RaceFail '09 mix: but don't talk about revolution

[sailorptah]

I was going to write some background RaceFail So Far for the parts of the flist who haven't heard the story, but this is a much better intro than I would have written, covering the whole thing from the beginning, and this is a much better explanation of why it matters, and this is a much better cover of all the proactive things you can do about it.

So I made a mix instead.

If nothing else, get yourself up to speed so you know what the songs are about.


Cover image is from this article.






Flash Girls - A Meaningful Dialogue
For when talking about race seriously is haaaaaaaaaard.

(Note: Wikipedia informs me that one of the people singing this song is literally, no-foolin', Emma Bull. Let's all take a moment to drown in the irony.)

You say we have to talk until we’re done
Well you can talk and talk forever
But it isn’t gonna change thing one...

I’ve got my fingers in my ears I’m going lalalalalalalalalala,
I can’t hear you
I got my fingers in my ears I’m going lalalalalalalalalala
Going la la la la


Julie Brown - 'Cause I'm A Blonde
This was the closest thing I could find to a song about white privilege....

Because I'm a blonde, I don't have to think
I talk like a baby, and I never pay for drinks...
I know lots of people are smarter than me
But I have this philosophy
So what?
'Cause I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah!


They Might Be Giants - Your Racist Friend
This one pretty much speaks for itself.

My head can't tolerate this bobbing and pretending
Listen to some bullet-head and the madness that he's saying

This is where the party ends
I'll just sit here wondering how you
Can stand by your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
You and your racist friend


Phil Ochs - Love Me, I'm A Liberal
For the white people who think opposing racism is great as long as they don't actually have to work too hard over it. ("I voted for Obama, so nothing I do can be racist" falls under this one.)

I go to the civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
And I'm glad that the commies were thrown out
From the A.F.L. C.I.O. board
And I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
As long as they don't move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal


The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again
For the people who say really stupid things, and then beat a hasty path backwards with "it was just a parody, why are you being so mean about it?"

Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
When I said I'd like to smash every tooth in your head

Oh, sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking
When I said by rights you should be bludgeoned in your bed

And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her Walkman started to melt


Jo Dee Messina - My Give A Damn's Busted
To everyone trying to derail the conversation with their own non-race-based issues.

I really wanna care
I wanna feel somethin'
Let me dig a little deeper:
No, sorry: nothin'

You can say you've got issues, you can say you're a victim
It's all your parents' fault, after all you didn't pick 'em
Maybe somebody else has got time to listen
My give-a-damn's busted


Plain White T's - Figure It Out
For when you handwave people's concerns, or pretend to accept them just to make them go away.

She says, I don't take her seriously
And I don't, so I guess I'd have to agree
I didn't mean that
I really mean that
I know, she gets mad at me all the time
But that's fine, I don't let it ruin my night
I didn't mean that
I really mean that

I watch what I say
Say what I should
Something you said I misunderstood
I'll figure it out as soon as I figure it out


Jonathan Coulton - Someone Is Crazy
To those people who are race-baiting and then end up trying to derail the conversation with their own victimhood.

You set the trap
You lie and wait till someone trips the wire
Then you jump out to get your feelings hurt
And you act surprised
How did that get there?
Why does everybody hate me?...

The world’s against you, so you think or maybe wish it was
At least that way someone would care, but baby, no one does, not even you
Baby, someone is crazy and it’s you


Relient K - Apathetic Way To Be
For the people who have decided they no longer care about race issues, because nothing will ever make those darn PoCs happy.

Yeah, I'm not angry
And no, I'm not upset
It's taken me awhile
But this is what I've learned
Emotional attachment is really not a threat
When I'm simply not concerned

The things that I take on
I soon shrug off
'Cause I know no one
Will ever be content
With the way things are
Or with what they've got
So I've given up and now I'm just indifferent


Garth Brooks - Standing Outside The Fire
Because you shouldn't refuse to talk about race just because you're afraid to take some heat.

We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk the tables being turned

We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always comes with getting burned...

Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire


Relient K - Devastation And Reform
For the people who are saying racist things with the best of intentions, and who really need to shut up and listen for a while. (A caution: this one springs a few lines of Surprise Protestantism on you a couple of verses in.)

Usually I'll cause my own first hit
It seems to me to be slightly masochistic
But there'd be no story
Without all this descention
So I inflict the conflict
With the utmost of intention

So lock the windows
And bolt the door
'Cause I've got enough problems
Without creating more


Supertramp - The Logical Song
For the white people who are trying to unlearn the simple answers they were taught, and finding only tough questions in their place.

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful...
But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible
Logical, responsible, practical
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable
Clinical, intellectual, cynical

There are times when all the world's asleep
The questions run too deep
For such a simple man
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
But please tell me who I am

Now watch what you say, or they'll be calling you a radical
Liberal, fanatical, criminal....


Billy Joel - You're Only Human
To all the well-meaning white people who have screwed up. If you haven't yet, keep this one handy, because you will.

You're having a hard time and lately you don't feel so good
You're getting a bad reputation in your neighborhood
It's alright, it's alright, sometimes that's what it takes
You're only human, you're allowed to make your share of mistakes

You better believe there will be times in your life
When you'll be feeling like a stumbling fool
So take it from me, you'll learn more from your accidents
Than anything that you could ever learn at school


Superchick - Not Done Yet
For the white people who are disheartened because they can't seem to get anything right. Blast this song on repeat until the urge to cry "I'll never write CoCs again!" passes.

It's been one of those days for too many days now
I did a thing that I didn't want to do again
I fell down in the place where I always fall down
And I wanna give up and let it be what it's been
Sometimes life gets you, but we go on
Sometimes life gets you, we're still going on

We're not done yet
Not going quietly into the night, not me and my friends


Superchick - Anthem
For those PoCs who are tired of trying and failing to get noticed in white-dominated structures - on that note, holy #*$@, did you SEE how much money verb_noire has raised?

We are fire inside
We are an army asleep
We are a people awaking to follow their dreams
We don't have time for your games
We have our own goals to score
There are trophies to win
Instead of being one of yours


~ but don't talk about revolution ~

Comments

[From: rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm really impressed by this. Thank you.

[From: neko-chan42.livejournal.com]

This is perfect. I'm thrilled to see you have Phil Ochs here. My dad has a huge man-crush on him and is sad that nobody knows who he is. I ran into something very RaceFail-y recently on DeviantART. I posted about it here: http://neko-chan42.livejournal.com/90787.html

So downloading this, btw.

[From: sailorptah.livejournal.com]

Not exactly RaceFail, but still hugely, overwhelmingly Fail.

Glad you like!

[From: neko-chan42.livejournal.com]

That's why I added the 'Y'. I know it's more SexualityFail, but it is similar.

[From: matt-doyle.livejournal.com]

I really like this. Though given the parties involved, starting out with the Flash Girls seems... cheerfully ironic?

[From: sailorptah.livejournal.com]

"Cheerful irony" was the intention of a lot of this, but I don't know this particular connection...

*checks Wikipedia*

...Oh, wow. I only wish I had been that clever on purpose.

*runs to add a note to the mix*

[From: matt-doyle.livejournal.com]

Hee hee hee.

[From: deepad.livejournal.com]

Oh Erin. I do love you.

[From: sailorptah.livejournal.com]

♥

[From: lesathscorpii.livejournal.com]

uhh "bigmouth strikes again" is by the Smiths, not morrissey. (and before you quibble, "Don't Stand Too Close" is definitely not by Sting, "Once in a Lifetime" is not by David Byrne, "Wannabe" is not by Geri Halliwell... etc.)

[From: sailorptah.livejournal.com]

...wait, do you mean that the version on this mix is by the Smiths, or that it's a Morrissey cover of the Smiths' song?

[From: (Anonymous)]

it's by the smiths. morrissey is the lead singer of the smiths.

[From: sailorptah.livejournal.com]

Ahhh. *fixes*

[From: slashpile.livejournal.com]

This is awesome. I was just catching up on Racefail links and, wow. This is actually pretty revitalizing -- thanks :)

[From: sailorptah.livejournal.com]

Revitalizing was the goal. Glad you like =D

[From: rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

I would love to download this mix, but MegaUpload is giving me some bizarre little picture that supposedly has four characters in it that I'm supposed to enter into a box, and all I see is a squiggle.

[From: sailorptah.livejournal.com]

It's four letters/numbers; they're just tilted and overlapping each other, so they're annoyingly hard to make out. (Ask a friend to help sort it out?)

[From: phoebonica.livejournal.com]

Downloaded, thank you!

[From: ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

You are amazing for putting this together. I wish I could say something more intelligent, but really, words fail me (in a good way).

[From: sailorptah.livejournal.com]

It's more than enough. Thank you :D

[From: lytab5.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot for this! Downloading!

[From: the-ped.livejournal.com]

The moment I saw the cover I was all, "This is about RaceFail." And I was right.

As a blonde Fan whose white privilege HAS shown a few times in my reactions to fic and discussion. This entire mix, and your reasoning, helps me think that my time for writing CoCs will approach one day. Maybe. If I remember that I'm upper-middle class, and MY filter on normal? Not what other people experienced.

So, love the songs on the mix, and I've been singing, " 'Cause I'm a Blonde" since I watched, "Earth Girls are Easy" this weekend.

[From: sailorptah.livejournal.com]

Take a shot at it! I encourage you with all the authority of...another clueless white girl :D

[From: nam-jai.livejournal.com]

Downloading -- thank you!