{"id":76,"date":"2005-12-15T13:47:23","date_gmt":"2005-12-15T21:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/?p=76"},"modified":"2005-12-15T13:49:51","modified_gmt":"2005-12-15T21:49:51","slug":"do-they-know-how-racist-they-sound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/2005\/12\/15\/do-they-know-how-racist-they-sound\/","title":{"rendered":"Do They Know How Racist They Sound?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was at the supermarket yesterday, and as is the nauseating custom at this time of the year, there was Christmas music playing over the loud speakers. While I was able to tune out “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” I soon found myself nearly retching when Band Aid’s “Do They Know it’s Christmas?”<\/em> began playing. <\/p>\n

I remember Bob Geldof’s paternalistic fervor 21 years ago, joined by the likes of George Michael, Boy George, Simon Le Bon and other super stars, calling attention to the famines of Ethiopia. U2’s Bono patted himself on the back for being part of the international superhit, telling the BBC: “There was a sense after a while that we were there for other people – people we may never meet or know, but we were here for them.” <\/p>\n

I couldn’t articulate back then why the song disturbed me. But now, I cannot understand how anyone can stand to listen to it. <\/p>\n

\"BandJust to be clear, let me paste the lyrics: <\/p>\n

It’s Christmastime
\nThere’s no need to be afraid
\nAt Christmastime, we let in light and we banish shade
\nAnd in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy
\nThrow your arms around the world at Christmastime<\/p>\n

But say a prayer
\nPray for the other ones
\nAt Christmastime it’s hard, but when you’re having fun
\nThere’s a world outside your window
\nAnd it’s a world of dread and fear
\nWhere the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears
\nAnd the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom
\nWell tonight thank God it’s them instead of you<\/p>\n

And there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmastime
\nThe greatest gift they’ll get this year is life
\n(Oooh) Where nothing ever grows
\nNo rain nor rivers flow
\nDo they know it’s Christmastime at all?<\/p>\n

(Here’s to you) raise a glass for everyone
\n(Here’s to them) underneath that burning sun
\nDo they know it’s Christmastime at all?<\/p>\n

Feed the world
\nLet them know it’s Christmastime again <\/p>\n

(repeat ad nauseum)<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Apparently nothing ever flows in poor Africa, no rain, no rivers, no snow. <\/p>\n

Even if you ignore the devastating impacts of IMF structural adjustment, corporate clear cut logging, and other environmental damage spear headed by the governments of the Band-Aid singers, there are at least 26 rivers in Africa, many rain forests, and yes, it even snows (South Africa, for example)!<\/p>\n

Do Africans know it’s Christmas time? Of course Christian Africans know. But Muslims and those who practice traditional African spiritual faiths couldn’t care less. <\/p>\n

Geldof isn’t ignorant however. He told the BBC: “It is those critical issues of trade and debt that are enabling the situation in Ethiopia and the west of Africa to continue.” But no blame is ever laid on international trade rules in the lyrics of the simplistic song. <\/p>\n

The paternalistic, racist ignorance of the Band-Aid crew may have been acceptable in 1984 to the millions who bought the single to chase away their guilt. After all, ‘thank God it’s them instead of you.’ <\/p>\n

But more than 2 decades later I would like to think we have learned much more about the world, about poverty, racism, economic injustice, etc, even if we haven’t eradicated them. <\/p>\n

\"BandStill it didn’t stop a new generation of ignorant pop star from repeating the insulting, racist project – this time as “Band-Aid 20”. As you can see the cover of the CD visually emphasizes how black Africans are perceived: surrounded by cheerful, warm and bubbly reindeer, is the back of a miserably thin, naked, stick-like figure of an African child. <\/p>\n

Designed to inspire pity, the only thing that comes to mind in response is the title of political band Chumbawumba’s answer to Band-Aid: “Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records.” <\/p>\n

\"ChumbaThe lyrics to this far more politically astute band goes much further: <\/p>\n

Feed the world
\nStarve the rich<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was at the supermarket yesterday, and as is the nauseating custom at this time of the year, there was Christmas music playing over the loud speakers. While I was able to tune out “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” I soon found myself nearly retching when Band Aid’s “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” began playing. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}