4 ms·

Even 'racist' music can be tricky business. There are lot's of Swedish and Polish metal bands that would call themselves 'nationalist' but have a great 'nazi' f

Even 'racist' music can be tricky business. There are lot's of Swedish and Polish metal bands that would call themselves 'nationalist' but have a great 'nazi' following for example. I enjoy some of these bands and would not want them censored. Just as I would not want Shakespeare plays to be censored either. Keep downloading your music and your movies. You will never be able to trust your streaming services.

vixen99 9y ago
Yes! Richard Wagner was an anti-semite - no argument! He's been described as 'one of the most virulent anti-Semites in modern history as well as being Adolf Hitler’s most revered cultural role-model'. He also happened to be a musical genius. Do we bann performances of the Ring Cycle or Tristan & Isolde?
- thinkingemote 9y ago
  If I remember correctly in the 90s there was a picket against a performance of Tannhauser in London by artists.
tyingq 9y ago
Intent is difficult to judge as well. The lyrics for the Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar are pretty clearly racist (among other things). It's not clear, however, if it's meant to promote racism. Similar for incenting violence and "Pumped up kicks". Edit: They could also add misogyny to the list and wipe out large swaths of entire music genres :)
icebraining 9y ago
I wonder if they'll ban the Star-Spangled Banner? http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bs-ed-anthem-letter-20150912-story.html http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bs-ed-anthem-letter...
renesd 9y ago
Yes. There are lots of Polish and Swedish Nationalist Socialist bands (aka, Nazi). Fuck them.
bmelton 9y ago
> Even 'racist' music can be tricky business This seems like, basically, all of the rap I grew up listening to in the 90s could be arbitrarily censored here. "Big dicks in ya mouth is bad for your health" comes to mind, alongside NWA's "Fuck the Police", and even songs by the relatively higher-minded Public Enemy could be construed as racist, or incitations to violence -- if one were predisposed to a puritanical cleansing of our media. More obviously, rap from musicians like Immortal Technique, The Geto Boys, Cypress Hill are just begging to be censored under such criteria. Of course, this is Google we're talking about, and they control much more than music and videos. It's not a big jump from determining the Wu-Tang Clan to be too controversial to ruminating over whether or not all those casual mentions of the word 'nigger' in Mark Twain's works is appropriate. Sadly, we appear to be living in interesting times.

vixen99 9y ago

Yes! Richard Wagner was an anti-semite - no argument! He's been described as 'one of the most virulent anti-Semites in modern history as well as being Adolf Hitler’s most revered cultural role-model'. He also happened to be a musical genius. Do we bann performances of the Ring Cycle or Tristan & Isolde?

thinkingemote 9y ago
If I remember correctly in the 90s there was a picket against a performance of Tannhauser in London by artists.

tyingq 9y ago

Intent is difficult to judge as well. The lyrics for the Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar are pretty clearly racist (among other things). It's not clear, however, if it's meant to promote racism. Similar for incenting violence and "Pumped up kicks". Edit: They could also add misogyny to the list and wipe out large swaths of entire music genres :)

icebraining 9y ago

I wonder if they'll ban the Star-Spangled Banner? http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bs-ed-anthem-letter-20150912-story.html http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bs-ed-anthem-letter...

renesd 9y ago

Yes. There are lots of Polish and Swedish Nationalist Socialist bands (aka, Nazi). Fuck them.

bmelton 9y ago

> Even 'racist' music can be tricky business This seems like, basically, all of the rap I grew up listening to in the 90s could be arbitrarily censored here. "Big dicks in ya mouth is bad for your health" comes to mind, alongside NWA's "Fuck the Police", and even songs by the relatively higher-minded Public Enemy could be construed as racist, or incitations to violence -- if one were predisposed to a puritanical cleansing of our media. More obviously, rap from musicians like Immortal Technique, The Geto Boys, Cypress Hill are just begging to be censored under such criteria. Of course, this is Google we're talking about, and they control much more than music and videos. It's not a big jump from determining the Wu-Tang Clan to be too controversial to ruminating over whether or not all those casual mentions of the word 'nigger' in Mark Twain's works is appropriate. Sadly, we appear to be living in interesting times.