We're More Concerned with Being Called a Racist, Than We Actually are with Racism
- Crescent Fresh
- Feb 13, 2016
- 2 min read
The voice behind many famous conversational numbers took to stage with his most alarming hit yet: White Privilege II. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis brought up a topic that only a handful have actually dared to utter, due to fear.
The song White Privilege II says it all. It’s a white man’s view on ‘Black Lives Matter’, from the protests to the way Black culture in music, art, speech and fashion is unacceptable coming from Blacks but acceptable when coming from a white individual.
Macklemore sights, how he has parents coming up to him, saying “You’re the only hip hop I let my kids listen to” because the ‘other’ guys are very negative and talk only of violence and drugs. When we have the conversations about police brutality he recalls others stating “If a cop pulls you over, it’s you're fault if you run”. Macklemore brings to light the ignorance that some still hold ; for example, the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement has some claiming that it’s ‘so sad and so dumb’ even going as far as to say the ‘Black Live Matter thing is a reason to take arms up of perceived slights’. The saddest part of all of this is the honest truth of how some of us are scared to say anything, some a defensive and the worst is some do not care at all.
The comparison that is made in this tract is eye opening simply based on the skin colour of an individual. The way that a white men is portrayed as the HERO and the basic image American safety. How the Black culture is only accepted and welcomed when characterized by a white men, and yet the very same men are unable to stand up for the same people whose dressing, language, dance and music they’ve selectively taken and made it ‘their’ own.
It has been said that hip hop is very much political. It’s a platform to showcase your thoughts, social issues of past and of present. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have spoken about “acceptable topics” and bring up race sparked something.
The song is an open interpretation, a conversation starter. You have Black individuals proud to see someone on the other side take a stand, and you have some feeling like ‘He’s white, he hasn't walked a mile in my shoes…you also have White individuals standing with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis wanting change and equality and others who could not care less.
S O N G + I S + G E N I U S
Sources http://www.blacklivesmatter.com/macklemore-white-privilege-and-the-role-of-white-allies/
http://www.whiteprivilege2.com/
Quotes from the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_rl4ZGdy34
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