I had an email via the contact format the other day from some crackpot in Manchester. She had taken offence at something I wrote a while back on the subject of coaching.
In that article I was making the point that coaching is not a magic pill to cure all society’s ills, and especially not those that afflict young drivers, who as a group exhibit the worst driving behaviour and experience the most fatal accidents on our roads. I used an analogy where I referred to pasty white boys pretending to be black.
The entire paragraph was as follows – and you have to read it in context with the suggestion I was refuting, which said that “introducing coaching” to driving instruction would reduce accidents involving young people by changing how they think and behave:
As an example, if you have someone who spent their entire time at school pretending to be black in spite of being a pasty white colour (i.e. wearing a stupid baseball cap), plus a shell suit or Burberry clobber, cheap bling, BMX bike, no taste in music, their whole evenings hanging around outside the chip shop smoking, spitting, and swearing at people who walk past, and who was known to the police from about 10 minutes after he was born because of who his parents were, well, that person just might be tempted to drive in an inappropriate manner when he passes his test and buys a Corsa with 4-inch exhaust pipe and blacked out windows. His whole life to that point has conditioned him.
To begin with, the important thing is what I meant, not what some namby-pamby politically correct dipstick can contrive to read into it.
But let’s over-analyse the concept of “pasty white boys pretending to be black” for a moment.
Many years ago, I used to tippy-toe around the issue of people being black until a black friend told me that he found the term “coloured” offensive. I had been using it in an attempt to be respectful, but it taught me a valued lesson. However, one (of many) of the reasons I believed what I did was that another friend’s wife had a high-up position working for the local council, and one day she had been almost sacked for asking a black woman if she wanted her coffee “black or white”. In the 80s and early 90s you really had to be careful.
Even today, I believe I am correct in saying that the word “blackboard” is still taboo in some establishments, and “chalkboard” is used instead. Some people claim this is an urban myth, but there are plenty of nutters out there who would gladly take issue (via the contact form, no doubt) if you dared to use the taboo words.
Now, what I said about pasty white boys pretending they’re black was an allusion to gangsta rap music.
What Is Gangsta Rap?
Gangsta rap is a genre of hip-hop that reflects the violent lifestyles of inner-city youth. The genre was pioneered around 1983 by Ice T with songs like “Cold Winter Madness” and “Body Rock/Killers.” Gangsta rap was popularized by illustrious rap groups like NWA and Boogie Down Productions in the late 80s…
Gangsta rap revolves around aggressive lyrics and trunk-heavy beats. Despite its huge acceptance in the early 90s, gangsta rap has been condemned for its violent themes. Rappers often defend themselves by saying that they’re only depicting actual inner-city struggles, not promoting it…
Like it or not, the genre is predominantly covered by black rappers. It originated with black rappers. And in all honesty, only black rappers can carry off the image successfully. You don’t have to be black to be a rapper, but it definitely helps the image. Wikipedia explains:
The subject matter inherent in gangsta rap has caused a great deal of controversy. Criticism has come from both left wing and right wing commentators, and religious leaders, who have accused the genre of promoting crime, violence, profanity, sex, homophobia, racism, promiscuity, misogyny, rape, street gangs, drive-by shootings, vandalism, thievery, drug dealing, alcohol abuse, substance abuse and materialism.
This is what I was alluding to with my comment about pasty white boys pretending to be black. With hindsight, I might have said “pasty white boys pretending to be gangsta rappers”, but I’m sure the net-nanny who wrote to me would have found fault with that too. In any case, the point I was making would have been identical. And I preferred the allusory rather than the literal approach, because I’m not afraid of the “black” word. Skinny white juveniles cannot pass themselves of convincingly as rappers, but that is only an external feature that hits me every time I see it. What goes on inside is another matter entirely.
I see them every day. Spindly little white kids with over-sized baseball caps, often with one trouser leg rolled up (signifying gang membership – I saw a fat, tattooed 20-something like that last week). In a year or two’s time, I’ll be teaching them to drive, and nothing I can say or do for the three months they’re with me (for a maximum of two hours a week) will alter what they’ve been conditioned to behave like up until then. It is the image they are trying to adopt – and all that it implies, as explained in the Wikipedia quote – which is the problem.
Most rappers might be black (which is why my allusion works). But not all black people are rappers (which is why the use of the word “black” is not racist).
The crazy person from Manchester should really get a life.