Comments on: White Self Indulgence http://isgreaterthan.net/2010/02/white-self-indulgence/ Literary-minded culture blog Sun, 25 Sep 2011 06:38:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Chris http://isgreaterthan.net/2010/02/white-self-indulgence/comment-page-1/#comment-31718 Chris Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:33:10 +0000 http://isgreaterthan.net/?p=9223#comment-31718 I think also just like with the word faggot he wanted to "reclaim" it and disarm it's power. He wants to take nigga and take it out of a racial context. Further blurring racial divides and neutralizing the word even further. That's how I see it at least. At the very least it inspires an intellectual discussion and personal musings and that right there is something. I think also just like with the word faggot he wanted to "reclaim" it and disarm it's power. He wants to take nigga and take it out of a racial context. Further blurring racial divides and neutralizing the word even further. That's how I see it at least.

At the very least it inspires an intellectual discussion and personal musings and that right there is something.

]]> By: Chris http://isgreaterthan.net/2010/02/white-self-indulgence/comment-page-1/#comment-31713 Chris Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:11:37 +0000 http://isgreaterthan.net/?p=9223#comment-31713 "Maybe because while he might understand when that word is okay (because maybe it is okay in the context of hip-hop), his white listeners might not. White listeners who might throw Black girls out of parties for being niggas or niggers or whatever the hell." Forget the white listeners who'd do that. MSI is not for them. Seriously, this is from the liner notes of Frankenstein Girls. "You must listen to this album with your tongue planted firmly in your cheek. If you don't have a sense of irony, or you are a piece of shit bigot, or a fundamentalist anything, return this album immediately, don't come to our shows, don't wear our t-shirts. Fuck off. If you're a parent who neglects, beats, or doesn't show your child love, know that we don't condone violence so don't waste our time in court while you try to explain to a jury how our music made your "happy & normal" child into a deranged lunatic. Thank You" They don't want those kind of fans. Unfortunately, those type of "fans" are out there. However, they end up looking like complete tools for A being bigoted shits and B missing the point of MSI altogether. You get racist assholes who think their song Tight whose chorus is "I could be the one turned on/All you niggaz in the back come and jack me off" is about saying "fuck you to blacks" when in fact, it's really just about a reacharound. I can't help but laugh. Or when you get homophobic people who listen to "Faggot" and think, these guys are tearing into those queers. When really, that song is about Urine realizing that he's addicted to gay sex and cannot stop himself. If you haven't picked it up yet, alot of their songs are about being gay or having reference to gay sex. And let's face it, a guy who says "I hate niggers, isn't going to be exactly accepting of neither blacks nor gays, right. "What I can say is that my experience with MSI reflects a larger problem of being a person of color or any other divergence from straight-white-maleness in this world: over and over again, we are reminded that as much as we want to connect and think that we can, we are still outsiders in a world that never meant to properly include us. This makes me mad. Defiant. Furious even. Time to listen to some . . . Mindless Self Indulgence?" I don't think it does, the fact is that MSI themselves doesn't fit into that straight-white-maleness either. Nor does alot of their core fan base. Most of their fan base is geeks, outcast, gays, and people who don't feel they fit in, but who find a kinship with the satire and self-depreciative humor of the band. They themselves are outsiders and essentially everyone is both in on the joke, and a part of the joke. Including themselves. The world of MSI is suppose to include both you, me, and everyone reading this. You know, except bigots. Bigots are on their own. And about hip hop. He celebrates what he likes, and mocks what he doesn't. "Maybe because while he might understand when that word is okay (because maybe it is okay in the context of hip-hop), his white listeners might not. White listeners who might throw Black girls out of parties for being niggas or niggers or whatever the hell."

Forget the white listeners who'd do that. MSI is not for them. Seriously, this is from the liner notes of Frankenstein Girls.

"You must listen to this album with your tongue planted firmly in your cheek. If you don't have a sense of irony, or you are a piece of shit bigot, or a fundamentalist anything, return this album immediately, don't come to our shows, don't wear our t-shirts. Fuck off. If you're a parent who neglects, beats, or doesn't show your child love, know that we don't condone violence so don't waste our time in court while you try to explain to a jury how our music made your "happy & normal" child into a deranged lunatic.
Thank You"

They don't want those kind of fans. Unfortunately, those type of "fans" are out there. However, they end up looking like complete tools for A being bigoted shits and B missing the point of MSI altogether. You get racist assholes who think their song Tight whose chorus is "I could be the one turned on/All you niggaz in the back come and jack me off" is about saying "fuck you to blacks" when in fact, it's really just about a reacharound. I can't help but laugh. Or when you get homophobic people who listen to "Faggot" and think, these guys are tearing into those queers. When really, that song is about Urine realizing that he's addicted to gay sex and cannot stop himself. If you haven't picked it up yet, alot of their songs are about being gay or having reference to gay sex. And let's face it, a guy who says "I hate niggers, isn't going to be exactly accepting of neither blacks nor gays, right.

"What I can say is that my experience with MSI reflects a larger problem of being a person of color or any other divergence from straight-white-maleness in this world: over and over again, we are reminded that as much as we want to connect and think that we can, we are still outsiders in a world that never meant to properly include us. This makes me mad. Defiant. Furious even. Time to listen to some . . . Mindless Self Indulgence?"

I don't think it does, the fact is that MSI themselves doesn't fit into that straight-white-maleness either. Nor does alot of their core fan base. Most of their fan base is geeks, outcast, gays, and people who don't feel they fit in, but who find a kinship with the satire and self-depreciative humor of the band. They themselves are outsiders and essentially everyone is both in on the joke, and a part of the joke. Including themselves. The world of MSI is suppose to include both you, me, and everyone reading this. You know, except bigots. Bigots are on their own.

And about hip hop. He celebrates what he likes, and mocks what he doesn't.

]]> By: udj http://isgreaterthan.net/2010/02/white-self-indulgence/comment-page-1/#comment-15089 udj Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:13:03 +0000 http://isgreaterthan.net/?p=9223#comment-15089 you have a lot of bitterness wrapped up in you and expressing you thoughts in words in these articles i believe isn't helping things either. Your pissed off because of the nigga word, but you are just as racist as the words by referring to your white boyfriend, or white friends. Just grow up and be the best person you can be udj you have a lot of bitterness wrapped up in you and expressing you thoughts in words in these articles i believe isn't helping things either. Your pissed off because of the nigga word, but you are just as racist as the words by referring to your white boyfriend, or white friends. Just grow up and be the best person you can be

udj

]]> By: @johnbcannon http://isgreaterthan.net/2010/02/white-self-indulgence/comment-page-1/#comment-13720 @johnbcannon Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:34:37 +0000 http://isgreaterthan.net/?p=9223#comment-13720 Very interesting post ... personally, I can't imagine a context in which it would be okay for me as a white guy to use any version of the n-word (including "nigga") in any way other than citationally. That said, I tend to disagree with Cornel West's call for a moratorium on the use of the word - though his reasoning is sound - because suppressing a thing like this tends to enhance its power, not to diminish it. It's a third rail, in any case. Also, I like your question about "mimicking or mocking" hip hop. I don't have an answer for that. Very interesting post … personally, I can't imagine a context in which it would be okay for me as a white guy to use any version of the n-word (including "nigga") in any way other than citationally. That said, I tend to disagree with Cornel West's call for a moratorium on the use of the word – though his reasoning is sound – because suppressing a thing like this tends to enhance its power, not to diminish it. It's a third rail, in any case. Also, I like your question about "mimicking or mocking" hip hop. I don't have an answer for that.

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