Macklemore's "Same Love" : Ally or Exploitation?

ProfPacker · 01-28-2014, 10:25 PM

Or the boarding schools for Native children to "tae the savage out of them". We can go on and on. In a sense, that is why I think we have to be careful about our response to the Grammy's... do we want it said of the dominant class... of course they supported same-sex marriage ....look what they did at the Grammy's. So, lets see and, as always I ask myself what I need to do to go out of my comfort zone... to make change.
I wondered how the child of a heterosexual couple would have viewed it... because my kid did not feel it rang bells. So lets say being human is confusing

Selenay · 01-28-2014, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by femmepacker

Or the boarding schools for Native children to "tae the savage out of them". We can go on and on. In a sense, that is why I think we have to be careful about our response to the Grammy's... do we want it said of the dominant class... of course they supported same-sex marriage ....look what they did at the Grammy's. So, lets see and, as always I ask myself what I need to do to go out of my comfort zone... to make change.
I wondered how the child of a heterosexual couple would have viewed it... because my kid did not feel it rang bells. So lets say being human is confusing

As a queer 20-something raised by two straight people, I saw a lot of white straight faces in that marriage ceremony and that didn't really super thrill me when the whole thing was supposed to be about acceptance and tolerance and GAYMCA pride.

*Anya* · 01-28-2014, 11:17 PM

5.8.2013

BY STACY LAMBE

How a straight white rapper from Seattle wrote hip-hop’s first gay anthem.

"...Asked what served as his inspiration for “Same Love,” he hangs his head and thinks for a moment. “I knew I wanted to write a song about gay rights, about marriage equality, and about homophobia in hip-hop, but I didn’t know how to do it,” he says. “I tried, at first, writing from the perspective of a gay, bullied kid. That’s what sparked the song in the first place: reading the story of a 13-year-old who committed suicide.”

It was at that point that Lewis intervened, pushing the rapper to write a personal narrative instead. The result was an account of Macklemore’s struggle with his own sexuality as a kid.

Both he and Lewis grew up surrounded by gay adults. Lewis’s uncle is gay and has been living with HIV for 30 years. “Growing up with a gay uncle and having him be a huge part of our family -- I don’t think my parents’ outlook would be the same if it weren’t for him,” Lewis says. “He’s had a strong influence on us throughout the years.” Macklemore was raised in Capitol Hill, a liberal, gay-friendly district of Seattle.

The men closest to him -- his uncle Johnny and his godfather -- are gay. “Where I grew up, there were huge gay pride parades less than a mile away from me,” Macklemore says. “My dad’s best friend was gay. My barber was gay. My uncles owned this restaurant that was a huge magnet for the gay community. My whole upbringing was around gay people.”

Macklemore grew up Catholic, but was questioning his sexuality by the third grade. His mother, a social worker, reassured him that he was straight, but not without encouraging him to take up ballet lessons as a display of solidarity for a classmate who was being bullied. That period of confusion, and his sympathy for his ostracized peer, has stayed with him.

..."

http://www.out.com/entertainment/mus...phop?page=full

C0LLETTE · 01-28-2014, 11:19 PM

I'm not at all sure that we were the target audience for that performance or that we are the best arbiters of whether it was successful in achieving any goals, assuming it had some. But if it made a lot of straight people feel more comfy and better than they once did about queers and gay marriage, I'm ok with that. And I don't care if it gets to them sub their limin, delivered by the organ grinder's monkey; it does appear that it is getting there.

01-28-2014, 11:17 PM	#3
Anya Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Lesbian non-stone femme Preferred Pronoun?: She, her Relationship Status: Committed to being good to myself Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: West Coast Posts: 8,258 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 39,306 Thanked 40,455 Times in 7,284 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	5.8.2013 BY STACY LAMBE How a straight white rapper from Seattle wrote hip-hop’s first gay anthem. "...Asked what served as his inspiration for “Same Love,” he hangs his head and thinks for a moment. “I knew I wanted to write a song about gay rights, about marriage equality, and about homophobia in hip-hop, but I didn’t know how to do it,” he says. “I tried, at first, writing from the perspective of a gay, bullied kid. That’s what sparked the song in the first place: reading the story of a 13-year-old who committed suicide.” It was at that point that Lewis intervened, pushing the rapper to write a personal narrative instead. The result was an account of Macklemore’s struggle with his own sexuality as a kid. Both he and Lewis grew up surrounded by gay adults. Lewis’s uncle is gay and has been living with HIV for 30 years. “Growing up with a gay uncle and having him be a huge part of our family -- I don’t think my parents’ outlook would be the same if it weren’t for him,” Lewis says. “He’s had a strong influence on us throughout the years.” Macklemore was raised in Capitol Hill, a liberal, gay-friendly district of Seattle. The men closest to him -- his uncle Johnny and his godfather -- are gay. “Where I grew up, there were huge gay pride parades less than a mile away from me,” Macklemore says. “My dad’s best friend was gay. My barber was gay. My uncles owned this restaurant that was a huge magnet for the gay community. My whole upbringing was around gay people.” Macklemore grew up Catholic, but was questioning his sexuality by the third grade. His mother, a social worker, reassured him that he was straight, but not without encouraging him to take up ballet lessons as a display of solidarity for a classmate who was being bullied. That period of confusion, and his sympathy for his ostracized peer, has stayed with him. ..." http://www.out.com/entertainment/mus...phop?page=full __________________ ~Anya~ Democracy Dies in Darkness ~Washington Post "...I'm deeply concerned by recently adopted policies which punish children for their parents’ actions ... The thought that any State would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable." UN Human Rights commissioner

01-28-2014, 11:19 PM	#4
C0LLETTE Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Depends on the day. Preferred Pronoun?: "I" and "we" Relationship Status: Very good. Thank you for asking. Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Canada Posts: 11,501 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 16,676 Thanked 15,174 Times in 4,339 Posts Rep Power: 21474860	I'm not at all sure that we were the target audience for that performance or that we are the best arbiters of whether it was successful in achieving any goals, assuming it had some. But if it made a lot of straight people feel more comfy and better than they once did about queers and gay marriage, I'm ok with that. And I don't care if it gets to them sub their limin, delivered by the organ grinder's monkey; it does appear that it is getting there. __________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

01-28-2014, 10:25 PM	#1
ProfPacker Member How Do You Identify?: butch/MOC Preferred Pronoun?: Hy/hym/hys but in circumstances like work and some other places she Relationship Status: single Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: nj Posts: 1,365 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 7,023 Thanked 4,815 Times in 1,187 Posts Rep Power: 21474849	Or the boarding schools for Native children to "tae the savage out of them". We can go on and on. In a sense, that is why I think we have to be careful about our response to the Grammy's... do we want it said of the dominant class... of course they supported same-sex marriage ....look what they did at the Grammy's. So, lets see and, as always I ask myself what I need to do to go out of my comfort zone... to make change. I wondered how the child of a heterosexual couple would have viewed it... because my kid did not feel it rang bells. So lets say being human is confusing