Re: Kinky Jewish Music

[Aron Brall <abrall...>]

Simon,
One of the problems that exists in our present Politically Correct society
is that we have decided to hide hate behind proper speech.  You don't combat
hate this way.  I have been called a kike in both a hateful and non-hateful
way.  I never shrank back and I tried to give as good as I got.  The
attitude is what hurts, not the word.
There big flap in Wash. DC about the use of the word niggardly by a white
political appointee is a perfect example.  The word means miserly or
uncharitable in a negative way.  Many African Americans in the community
took this for the dreaded N-word out of ignorance.  The result is the man
resigned, the mayor accepted it and there is a big uproar including Julian
Bond of the NAACP saying that the mayor of DC behaved niggardly in accepting
the resignation.
Kinky's music and choice of words is telling those who are bigoted in there
own vernacular how stupid they are.  He even has a song that sort of
addresses the President's and Monica's definition of sex.
I know that cutting satire is not everyone's cup of tea.  However, I think
it is alot better to know someone hates me for being Jewish by being called
a kike than to go along thinking they hate me for the content of my
character.
I remember being the only northerner, let alone Jew, in a bullpen of young
engineers at a shipyard in Newport News, Va.  I blew up at one of those
fellows for referring to a Black engineer as a "boy".  I took this the way
they taught us up North as a racial slur.  After some time down South, I
learned that almost anyone who wasn't your boss was either 'that boy', 'that
ol' boy', 'that young boy', 'that **** boy', etc.  It wasn't racial, it was
dialect.  In Baltimore up thru the 80's, there was a chain of Pizza shops
called Woppie's, polish sausage shops called Pollock Johnnies, and a Kosher
Deli or Pikesville was referred to as Jewtown.  I think the loss of this
Political Incorrectness is tearing our country apart.  Remember, Simon, some
of the biggest bigots are members of polite society, but politeness should
never be confused with affection, sincerity, or caring about one's well
being.
I think the Police got it right. When people called them cops or coppers to
be derogatory, they started calling themselves cops.  It disarmed the slur.
Then they called them pigs.  Now some Police are starting to call themselves
pigs.
It all comes down to the old children's rhyme:
Sticks and Stones
may break my bones,
but names will never hurt me
Call me this and call me that
Call yourself a dirty rat

Aron Brall
>If he isn't embarrassed, maybe he should be, because I am. I don't see
>anything "Jewish" in any song that contains "Jewboy" in the title. This
word
>is as offensive as "Kike", or "Yid".I am sometimes quite surprised by the
>number of young Jews who have never been exposed to overt Anti-Semitism.
If
>you have ever experienced it, you know there is nothing in the word
"Jewboy"
>that has any positive connotation at all. Unfortunately, too many young
Jews
>today consider it "anti-Semitism" when they don't get payed "Time and a
Half"
>for working on Yom Kippur.
>
>I find the song title "They Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Anymore" repulsive
when
>written/performed by a Jewish "artist".  Why does a Jew have to explain
>anything "Jewish" in a Christian context.  I'm sure most of us have heard
>Chanukah explained by Jews as "The Jewish Christmas". The Jew who explains
>Chanukah as the "Jewish Christmas" is not only as ignorant as the
Gentile-who
>at least has a reason for not knowing what Chanukah is-but is also a fool
for
>perpetuating this ignorance.
>As far as Kinky "holding himself out as a no-holds barred Jew...", I guess
>that's what he was doing when he appeared on "The Larry King Show" wearing
his
>T-shirt with the large picture of Jesus on the front.
>
>Though they are EXCELLENT musicians, I find the Klezmatic recording
>titled"Jews With Horns" very offensive. For the longest time, I wouldn't
even
>put it in the store.The title of the CD with the cover showing the statue
of
>David with horns is also trivializing an age old anti-Semitic stereotype.
>Unless you have had the personal experience, with people who were you
friends,
>tell you that you are The Devil once find that you are Jewish, then you
don't
>know what "Jews With Horns" really means-regardles of how many books you
have
>read on anti-semitism.The fact is, that the title(with it's connotation)
has
>nothing to do with the music-the quality of the music stands on it's own
>merit. That makes it even more tragic: hitting a nerve to sell CDs? "Anti-
>semitism meets Madison Ave."??? This is not to detract from their talent,
the
>Klezmatics are excellent musicians, but was that title really necessary?
>Unfortunately, there are other Jewish groups who are also looking for
>attention with 'clever' names for the 'shock' value...that's a real shame.
>
>Naturally, everything I have stated here are my personal feelings and I'm
sure
>there are those who will disagree with me. I will however say that my
feelings
>are not based on books or films I have read or seen on Anti-Semitism, but
on
>my personal experiences. I cannot give you 1 good reason why I feel this
way,
>but I can give you 6,000,000.
>
>Sorry to take up so much space on such a personal issue.
>Simon
>
>
>

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