White savior narrative ? Macklemore’s “White Privilege II” Is a Mess, But We Should Talk About It
▻http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1003-macklemores-white-privilege-ii-is-a-mess-but-we-should-talk-about-it
There is one argument against himself that Macklemore doesn’t explicitly make in his just-released song, “White Privilege II,” and it’s important to get this argument out of the way because it’s most likely the one to be used against this song in the long run. Throughout this song’s four rap verses—and let’s just call this a “song” for shorthand at this point; it’s hard to tell if this thing succeeds as a piece of music—he outs himself as a self-doubting ally in the war against racism, sits confounded as he’s congratulated by unconscious racists, places himself in culture-vulture crosshairs, and finally, reveals himself as a knowing recipient of white privilege. But, at no point does he broach the possibility of this all being part of an elaborate white savior strategy.
►https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_rl4ZGdy34
#macklemore #usa #music #politics
4 Things Macklemore Told Us About ’White Privilege II’
Seattle rapper anticipated criticism of the song, but felt it important to confront #structural #racism
▻http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/4-things-macklemore-told-us-about-white-privilege-ii-20160125
“The question is, What type of human do I want to be? How do I want to use my platform? Do I want to be safe, under the umbrella of my white privilege? Or do I want to push back and resist? There’s not a right or wrong answer for any human out there, it’s just an individual question, and I think that, for a long time, we were safe. It’s easier, as a white person, to be silent about racial injustice. It’s easier. On paper. But it’s not easier on the whole, because injustice affects all of us, whether we know it or not, whether we acknowledge it or not. At a certain point, this song might affect sales, this might affect touring, but it doesn’t matter if I’m not speaking up – if I’m not pushing myself to speak truth.”
5 Celebrity Reactions to Macklemore’s ’White Privilege II’
▻http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/6866892/macklemore-white-privilege-ii-celebrity-reactions
