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From: gregbo@houxm.UUCP (Greg Skinner)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: American(?) Music Awards & bigotry
Message-ID: <1138@houxm.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 16-Feb-85 00:57:25 EST
Article-I.D.: houxm.1138
Posted: Sat Feb 16 00:57:25 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 17-Feb-85 06:15:50 EST
References: <359@terak.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
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> From: doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee)

>> From: gregbo@houxm.UUCP (Greg Skinner)
>> (1) The "special" categories for black singers are not EXCLUSIVELY for black
>> singers, but designate a type of music which black people typically enjoy.
>> It so happens that black people typically make such music, therefore they are
>> usually the ones who win the awards.

> The "black" categories were *not* "black music" categories, they were
> "black musicians playing TOP 40" categories.  Michael Jackson is *not*
> an R&B singer!!!  The categories were EXCLUSIVELY for black singers.

Well, I admit, I missed the show, so perhaps they were "black musicians playing
top 40" categories, but you are wrong in saying that Michael Jackson is not an
r&b singer -- he is, it just so happens that his songs also make the pop chars.
Would you say that artists like Ronnie Milsap, Eddie Rabbitt, etc. are not
country artists, just because their songs do well on the pop charts?  They would
be the first to disagree with you.

>> me, flaming about how blacks were enslaved, etc.

> Look here, *I* didn't do any of those terrible things.  If you believe
> that *I* should be punished for *their* crimes just because I have
> white skin, then you are just as racist as the people you denounce.

Hey, I never said you or anyone else should be punished.  What I said is that
when the time comes that one of you and a qualified minority (one who is just
as qualified as you) are both applying for the same job, and the minority gets
it, you should not consider that as a direct attack on you -- it is not a form
of reverse prejudice, it is merely a means of achieving equality in our current-
ly unequal social structure.   Chances are, you will be able to get other jobs
that the minority won't.  I'm not saying that the sacrifice will be easy, or
fair, but nevertheless necessary.

>> For any of you who think you are being discriminated because you are losing
>> things to minorities, why don't you try imagining being a minority for once
>> and knowing that doors are closed to you still because of who you are, and
>> that no matter what you do you cannot change your fate.

> Gawd, don't be a whiney wimp.  Everybody in the whole friggin' world
> has doors that are closed no matter what they do.  But instead of
> worrying about that, most of us simply go through the ones that are
> still open.  When someone closes a door on *me*, well, that's *their*
> loss, not mine.

With this kind of attitude, there would have been no civil rights movement.
In fact, there probably wouldn't have been an abolitionist movement at all,
because everyone would have said "just let the blacks become the best slaves
they can possibly be".  Same for the women's rights movement ... "so why 
should we let women vote anyway, just let them be the best housewives they
can possibly be".  And what will we say about gays ... "well, let's let them
be the best not-working-at-MY-companies that they can possibly be!"

I'm sorry, but I can't agree with your above statement.  It shows a lack of
understanding about the specific needs of minorities (not to mention a lack of
caring), and the need to have those needs addressed.
-- 
			... hey, we've gotta get out of this place,
    			    there's got to be something better than this ...

Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{allegra,cbosgd,ihnp4}!houxm!gregbo