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Re: more fun (sort of) with names
Good Christ on Toast. I never got this email.
Okay, I have to agree with Kelvin here. Yeah. I'm white. Big whoopdedoo. Everyone's got to be born something. Do I feel culturally guilty? Funnily enough, I do to a certain extent over Native American rights, which is something I think the government to whom I pay my taxes has STILL not properly addressed. Do I feel personal shame for my racist forbears? No. I've never been one to ignore the staggering racism in our country, but I can't do anything about what happened in past centuries-- I never owned slaves, never fought for the South. Of course, I never marched in Selma, either. But I don't see how any of that matters at all. The only thing I have a responsibility for right now, today, is to examine the latent racist tendencies that surround me now and do my best to eradicate them. Same thing everyone else should be doing. I don't go up to every black person I see and beg for forgiveness for slavery or Little Rock. I don't demand every man apologise to me cos my great-grandm!
other couldn't vote. I don't go
up to gays and say, "Please! Forgive me for Stonewall!" I didn't do anything, so an apology from me is pointless, insincere and demeaning to all parties, to say the least.
Blacks don't hold the corner on racial persecution. My family tree goes back a few generations and then stops-- I don't know if I'll ever be able to trace it cos I don't know where they came from or what, specifically, happened to them other than a few generations were wiped out in one fell swoop. And while I'll admit I have some problems with Germany to this day, it's mainly-- I think, I could be wrong-- because I don't see that there's been enough change in the philosophy of the vocal malcontent. Which goes for much of Europe. And the world. On a trip to Greece just a few years ago, I climbed up the Acropolis the back way and found swastikas spraypainted on the walls. Anyway.
As far as feeling like Ric should be ashamed of himself for choosing the word "monk" as the name for his band, I think that's patently ridiculous. He liked what it evoked for him, as he said, and while he respects and digs Thelonious, said choice had nothing to do with said pianist. As he said. If you want to be offended about it, fine. But that's basically your problem, and you shouldn't project some kind of breast-beating racial superiority complex onto a guy only a couple of us here have ever even personally met. Basically, you're telling him he's wrong for doing something he didn't do. Despite his having quite clearly stated exactly what he meant.
Even if he DID mean to reference T.M., does that somehow eradicate the guy's entire catalogue? Can we only have one Monk extant at a time?
Chipper Tower Records Customer: "Hi. I'd like to buy the new Thelonious Monk compilation."
Laconic Over-Pierced Record Store Clerk: "Sorry, dude. There's a band outta Ohio using the name now. We hadda take all the Thelonious out back and burn it."
I met Ric once or twice. He seems like a pretty nice guy. Chris Emery knows him much better and he's only had nice things to say about him. And the other Chris (what the hell IS your last name, baby?) has also worked with him and seemed completely-- if you'll forgive the term-- jazzed about him.
One person's holy is another person's poundcake. Not everyone is going to say "dog" when you say "bark." Some may say "tree," some may say "canoe," some may say "cashews." It's all good. It's where art comes from.
In a message dated Tue, 6 Feb 2001 8:47:57 PM Eastern Standard Time, Kelvin Bailey <prestokelvo at yahoo_com> writes:
<< Okay, in my sleepy sickness, I think I have been
hitting reply instead of reply to all, causing my
replies to go only to Tina.
Tina...Dear...sorry about that. That must make me
seem to you like the biggest reactionary jerk in the
world. Please give me another chance. I'll try to do
better. I just want you to like me.
For the rest of ya'll. I responded to this post by
stating, very angrily, how tired I am of being made to
feel guilty for being white...How "white guilt"
demeans everyone, especially those black folks who are
deserving of much respecet and admiration...and,
finally, how I'm tired of being made to feel like
everyone has a rich cultural heritage, a worthy story
to tell, except white protestant men. Only when I
said it all before, it was more clever...more
pithy...a biting commentary both startling and
daring...oh never mind...
tail between my legs...
Kelvin
--- Tina Ladner <unbornbuddha at yahoo_com> wrote:
> ysobelle, i'm not trying to make it a racial thing,
> but when you learn the history of how powerful white
> people humiliated so many black musicians over and
> over again, it goes without saying that in the year
> 2001, we all, and artistic people especially, try to
> show respect for the accomplishments of minorities
> in
> this country, especially considering how the cards
> were (and sometimes still are) stacked against them
> from the get go.
> my initial point was what i saw at a monk show
> seemed
> a bit self-indulgent and not all that interesting.
> and
> yes, very white.
>>
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