifted that their opinion matters to me. I will insult any left leaning person at my discretion. They have been doing it to us for years and we have not reacted all in the name of being polite and decorum. I am past that. If you lie with dogs you get fleas.
We are pounded with racial B.S. 24/7/365.
Blacks are only 13% of the population but about 85% of the problems and 90% of the irritating in-your-face crap.
When surfing the TV if we see even one black face we keep going.
The charge of racism has become the second biggest joke in the country, only one place behind the biggest joke - Barack Obama.
On the credit side, Mr. Paisley and Mr. Cool J. have brought Whites and Blacks together in that EVERYONE, regardless of race thinks the song sucks.
The reason they do is that it is bad...or more technically, it is “really, really, really” bad.
The first place it goes bad is that it is sung by a country singer named “Paisly”. Mr. Paisley may be a decent singer (I really don’t know) but you can’t sing country music and have a name like “Paisley”—you just can’t. He should have changed his name to something “country” like “Brad Smith N. Wesson” or “Brad Mustang”. If you go around named after a “textile pattern featuring a leaf motif”, it is going to affect your music (just like switching to his birth name “Mellencamp” turned John Cougar from a great rocker into a preachy liberal making boring effetemusic.)
Second—he is singing about going to “STARBUCKS”. Country music singers don’t sing about going to Starbucks (unless maybe maybe it is Toby Keith singing about how his girl drug him into Starbucks when he wanted to go to the Western Steakhouse or something like that.)
This is just a fail.
he is defending the rebel flag. I recall buying my southern hubby a new rebel flag beach towel in NC and he was mortified and embarrassed. It was to replace his old one. I grew up the kid of Caucasians who fought for racial equality for all, so I never was prejudiced. But my mil was another story, from Kentucky and didn’t think I should let the black carpet steamer guy use my bathroom. He should go to a “filling station”. She was a piece of work.
When it comes to music, I try to separate the musician from the man/woman. I still love James Taylor’s music but he’s a liberal nutcase.
I used to try that but I finally decided if I give them any money or attention I am tacitly approving them. It maybe futile on my part but worth the effort.
I refuse to shop at JC Penney or Target and love supporting Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A. We all have our line in the sand, I guess.
Too bad it is shifting sand...
My thoughts exactly
It’s not a cnart song and doesn’t fit on an album the way I’d normally expect but, it does send the message that being a proud Southerner and wearin the flag doesn’t have anything to do with racism in the modern world.
We didn’t grow up with that mindset and I’d let someone have it, preferably verbally, if I saw it.
Start the conversation and dispell the myth.
Same with the baggy pant dudes. They ain’t gangstuh? Fine, I accept your premise and will accord you respect the same as anyone.
Like everyone, that respect is a mutual pact and has the regular social conditions as terms.
If either of us break the pact then, yea, we’re a dick and perhaps we will realize our error, apologize and work to never cross the again.
HULLA BELUE! INCONSEQUENTIAL SONG. CREATING HATE COMMENTS AND ACCUSATIONS.
ALL THE WHILE abortions ARE FINE!!!
AMERIA HAS LOST OUR MOORINGS!
GOD FORGIVE AMERICA, WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO. Have MERCY on AMERICA, WE ASK FOR FORGIVENESS, WE REPENT OF OUR SINS. Help us see, and have understanding of Thy commands in the Scriptures. WE LOVE THEE FATHER, IN JESUS NAME AMEN. Amen.
LYRICS TO THE SONG: “ACCIDENTAL RACIST”
Songwriters: Smith, James Todd / Paisley, Brad / Miller, Lee Thomas
To the man that waited on me at the Starbucks down on Main, I hope you understand
When I put on that t-shirt, the only thing I meant to say is I’m a Skynyrd fan
The red flag on my chest somehow is like the elephant in the corner of the south
And I just walked him right in the room
Just a proud rebel son with an ‘ol can of worms
Lookin’ like I got a lot to learn but from my point of view
I’m just a white man comin’ to you from the southland
Tryin’ to understand what it’s like not to be
I’m proud of where I’m from but not everything we’ve done
And it ain’t like you and me can re-write history
Our generation didn’t start this nation
We’re still pickin’ up the pieces, walkin’ on eggshells, fightin’ over yesterday
And caught between southern pride and southern blame
They called it Reconstruction, fixed the buildings, dried some tears
We’re still siftin’ through the rubble after a hundred-fifty years
I try to put myself in your shoes and that’s a good place to begin
But it ain’t like I can walk a mile in someone else’s skin
‘Cause I’m a white man livin’ in the southland
Just like you I’m more than what you see
I’m proud of where I’m from but not everything we’ve done
And it ain’t like you and me can re-write history
Our generation didn’t start this nation
And we’re still paying for the mistakes
That a bunch of folks made long before we came
And caught between southern pride and southern blame
Dear Mr. White Man, I wish you understood
What the world is really like when you’re livin’ in the hood
Just because my pants are saggin’ doesn’t mean I’m up to no good
You should try to get to know me, I really wish you would
Now my chains are gold but I’m still misunderstood
I wasn’t there when Sherman’s March turned the south into firewood
I want you to get paid but be a slave I never could
Feel like a new fangled Django, dodgin’ invisible white hoods
So when I see that white cowboy hat, I’m thinkin’ it’s not all good
I guess we’re both guilty of judgin’ the cover not the book
I’d love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air
But I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn’t here
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)
Oh, Dixieland
(The relationship between the Mason-Dixon needs some fixin’)
I hope you understand what this is all about
(Quite frankly I’m a black Yankee but I’ve been thinkin’ about this lately)
I’m a son of the new south
(The past is the past, you feel me)
And I just want to make things right
(Let bygones be bygones)
Where all that’s left is southern pride
(RIP Robert E. Lee but I’ve gotta thank Abraham Lincoln for freeing me, know what I mean)
It’s real, it’s real
It’s truth
My friend I use to stay at the Four Seasons, on Doheney, Beverly Hills.
We ran into him frequently and he was constantly looking for a laugh and teasing my friend in a playful manner, much like a brother teasing his sister.
He was always bright and of good cheer.
Once, we were having breakfast and I was reading my paper and having coffee, I looked up and this stoopid dork(guy teasing guy) is standing there with a big grin, towel over his forearm and says “coffee sir?”
We all started laughing and he tops off my coffee and turns to my and saying “And beautiful lady, what woukd like?”
She did that girl thing where they tilt there head, look through the corner of their eye and said “Why yes handsome. I would love some camomille tea”.
He laughed and said he had no idea what that was but, someone would be over shortly to help her. Waiter came over and said LL Cool J said you need something?
Too funny!
As we were leaving my friend stopped and wanted to grab the breakfast menu as a momento and wondered aloud if she could.
LL was behind us and proclaimed “It’s the Four Seasons Baby. You can do anything you want!”
He grabbed one of the days menu and handed it to her.
We all laughed and I recall had just a great day.
Nice guy.
“Our generation didn’t start this nation”
And I thank God for that!!!
His generation couldn’t shine the boots of our founding fathers, nor mine I might add as a reluctant Boomer. The right men were in the right place at the right time to make this great nation, too bad they died and so will their creation.
LL Cool J, now a star on the CBS drama “NCIS: LA.”
One of the principle reasons I don’t watch that show.
Just like that stupid arsed song “We are the World” from 1985 where all the “stars” sang a line. They are so stupid to think that one song will make be the panacea and everyone will magically get along. I find it just the opposite that popular music can install hate and bigotry ( all gangsta rap lyrics fall in this category ) and have no redeeming value on this planet.
You’d be better off singing Near My God to Thee or Blessed Redeemer for what is coming.
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