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Graham: ‘Help’ indeed – NPR tunes in to the Beatles and finds racism
Boston Herald ^ | 12 27 2021 | Tim Graham

Posted on 12/28/2021 12:12:06 PM PST by yesthatjallen

SNIP

NPR music critic Ann Powers uncorked a long, unforgiving treatise on how it doesn’t matter that the Beatles were progressive and loved Black music because they were still somehow part of making rock music white and exclusionary: “Rock’s defining narrative still stands alongside others that reflect the historic segregation of Anglo-American social spheres.”

The Beatles and the Rolling Stones wouldn’t play segregated venues and paid tribute to Black musicians who inspired them. But Powers wrote, “As they became rock’s norm, they allowed white fans to enjoy what the late great music writer Greg Tate identified as a pasteurized form of Black culture.” Tate called it “everything but the burden.”

They “allowed white fans” to eat a Velveeta cheese version of Black music.

SNIP

NPR is reasserting its familiar ideology. This is where many readers would check out after a few hectoring paragraphs. Can’t you just love the Beatles without feeling like you’re reinforcing an “informally segregated sphere”?

This is not how people listen to music any more than people only limit themselves to one ethnicity of food. The alleged racism here is about definitions: what is rock; what is pop; what is rhythm and blues. This artificially sets up the genre of rock to be a white, male preserve because many of its stars are white men.

But the “familiar hierarchy” of white people also loved the Motown sound and embraced its virtuoso Black performers and innovators such as Stevie Wonder. You can love rock, jazz, country and classical. You can have them all on your playlist.

SNIP

(Excerpt) Read more at bostonherald.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: annpowers; beatles; chat; defundnpr; defundpbs; music; npr; pbs; racism
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1 posted on 12/28/2021 12:12:06 PM PST by yesthatjallen
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To: yesthatjallen

Well John and Yoko did do a song called, “Woman Is the N____ of the World”


2 posted on 12/28/2021 12:13:09 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: yesthatjallen

“I see you did something. Why are you such a racist?”


3 posted on 12/28/2021 12:14:01 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (Mass hypnosis of society. So many people are blind to the Truth which is in front of them.)
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To: yesthatjallen

When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail........................


4 posted on 12/28/2021 12:14:18 PM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: yesthatjallen

So “Get Back” was really a slap at rosa parks? Is that what npr (OUR FRIGGIN’ TAX DOLLARS) sees? I have a strong dislike for those assclowns. Playing a jam Thursday night and we may have to do some beatles tunes. I’ll have my black buddy sing them.


5 posted on 12/28/2021 12:14:39 PM PST by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this? 😕)
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To: yesthatjallen

Wow! The Beatles are racist now?


6 posted on 12/28/2021 12:15:12 PM PST by EvilCapitalist (Merry Christmas Illhan!)
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To: yesthatjallen
Libs can find racism in daylight and shadows.

7 posted on 12/28/2021 12:15:19 PM PST by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
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To: yesthatjallen

8 posted on 12/28/2021 12:15:21 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: yesthatjallen

What’s strange is targeting this at the Beatles, one of the ‘60s band which ripped off black musicians the least, once they were well-established. At least far less than the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Who...


9 posted on 12/28/2021 12:16:09 PM PST by dangus
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To: yesthatjallen

NPR is a bunch of sick commie bass turds.


10 posted on 12/28/2021 12:16:45 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (You can vote your way into socialism but you have to shoot your way out of it.)
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To: rktman
So “Get Back” was really a slap at rosa parks?

You'd think Billy Preston would have protested.

11 posted on 12/28/2021 12:16:48 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: yesthatjallen
"the late great music writer Greg Tate"

The late great who?

He was black, so call him great or you're a racist

What did he write?

Racist!
12 posted on 12/28/2021 12:17:15 PM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: yesthatjallen

John Lenon and George Harrison unavailable for comment.


13 posted on 12/28/2021 12:18:27 PM PST by Rebelbase
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To: MtnClimber

Uhh... Actually. Funny thing. That’s a black bear. But polar bears and Brown bears turn out to be different races of the same species. The liberals are trying to explode the number of species, so as to call each one an “endangered species.” But the reality is that there are far fewer discrete species, not more, than we once thought.


14 posted on 12/28/2021 12:18:45 PM PST by dangus
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To: MtnClimber

LOL!


15 posted on 12/28/2021 12:19:14 PM PST by Rebelbase
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To: yesthatjallen

and why should i care a whit what Ann Powers thinks?


16 posted on 12/28/2021 12:19:24 PM PST by entropy12 (President Trump was the best president in my life time of 81 years and counting..)
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To: yesthatjallen

And all Beatles/Who/Stones fans, racist bastards, hate Jimi Hendrix! /src


17 posted on 12/28/2021 12:19:29 PM PST by BlueStateRightist (Government is best which governs least.)
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To: EvilCapitalist
Wow! The Beatles are racist now?

We are all racists. Especially if we sing the "Yesterday" song, reminiscing about when President Trump occupied the White House.

"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away..."

18 posted on 12/28/2021 12:19:32 PM PST by roadcat
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To: yesthatjallen

19 posted on 12/28/2021 12:21:06 PM PST by windsorknot
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To: MtnClimber

Because using white bears would be racist!


20 posted on 12/28/2021 12:21:12 PM PST by Fai Mao (I don't think we have enough telephone poles.)
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