How Can We Learn About Each Other If We Can’t Imitate One Another?
If Katy Perry‘s performance at the American Music Awards was racist, I don’t want to see anyone but white girls wearing Uggs and drinking soy lattes. But really, where is this smelly, sulking 26-year-old, who lives in his mother’s basement that dictates the modern qualifications of “racism?” [contextly_sidebar id=”905e52bb39c13d86a740a70470dcff28″]
Now, Katy is a little different, yes. She’s made Elmo naughty, kissed girls and liked it (cherry chapstick really is good, though), and has done things to lollipops I’m sure her preacher father doesn’t like to think about too often.
Apparently, though, only certain forms of “different” are okay. You can be gay, Muslim, transgender, an illegal immigrant, but God-forbid if you wear a kimono, you are a disgusting, ignorant, privileged, white girl who has no idea what “real” Japanese culture is, and you should be forced to listen to Swedish yodeling on repeat in solitary confinement for at least 3 days.
Yet again I am utterly confused by my generation’s hypocrisy. I thought America was the world’s melting pot? I thought this was the place where all cultures came together to work as one, and if one wasn’t accepting of this melting together business, then they were deemed revoltingly racist.
Now, I guess, my generation wants us to separate our cultures, and only express ourselves through the clothing, practices, and traditions from the heritage that we descend from. That seems close-minded to me. That seems racist to me. If I think a Kimono is cool, and I respect the history and beauty of the clothing, how is it racist of me to want to represent that respect by sporting it during a musical performance?
As an awful, ignorantly wealthy, privileged white girl, I’m not going to call dibs on cowboy hats, hamburgers, and country music. If an Asian wants to dress up as a cowgirl and sing Carrie Underwood on stage, I’d be like “Yee-haw, girlfriend!” Then, we’d be even more politically incorrect and get tacos afterwards.
This sensitivity load of crap is more frustrating than explaining Nyan Cat to my deaf grandmother.
If half of my generation were called to action, instead of sending of 372 tweets a day, then maybe I could respect their agenda a little more. I probably would still tell them to grow a pair and get a job, but at least they would seem earnest about their ideals. All of these social uproars originate from social media and underground, hipster blogs.
Where are the signs? Where are the catchy, pissed off jingles? Why aren’t you marching down Main Street?
I can’t take my generations so-called “self-righteous activists” seriously because they’re all hiding behind their smartphones and media-fed “facts.” One respected progressive yells “Racism!” “Bigotry!” and the whole gang mindlessly jumps on board, because they finally feel like they’re a part of something. Also it’s easier to let the popular mainstream culture carry you down than to be the salmon of society.
If you’re still not convinced, I have a to-do list of racist dailies for you. Here are more examples of blatant modern day racism.
1) Pizza Hut – Because that crap is just not authentic Italian.
2) Nike – Because the Greek gods are pissed
3) Reggae – Because the Jamaicans are laughing at us, hysterically
4) Miley Cyrus’ AMA performance – Just because cats can’t speak doesn’t mean they aren’t ticked about being ignorantly worn on Miley’s swimsuit thing
5) The English Language in whole – Because the Anglo-Saxons are rolling over in their graves
Author Bio: Laura Meyers is a freshman in journalism and political science at Kansas State University.
13 comments