Driving to Virginia from West Virginia right now, listening to the new Earth Crisis. Eric just told me that someone online said that Energy covering Guilty of Being White was stupid. I don't understand that. People cover the Bad Brains and praise them to no end, but they were openly homophobic in one of their songs. I don't even hate the Bad Brains because of that either, I just think that they were confused when they wrote that. I'm pretty sure they have even come forward and said that they were wrong.
I have personally been hated because of the color of my skin and have been harassed because of it. All that song is about is how you shouldn't feel bad about your skin color regardless of history. If people keep holding on to the bad things in the past that don't apply to life today, then nothing or no one will move forward. Clearly I believe that there is no superior race, that song is just an anti prejudice song. Some people just want to come across as being too politically correct and hate the wrong things. There is NOTHING more to the argument either by the way, it's exactly what I just said and that's that. The only thing that I am guilty of is being white, and that should not be something that someone feels guilty about. The same thing goes for black people and/or any other ethnicity/race. MOST of the times that we have covered that song, there was at least one black kid singing along, and they weren't doing it to be ironic, they were singing along with the idea of them being "guilty of being black", because it's all one in the same. Guilty of being white, guilty of being black, neither should feel any sense of guilt or shame. People will never understand it though. There will never be one final answer to the confusion behind us covering that song. There will always be confused people who don't know why they're angry, or what they're angry at who will come forward and say things without really considering the intentions behind the things they're angry at.
To take it a step further, when Slayer covered Guilty of Being White on Undisputed Attitude and change "white" to "right" at the end of the song, I don't necessarily believe that they meant that it's "right to be white". I have no proof behind my theory on Slayer's modifications of the lyrics, but I believe that they knew they would get shit for covering it and just wanted to take the controversy a step further. I believe that by "right" they meant that they were right in singing about the issue at hand. I don't believe that they meant that as being racist in any way. That's just my opinion on THEIR cover of it.
Ian Mackaye even explained the meaning behind the song in American Hardcore. He also explained how he can't believe that anyone would take it as being racist. I'll just end this topic here because if after reading all of that, you still think it was "stupid" that we covered that song, then I just don't know what else to say to you.
Yikes, I accidentally posted that on the Energy blog at first. I don't want to stir up too much bullshit, which is why it's only on this blog, but if people want to quote me from this entry and/or on Energy's behalf, go for it. I wouldn't have said any of that if I didn't mean it anyway.
I'll try to update more after the show tonight.
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