Truthseeker420
Gold Member
But beyond the good intentions, theres a shocking amount of naivety on display in Accidental Racist, particularly for two men whove spent a combined 85 years living in American society. From most- to least-forgivable, their sins are:
CONFLATING PERSONAL PREJUDICE WITH INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM: You wouldnt know it from movies like The Help, but the history of racial oppression goes beyond some people being rude to some other people because of the color of their skin. But everyone messes this one upeven us!so Brad and LL get a pass.
GLOSSING OVER SLAVERY AND JIM CROW AS MISTAKES: Calling your girlfriend your exs name is a mistake. Systematically robbing millions of people of their humanity goes a little further than that. For the sake of lyrical brevity we understand why Brad didnt go into the whole history here, but theres got to be a better two-syllable word that works in that spot.
SAMPLING DIXIE IN A SONG ABOUT RACE RELATIONS: Yes, its a catchy song. Yes, Abraham Lincoln liked it. This does not change the fact that it was the unofficial national anthem of a state built on white supremacy.
TIPPING A HAT TO THE ANGRY BLACKS JUST WANT THE WHITE MANS MONEY MEME: I want you to get paid, but be a slave I never could, raps LL. Why are those two thoughts next to each other?
MAKING THE WORST FALSE EQUIVALENCIES THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN: The most poisonous of all the songs rhetorical sins come in the coda, where Paisley and LL Cool J trade lines about making the world a better place. Its cute, until you realize what theyre saying: If you wont judge my do-rag, I wont judge your red [Confederate] flag. In other words, LL wont get mad about Brad sporting a symbol of white supremacy as long as Brad wont get mad about a random fashion choice that has nothing to do with him. Later, it gets worse: If you forget my gold chains, Ill forget the iron chains. Is putting people who dont like slavery on the same moral level as racists really worth that wordplay?
Thats the overwhelming message of the song: Yes, white southerners may have been pretty racist in the past, but as a result of that racism some people have negative feelings about the Southand isnt that just as bad? If those people could just be less angry and forget about the racism, well then by golly, white southerners might stop being racist! For a guy who just wants to wear his Skynyrd shirt in peace, thats a post-racial utopia worth singing about.
Brad Paisley "Accidental Racist" Lyrics Meaning: How Clueless Is It? - Popdust