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Dancing like an Egyptian is racist and bigoted

So saith the progressive guardians of morality at a liberal arts college in America. A lecturer teaching the Humanities 110 course at Reed College (the most liberal course at what some call the most liberal college in America) played a video of this awesome SNL skit from the 1980s by Steve Martin called 'King Tut' (see below), so that it could be analysed and critiqued. To me it just seems like good, clean fun; harmless and catchy.

[video="youtube;FYbavuReVF4"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYbavuReVF4[/video]

But to the hysterical whining university leftists at this college, the professor's decision to play the video was deeply racist. The skit is "cultural appropriation" and "white supremacy". They were "personally offended" and even "traumatised" that this video had been played in their class.

Here are some lyrics from 'King Tut'.

Born in Arizona,
Moved to Babylonia (King Tut)
Dancin' by the Nile, (Disco Tut)
The ladies love his style, (Waltzing Tut)
Rockin' for a mile (Rockin' Tut)
He ate a crocodile.

And the response of the university leftist social justice warriors?

That’s like somebody … making a song just littered with the n-word everywhere,” a member of Reedies Against Racism (RAR) told the student newspaper when asked about Martin’s performance. She told me more: The Egyptian garb of the backup dancers and singers—many of whom are African American—“is racist as well. The gold face of the saxophone dancer leaving its tomb is an exhibition of blackface.”

These 'anti-racist activists' have taken to disrupting college classes en masse, over 60 in just this one subject so far this year. They stage sit-ins at the front of the lecture hall, shouting down the lecturers, shrieking "racist". All the usual crap.

I'm a man of the left myself. I can't stand Trump and the alt-right and I think the constant harping on about "SJWs" is tedious. The reality is that the identitarian SJW tendency is a pretty small part of the left, almost exclusively confined to young undergraduate idiots and Twitter activists. At the same time, these people are an embarassment to the left. They have no idea how ridiculous they are.

I encourage you to read the article in full, very fascinating. There are so many deliciously SJW quotes in there.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/11/the-surprising-revolt-at-reed/544682/

(edited 6 years ago)

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Reply 1

gjd800

This stuff is not only incredibly dull, but also incredibly damaging to 'the left'. The sooner we get away from this brand of identity politicking shite the better.

Reply 2

AlexanderHam

Original post by gjd800

This stuff is not only incredibly dull, but also incredibly damaging to 'the left'. The sooner we get away from this brand of identity politicking shite the better.

Most definitely. I get the sense that these people are addicted to feeling outraged. They are on an offence hair-trigger, just waiting to feel scandalised by the next putative disgrace.

Reply 3

gjd800

Original post by AlexanderHam

Most definitely. I get the sense that these people are addicted to feeling outraged. They are on an offence hair-trigger, just waiting to feel scandalised by the next putative disgrace.

You might be right. I realise the significance of identity etc. and its fundamentality to people's sense of self and their sense of (and probably experience of) how they engage with the world, but I think you can recognise all of these things without drawing lines everywhere and dictating who can talk about/teach/wear what things.

It seems that in general, we are more focussed now on what separates us, and we celebrate these divisive lines - which cannot under any circumstances ever be crossed - as if they somehow work toward genuine togetherness.

Really, all these things do is serve to radicalise and further separate the senses of 'other' we have toward people not in our 'identity group'. Counter productive a lot of the time, I'd guess.

Reply 4

AlexanderHam

I encourage everyone to read the article, the issue goes way beyond just the King Tut video. The RAR (Reedies Against Racism) group has become a fascist, intimidating presence on campus. It's absolutely disgusting how they continuously disrupt classes with their nonsensical

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/11/the-surprising-revolt-at-reed/544682/

In fact, at the Reed College Ball, the RAR group demanded that white students should have to pay $5 if they "consume black culture" (i.e. listen to music by black artists) at the ball. RAR activists collected these "donations" (or "reparations") at the door. These shrill idiots are completely in love with the sound of their own voice, you can see in videos of their protests that they can't wait to take over the classroom and start lecturing the students.

But the students have started to fight back. In fact, some of the biggest fightback has been from students RAR claims to represent

For the anniversary, RAR arranged an open mic for students of color. Rollo, a freshman from Houston, described how difficult it was to grow up poor, black, and gay in Texas. He then turned to RAR: “No, I won’t subject myself to your politically correct ideas. No, I won’t allow myself to be a part of your cause.” He criticized the “demagoguery” that “prevents any comprehensive conversation about race outside of ‘racism is bad.’”

Rollo later told me that RAR “had a beautiful opportunity to address police violence” but squandered it with extreme rhetoric. “Identity politics is divisive,” he insisted. As far as Hum 110, “I like to do my own interpreting,” and he resents RAR “playing the race card on ancient Egyptian culture.

Another Indian student said that RAR called him a "race traitor". It's fascinating that this ostensibly anti-racist group is using the language of skinheads.

[video="youtube;GAU5ebDseO0"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAU5ebDseO0[/video]

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 5

RVNmax

Original post by gjd800

This. It's also ironic how the people who pose this divisive behaviour are the first ones to yell out when their own liberties are curbed. Why do people not understand that the very ideology they espouse is totally restricting everybody, including themselves.

The only other thing I'd like to add with reference to the OP is that the SNL skit in question was comic in nature. It's not necessarily supposed to be an accurate representation. If it was then you could understand the offence at the ignorance in front your eyes-but it wasn't. Since use of the N word and blackface have been mentioned, I can make an easy comparison that if they are used for comic effect to be outrageous e.g. Tropic Thunder or the sort of thing here
[video="youtube;O7VaXlMvAvk"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7VaXlMvAvk[/video] or even if done well as a realistic portrayal akin to how skin tones are lightened or in the same context where it is considered acceptable to use such language, then there shouldn't be the outrage that usually follows. That is unlike choosing a white actor to play a black character without any reason in an age when good black actors are looking for work. Context matters. The outrage about Gove's actual joke or of Harriet Harman repeating a joke to give an example of her own outrage (the implication on the co-presenters is a different issue) was pretty ridiculous. People claim all sorts of offence on any piece of comedy simply because they didn't find it funny. I didn't enjoy the skit in the the OP, because it's not really funny anymore as I've already seen that sort of thing numerous times.

I would relate that type of comedy to mocking of accents, whether it is an Essex girl is stereotyped as a dim or an Indian accent or a sexy French accent (e.g. the constant mocking on last week's GBBO: An Extra Slice). Yes there is the question of those sorts of stereotyped jokes becoming ingrained just like the views raised this week about stamping out sexist jokes. Although that MAY be worthy route to take for the greater good, it still doesn't excuse the lack of respect given by the people taking issue to everybody else such that it is automatically assumed that any comics or audiences in question hold anti-equality views.

Reply 6

Claire461

I imagine the Americans have more to worry them with Trump the Thug at the helm trying to lead us all into World War 3.

Reply 7

math42

In an open letter, RAR offered sympathy to Martínez Valdivia but then accused her of being anti-black, discriminating against those with disabilities, and engaging in gaslighting—without specifying those charges. When someone asked for specifics, a RAR leader replied, “Asking for people to display their trauma so that you feel sufficiently satisfied is a form of violence.”

I lol'd.

Reply 8

username1149696

Probably everybody on earth is descended from Akhenaten (Tutankhamun's father), which shows how absurd the criticism is.

The people in that Atlantic article are incredibly hypocritical considering all the infinite number of valid causes they haven't even thought about.

Reply 9

the bear

the phrase "he ate a crocodile" is highly offensive to non-meat eaters. there should be a trigger warning.

Reply 10

Wōden

Somehow I doubt the Ancient Egyptians are going to be that bothered.....

Reply 11

the bear

i suppose that Walking Like An Egyptian is also banned nowadays :rolleyes:

[video="youtube;2qRpIA3RKYc"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qRpIA3RKYc[/video]

Reply 12

looloo2134

Can't those people think of anything better to do with there time than disrupting other students education patronizing non-white students and being racist to white students. I was told the universities in America were expensive for students and they had to work 20 hours a week on top of studying a full time course. Only the rich students who don't have to work join RAR and spend there time disrupting least well of students education.

Reply 13

looloo2134

Original post by the bear

i suppose that Walking Like An Egyptian is also banned nowadays :rolleyes:

[video="youtube;2qRpIA3RKYc"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qRpIA3RKYc[/video]

I like that song

Reply 14

DJKL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv6tuzHUuuk

And here it is, may as well watch before it has to go underground.

Reply 15

username1738683

Original post by AlexanderHam

A lecturer teaching the Humanities 110 course...

That's the engine room for the cultural revolution, it has been for decades. Far too many of them are useless for anything else in real life and go on to create work for themselves in think-tanks and all sorts of quangos, a self-feeding industry that has us all by the b******s. The lair of the beast, it's great fun to look at the academical CV of so many people in public life. What they graduated on and where.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 16

SCIENCE :D

To the Left, these people are the equivilant, to what ISIS is to Islam.

Reply 17

CurlyBen

To be fair, I can understand people finding that video a little offensive. Certainly by modern standards I don't think it's in great taste, but at the same time it's nearly 40 years old and attitudes have evolved significantly in that time. Indeed it appears that the point of showing the video was to discuss it and judge it based on current opinions. It sounds as though if the course was sanitised to the satisfaction of the protestors there would simply be nothing left to discuss!

(Of course, if I was feeling provocative I'd point out that this sector of society is generally opposed to discussion, as they feel there are no reasonable points of view other than theirs - those who shout loudest about bigotry tend to consider only a very narrow selection of views acceptable. And are apparently unable to comprehend irony!)

Reply 18

AlexanderHam

Original post by CurlyBen

To be fair, I can understand people finding that video a little offensive.

How!? In what way is the video offensive, at all? There is no universe in which it is even obliquely offensive.

Reply 19

CurlyBen

Original post by AlexanderHam

How!? In what way is the video offensive, at all? There is no universe in which it is even obliquely offensive.

Because a group of non-Egyptian people dressed up as Egyptians and proceeded to act in a way which mocks Egyptians. It's not something I would get particularly worked up about, and I certainly don't agree with the protesters. However, if you cannot understand why people might find it offensive you're either saying that because you automatically take the opposing position to the protestors, or because you have a serious lack of empathy.