Just to get your opinion on a comment I heard here at work.
I was asked to turn down ‘the white trash music’ that was playing here in the gym by an American visitor. There was house music playing, which a lot of the members love and it beggars belief that someone had the audacity to say such a thing.
I have heard this comment freely thrown around daytime American TV for a long time but what puzzles me is that some racist remarks like this one are allowed and some are not. For instance, if we had hip hop playing, which we do on occasion and someone said turn that black shit off there would be uproar and rightly so!
Now we don’t use the term white trash but I know exactly what it means and who it refers to. Can you imagine using a similar term like black trash to describe a group of people, it wouldn’t be acceptable!
Can someone offer an explanation on this obvious double standard and do you agree that it’s unacceptable!
[quote]worzel wrote:
Just to get your opinion on a comment I heard here at work.
I was asked to turn down ‘the white trash music’ that was playing here in the gym by an American visitor. There was house music playing, which a lot of the members love and it beggars belief that someone had the audacity to say such a thing.
[/quote]
You should have told them to “go scratch” and mind their own arrogant American “redneck” business.
What kind of music are you referring to by “house”. You mean like techno or as in played over a PA?
I wouldn’t call it racist speech. For it to be considered racist it would have to make generalized assumptions about a particular race–for example, “black people are genetically gifted dancers,” is not hateful but definitely racist.
[quote]worzel wrote:
Just to get your opinion on a comment I heard here at work.
I was asked to turn down ‘the white trash music’ that was playing here in the gym by an American visitor. There was house music playing, which a lot of the members love and it beggars belief that someone had the audacity to say such a thing.
I have heard this comment freely thrown around daytime American TV for a long time but what puzzles me is that some racist remarks like this one are allowed and some are not. For instance, if we had hip hop playing, which we do on occasion and someone said turn that black shit off there would be uproar and rightly so!
Now we don’t use the term white trash but I know exactly what it means and who it refers to. Can you imagine using a similar term like black trash to describe a group of people, it wouldn’t be acceptable!
Can someone offer an explanation on this obvious double standard and do you agree that it’s unacceptable!
[/quote]
white trash is an epithet often used to refer to class rather than race itself (although obviously race is included). A similar epithet would usage of the word of ghetto when applied to things nominally considered “poor” and black i.e ghetto music, ghetto shoes, etc.
As such I don’t really think there’s a double standard. The etymology of the term places that emphasis one word “trash” and being that the term comes from a time where, essentially, only white people could be broken down into social classes, the term denotes class rather than race.
[quote]Hanzo wrote:
white trash is an epithet often used to refer to class rather than race itself (although obviously race is included).
[/quote]
But as you said race is included and that is the main point I am referring to!
[quote]Hanzo wrote:
A similar epithet would usage of the word of ghetto when applied to things nominally considered “poor” and black i.e ghetto music, ghetto shoes, etc.
[/quote]
I totally agree but the use of skin colour makes ‘white trash’ all the more offensive.
[quote]Hanzo wrote:
As such I don’t really think there’s a double standard. The etymology of the term places that emphasis one word “trash” and being that the term comes from a time where, essentially, only white people could be broken down into social classes, the term denotes class rather than race. [/quote]
I completely understand what you are saying about the origins of the term ‘white trash’ but that does not make it acceptable nor does it make it non racist! The very use of ‘white’ makes it wrong! Pointing out skin colour makes it wrong! The use of this term in this day and age makes it wrong!
There is a TV show in the UK called Big Brother (you guys have it to I assume) well a 19year old white girl got kicked out for saying ‘You pushing it out, nigga’ referring to her black housemates belly.
Now for a teenage girl brought up enshrined in the vernacular of hip hop, through which the word “nigger” is littered, it is not inconceivable that this was delivered with some boisterous affection? In this context, could a synonym of this girls silly statement have been “are you pushing it out, gangsta?”
What I am trying to say is that the lines have blurred with the use of the english language particularly with the younger generation. But if one rule applies with terms used to denote certain groups of people they should apply across the board.
[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
What the hell kind of crap music do you listen to over there?
[/quote]
Assuming your from the USA.
house music was invented in your country it originates in chicago and other cities such as new york. its a form of dance music with slower bpm than techno.
it samples disco funk jazz and soul and has elements of these music behind bass driven and kick drum noises. it also has many sub genres such as deep house which is slower and more recently electro house which takes a similar sound to 80s new wave electro and puts a house beat behind it.
oh and by the way what kind of music do you listen to since your so quick to remark on what we listen to.
Technically, yes. It’s just the same as the other colourful adjectives to describe or refer to any other race. But nobody gets offended when it’s white people that is the target. There is just nothing emotionally attached.
[quote]buzzinfly80 wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
What the hell kind of crap music do you listen to over there?
Assuming your from the USA.
house music was invented in your country it originates in chicago and other cities such as new york. its a form of dance music with slower bpm than techno.
it samples disco funk jazz and soul and has elements of these music behind bass driven and kick drum noises. it also has many sub genres such as deep house which is slower and more recently electro house which takes a similar sound to 80s new wave electro and puts a house beat behind it.
[/quote]
Thanks. I dislike that stuff but I would not consider it white trash music.
The usual, Danny Boy, Wild Rover, stuff like that.
The double standard is unacceptable, the criteria for which it stands are perfectly okay. What is “house music”? Isn’t it a form of techno or electronic?
[quote]Wreckless wrote:
If people are offended by a comment like this, they probably have issues.[/quote]
its not about if a person is offended by a point like this that they have issues. the point is if it was a comment made about a black person or their type of music then it would be totally unacceptable.
[quote]pat36 wrote:
Technically, yes. It’s just the same as the other colourful adjectives to describe or refer to any other race. But nobody gets offended when it’s white people that is the target. There is just nothing emotionally attached.[/quote]
We did get offended thats why both myself and worzel who were both sitting here at the time this happened actually felt the need to write this thread. I understand that in countries such as america where blacks were subjected to slavery, that there is bound to be a huge level of emotional attachment to comments of a racist nature when racist terms are made against black people.
The point that we are making is in our country nobody was every subjected to slavery and all people are equal so we dont have that emotional attachment that exists over there, although we do understand it. if anything irish people can relate to it as we were under rule and oppressed until the last hundred years ourselves. Racism should not only be for the minorities as that in itself is actually racist.
[quote]worzel wrote:
Just to get your opinion on a comment I heard here at work.
I was asked to turn down ‘the white trash music’ that was playing here in the gym by an American visitor. There was house music playing, which a lot of the members love and it beggars belief that someone had the audacity to say such a thing.
I have heard this comment freely thrown around daytime American TV for a long time but what puzzles me is that some racist remarks like this one are allowed and some are not. For instance, if we had hip hop playing, which we do on occasion and someone said turn that black shit off there would be uproar and rightly so!
Now we don’t use the term white trash but I know exactly what it means and who it refers to. Can you imagine using a similar term like black trash to describe a group of people, it wouldn’t be acceptable!
Can someone offer an explanation on this obvious double standard and do you agree that it’s unacceptable!
[quote]worzel wrote:
Just to get your opinion on a comment I heard here at work.
I was asked to turn down ‘the white trash music’ that was playing here in the gym by an American visitor. There was house music playing, which a lot of the members love and it beggars belief that someone had the audacity to say such a thing.
I have heard this comment freely thrown around daytime American TV for a long time but what puzzles me is that some racist remarks like this one are allowed and some are not. For instance, if we had hip hop playing, which we do on occasion and someone said turn that black shit off there would be uproar and rightly so!
Now we don’t use the term white trash but I know exactly what it means and who it refers to. Can you imagine using a similar term like black trash to describe a group of people, it wouldn’t be acceptable!
Can someone offer an explanation on this obvious double standard and do you agree that it’s unacceptable!
