Kelis slams UK for racism

[CrystalShadow]

Race isn't just phenotypical, it's social. As long as people associate with being Welsh (or people are associated with being Welsh) they continue to be a separate race (according to the very fuzzy definition of race commonly in use, anyway).

So you can be racist against someone purely by what race you SAY they are, rather than what race they actually are?

You do realise the shit-storm that brews up, don't you? Especially given that Kelis is American. Not Nigerian. Or can Kelis claim ancestry of Puerto Rico, China, Africa, Nigeria and America at the same time?

She is claiming racism against her race which isn't her race, while being racist to people she doesn't know the race of.

Yep. It has ALL of those implications and problems. But it remains true. You don't actually have to be a member of any given racial group to be discriminated against as if you were.

As long as you have enough similarity to such a group (as far as a narrow-minded racist conceives of it, anyway,) you can be subjected to racism.

Unfortunately, what you think of yourself won't figure into it unless the person being racist will actually listen to you in the first place.


Anyway, this whole thing is rather stupid. the UK has plenty of racists, but it's also a rather different culture to the US. Expecting people to react to it the way they do there is... Well, strange.

(And what kind of person in the UK would imply a black woman was a slave anyway? Most of the UK's black population have no history of slavery at all... It makes so little sense it's almost bizarre.)

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Yep. It has ALL of those implications and problems.

I stand by my earlier comment then. There's no such thing as racism. Just abuse that uses race to hide behind.

 

[Treblaine]

lolwhat? UK is miles ahead of the US in terms of social progression.

Err, August Riots? We are better in some areas but it's clear in many others we have a long way to go and more than many other places our society suffers from a bad case of "Tall Poppy Syndrome".

 

[dickywebster]

So a "celeb" from what (according to a lot of people i know) is one of the most racist countries in at least the western world, is saying I'm racist cause of where i live?

I dont want to be mean, but that sounds like hte kinda drivel thats been coming out of a lot of the american media for well over a decade now =P

 

[RyanRohypnol]

I live in North Wales. The only "racism" here is angry welsh people vocally insulting the English.

I too live in North Wales. Turns out if you go to Chester on like Midnight of Sunday I think, within the city walls, an Englishman may shoot you with a longbow.

 

[CannibalCorpses]

I stand by my earlier comment then. There's no such thing as racism. Just abuse that uses race to hide behind.

I totally agree. Same goes for all the 'isms' apart from jism

 

[LostTimeLady]

I live in North Wales. The only "racism" here is angry welsh people vocally insulting the English.

I too live in North Wales. Turns out if you go to Chester on like Midnight of Sunday I think, within the city walls, an Englishman may shoot you with a longbow.

The version I heard was that if a welshman was found within the city walls after dark they could be shot with a crossbow. York had a similar law about Scotsmen that also alegidly hasn't been officially repealed.

(I come from Chester so I know that story well. Me personlly, I never came across any racism on either side, but then again I was eleven when I moved so, maybe there was I don't know.)

 

[funguy2121]

EDIT 2: For those asking who she is:

Reaction 1: you should have said "for those asking who she was..."

Reaction 2: Her milkshake brought all the boys to the yard, and they were like, let's hear a new song, and then she was forgotten forever.

Reaction 3: An American accusing the UK of racism? Apparently she hasn't been paying attention to American politics for the past 2 decades.

What's really sad is that for every Eddie Vedder or Bruce Springsteen, for every American musician who is educated and informed on the issues and decides to do something with his/her life beyond being rewarded for a couple of hits with constant fresh-lipped fellatio, there are a shit-ton of Kanye's and Kelis's Christina Aguilera's who ***** about something they overheard or read in the paper last week. Bono visits all of those places that people criticize him for talking about. He's not just re-tweeting something he read on the internet.

 

[winter2]

Wait what?? Is this the same Kelis that gave us such pearls like that milkshake song???

If so.. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[ultimateownage]

Wow. The UK is being blamed for terrible racism by Americans?
Also, you're no better for calling every single person in the United Kingdom a racist.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

There are several sacred rules in the UK and one of the is: DON'T BUDGE THE FUCKING QUEUE!
If you do then whatever happens to you is your own fault

Back in the day jumping the queue would get you sent to Van Dieman's Land.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Yep. It has ALL of those implications and problems.

I stand by my earlier comment then. There's no such thing as racism. Just abuse that uses race to hide behind.

Yeah but 'race', as most people think of it, doesn't exist either so it all balances out.

 

[JasonKaotic]

"ENGLISH, SCOTTISH,IRISH AND WELSH PEOPLE ARE ALL RACIST"
That's a bit of a racist thing to say, Kelis...

 

[ParkourMcGhee]

Not really surprised at the no flinching. Hell I've seen a man lying near an escalator in a tube station a few years back, and most people were ignoring it, and going about their daily commute.

What I would say is that in airports, tensions rise high on a normal basis, and queue jumping can seriously spark people off.

Finally: I've had almost equally few problems with people of every race, possibly slightly more bullying from my schoolmates (white), but *shrug*.

PS: White Serbian btw, but I have citizenship, and can switch accents.

 

[jigilojoe]

Queues are kind of our thing, it's what we do. We're all good and polite and chilled, we'll let you do what you like, literally come to our country, drink our drinks and enjoy the culture. But respect the fucking queues.

In all seriousness, it's the EDL or the BNP, but the Government and media ignore them so everybody does.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

The line was probably thinking , hmm, well you did jump the queue.

Damn straight! We're British, queues are like our religion! You do not interfere with the sacred bond between a queuer and their place in the line!

I'd never heard of her before, and I doubt I'm going to miss someone who cannot see the delightful hypocrisy in using the actions of one guy to label an entire nation racist. What's her next trick, embezzling funds from a charity while telling us to donate more?

 

[Daffy F]

Ha. It's funny because I'm english and I don't know who she is.
On topic: I think people don't get involved because they don't want to get yelled at too. Simple as that. We brits are rather slow-to-arms over this sort of thing, dontchaknow. 'Pon my word. Tea and crumpets. Etc...

 

[Jon Shannow]

"ENGLISH, SCOTTISH AND WELSH PEOPLE ARE ALL RACIST"
That's a bit of a racist thing to say, Kelis...

Don't forget the Northern Irish too

 

[Abengoshis]

Hey she's a pop singer, she's not paid to use her brain. She's a hypocrite.