True, this "black & white" thing is sure getting old. I agree on the note
that there are more races/ethnicities, and actually, human diversity issues
at stakes that needs to be addressed & be brought to our awareness. A good
example would be the Elson's struggle as a Filipino American. When one
hears a beat, would one think of, wow, could this be a Filipino American's
tune?
Personally, I think that that the tunnel vision of black & white mentality
applies to all spectrum of society. As an Asian American social worker
working with run away youth, I see & hear lots of stereotypes about run
aways... One of which is "Aren't they mostly white or black kids?" Don't
forget that there are more than Black & White people around.
I'm now thinking of Ken Burns' Jazz. Can we really drop the history of
black jazz artists' struggle & the exploitation that they have faced? I
associate this art form with not only rhythm & beats, but with also history
& culture, & the struggle from the past to the present. If we don't talk
about differences, there will be no understanding & no tolerance. I think
that when people talk about their similiarities with others, they are
avoiding their personal discomfort with the differences they have with the
others.
Max
> At 06:51 PM 3/31/01 +0200, Jeroen van der Ent wrote:
> >
> >Can we drop this black & white thing please? I've heard it to much. There
> >ain't no thing as claiming music for a race
> I think all of us are on the same boat here. However, for some of us, like
> it or not, race matters do play a large role in our lives. The only way we
> can overcome all the problems with it is to bring our issues out into the
> open, express them and discuss them If we keep them bottled up inside
> (voluntarily or involuntarily), 100 years from now they'll still be
bottled
> up inside.
>
> Elson
>
>
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