JAKE'S TAKE: "Accidental Racist"

"This is a new addition to the Fresh Political View blog. Jake's Take is where I will simply give commentary on different issues facing our nation or world." -Jake



There appears to be a large amount of controversy surrounding a recent song by country artist Brad Paisley featuring featuring hip-hop artist LL Cool J. The song entitled "Accidental Racist" has been described by many as one the most racist songs ever made. The amount of controversy this song is stirring up goes to show you just how far political correctness has gone and how far we have to go to truly solve race relations issues in American.

The song is very straightforward and hits right at the issues that many have whether they be black or white. In the song a white man is trying to explain why he wears a shirt with a Confederate flag. He says the reason he's wearing the shirt is simply to show he's a fan of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd and that is not meant to offend the person he is talking to in the song. He goes on to say that you can walk a mile in another man's shoes but that you cannot walk a mile in another man's skin. So in the end is simply a song about a man who is proud to be from the South but not necessarily proud of all the history of the South. 

The song features LL Cool J who says "If you don't judge my gold chains" "I'll forget the iron chains" referring to the chains of slavery. During LL Cool J's part he's trying to explain how he wishes the white man would simply get to know him as opposed to judging him based on the way he dresses. He goes on to say they're both guilty of judging the other because he makes similar judgments based on the shirt the white guy was wearing and feeling that things just might not be okay. So overall it is a song that speaks racism, but was not written to be a racist song but possibly open dialogue to our differences.

Jakes Take: 
After hearing all the controversy surrounding "Accidental Racist" I finally took the time to sit down and actually listen to the song. My hope was to see what was so bad about this song. At first listen one could take it in a way that would seem racist. But when you actually listen to the lyrics is not racist in the least. It is simply a dialogue between a white man and a black man trying to discuss their differences while looking forward as opposed looking back into history. Sure there are lines that could strike a nerve with many Americans. The fact is just because a topic or a song lyric makes you uncomfortable does not necessarily mean the song is racist, bad or wrong. This song has the potential to make people look at racism in an entirely different way. we must not forget our past, but it should not dictate our future.

People who listen to the song once and claim that it's the most racist song they ever heard should probably take the time to re-evaluate the song simply based on the lyrics and not preconceived notions. We as Americans have many issues from our past that still plague our society today and racism is still a part of the American Society. To attempt to break down the walls of racism we will need more open and serious dialogue such as in this song.

In the end, trying to solve racism take an extremely long time to accomplish but this does not mean we should not try. To get there we must also drop the notion of political correctness. All political correctness does is create censorship of people's true feelings. This is America we are free to speak our truth feelings, but political correctness has stifled our freedom of speech.

Comments

  1. You think it's not racist....because you're white. Enough said.

    Just kidding...Pretty funny song and rants. Thanks for making my day!

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  2. I guarantee you that most of us have been a 'victim' of racism. White or black. Somebody has made decisions that have affected all of us based on racism. However small the decision may have been. Now, because I am white, I have never experienced the type of racism that african-americans did when they were sprayed with fire hoses and attacked by dogs. And most young black people today haven't either! But I do understand it doesn't take racism on that level to make some feel they have been a victim of racism. Sometimes it's convenient for us to bring things up when certain parts of our life don' tgo right or we feel that we have been discriminated against. Having said all of this, I am not a racist. I don't judge anyone on their nationality, ethnicity, or color of skin.

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