Country Music

[Dialectic]

So Lopan and I are sitting at dim sum.

We're talking about Art, food, money, Bruce Lee, and anger.

We see a lot of it on this site here, and we see a lot of it going pathological: a lot of it getting all fucked up and turning into racism and hate.

And though you may not believe me, we do understand where it's coming from. As a matter of fact, me, ZG, and Tojo at one point or another have been some of the most angry, most bitter, most hate-filled motherfuckers you have ever seen.

We have, for the most part, come out the other side of that fairly intact (though Toj scares even us sometimes, ha ha). We have seen its effects, personally and in others, and we have learned from it.

It's not healthy, it's not attractive, it's not even fun after a while. It just burns and makes you tired and makes you sad. And then you start holding onto it like it's some sort of badge of pride, and then you can never get out. As I've told some people here, my mother put it best: hate is like a cage you trap yourself into, and no one can help, and no one even cares that you hate so much, so you won't even have their attention or consideration. You just die a slow, brutal death.

We are trying our best to care, and to get you to unlock that cage and fly the fuck out of there. We kinda have (though some of us are prone to massive relapses), and we can tell you that it's better in the fucking sky.

So Lopan started talking about this intense hatred for CCBs and general White-related shit that has manifested itself here. I'm gonna paraphrase him as best I can:

"It's like you meet this person who loves country music. Really loves it, doesn't listen to anything else. And you're like, 'woah, country music? That's it?!' But do you hate that person? Nah, you're just like, what the fuck? Where did you grow up? There's all sorts of music out there.

"So what do you do? You say to him, 'I'm gonna give you some other music. Y'know, rock, hip hop, classical, everything. I'm gonna give it all to you, and I want you to try some of them out, and see if you can't appreciate some other music as well.' And if he listens to the music and likes it, hey that's great. If he doesn't, well, do you hate him? You don't hate him. You just respect him less, and you pity him. You pity his small world of Garth Brooks and Lance Whatever."

[Okay I took a few liberties.]

Y'see what we're sayin'? That hate, well, it's pointless and does ya no good. Garth Brooks and John Denver are always gonna be around. They're always gonna be multi-platinum sellers. There's always gonna be line-dancers and bull-riders. Do like Lopan does, give 'em some tunes, and if they don't like 'em, leave 'em in the dust where they wanna be, and ride off into the glorious sunset.

[DPC]

"Country roads, take me home, to the place, i belong!... ... "

[lopan]

For some reason D finds my comments incredibly entertaininig. This country one was no exception.

I was talking about hatred. I was talking about how I was seeing so much hatred towards CCBs. I was talking about how people on the forum wanted CCBs to be PUNISHED. and for them to feel a torment that they, for some reason, 'deserve'. And i just didnt' understand.

If anything, why waste our time hating these people? So long as we whine and bitch about ANYTHING -- nevermind CCBs -- we will always on a subconscious level be setting ourselves up as victims.

This is a VICTIM'S attitude:
"We have been wronged! We demand retribution! We want their heads on stakes, and their bodies on burning pires!!"

Does this sound familiar? does it sound like something that might have been expressed on the boards?

MOre importantly, does it sound like someone who is EMPOWERING himself?

Fuck, No.

No one I look up to has ever made it to where he is by bitching about his situation. Only losers whine. Fuck, we've all got problems. Not one of us is perfect. But it's up to us to take advantage of the opportunities we've been given and elevate ourselves. That's the attitude of someone who is successful.

Coming back to Country Music, I was saying to Dialectic, "Why should we waste our time hating CCBs? If anything, we should be pitying them. We should be looking at them with sad sad eyes, and thinking about how unfortunate it is that we couldn't save them." Because really, a CCB is a lost soul. She's someone who hasn't seen the light. Because if someone grows up with nothing but whinny, bitchy, self-emasculated asian males at home, there is no reason why she shouldn't be desperately seeking whitey.

So, if you knew someone who liked country music, your initial reaction isn't, "You fucking bitch!! you fucking sellout whore!" No. Your initial reaction is more of a complacent, "oh, that's too bad. Have you ever tried listening to this... *** ?" And slowly but surely, you educate them on the beauty of YOUR music.

Our attitude is what defines us. The first thing we need to do is readjust our attitude towards CCBs. They aren't the enemy. They dont' desreve punishment. They simply... have poor taste in music.

.. And i never hated someone because they liked country.

[Dialectic]

I came close when I was in a country karaoke bar once. I think Lopan's crew brought me there actually. Fuckin' Lopan.

Lopan's post is referring to something very serious about which we have had many discussions since launching this site.

We are referring to the Culture of Victimization which is in its nascent stages of development here, and which we will not allow to mature and permanently infect our forum.

This is, in some ways, related to the recent Bill Cosby incidents.

For quite some years now, Blacks have been pointing out flaws in the system, deconstructing the politics and economics of oppression, and working to create permanent, exterior systemic changes.

Cosby believes that this has now been overemphasized and has grown pathological: ie. it's fucked itself up and is fucking his people up. He believes that all this oppression is now being used as an excuse to do poorly, to fuck up, to be a thug. He advocates internal cognitive and moral development.

While our situation is not nearly so extreme, we can draw parallels. We will not have you use this site as an excuse to be a bigot, to be a raving lunatic, to be a victim. We all know about the systemic challenges we face. We will continue to write about them and discuss them in smart and witty ways. And we're not gonna have a website full of bitches.

Change is in the air, 44s. Evolve or die.

[speedball]

I like the analogy about country....

and on a lighter note, Country music takes up 40% of our music spending habits. That's more than hip hop, classical, even pop music.

so it's funny how people diss it but secretly buy it. I mean who's the best selling artist in the world? not the Beatles, but Garth Brooks.

It sounds sad... but then you start to realize why we've had all these "New Country" stations pop up over night

[AngryEthiopian]

It sounds sad... but then you start to realize why we've had all these "New Country" stations pop up over nightIt's not sad.... IT'S SCARY!

[rising7]

Hehehe...Blue grass...

[cattygurl]

On the subject of music...

Actually, having spent time in the deep south, I can actually appreciate Country Music... I've even attended a few Kenny Rogers concerts waaaay back (when I was in grade school). I thought the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou was awesome, and I really do enjoy a good fiddle, dulcimer, saw and bluegrass. I like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams the Third. Allison Krause has a beautiful voice. What I don't like is the pop/country mainstream country aka Garth Brooks, etc.

I just feel bad for ANYONE stuck on a single kind of music, or music snobs that listen to music just becuase "it's the smart/hip/deep" thing to do. Enjoy what you like, keep your ears open, and try to enjoy a variety.

[OctaVentiConPanna]

I actually have a friend that listens to only 2 kinds of music..... country and western. He's Asian with an Asian wife and goes fishing and hunting all the time. He drives a big ol Ford 4x4. Voted for Bush. ARRGGGHHHHH!!! Its that damn country music I tell ya.