Buckwild

I think I'm a racist
At first I just thought the whole thing was kinda silly. You know, like someone putting monster truck tires on a minivan or something. It just looked wrong, felt fake. I think like a lot of people, I just thought eventually it was going to go away.

But it didn't. It took hold, grew -- evolved into something else. It's a part of the world we live in now, no matter what you think of it. Unfortunately, I'm starting to think that this whole attitude of mine is a reflection of my age. That it has something to do with getting older, losing touch.
But whatever the reason, the fact remains:
I can't stand wiggers.
I think what bugs me about Wiggers is this feeling I get that it's all just put on for show. That it's just a costume kids wear to make themselves feel cooler than they actually are. But really, I think what bothers me the most is the impression that the whole thing is somehow insulting to the very culture that imitates. Almost as if wigger culture was the equivalent of the old time minstrel shows or something.

Perhaps for a time that's what it was, but now it seems like it's everywhere. It's part of the culture. And when something reaches a point like that I think you have to take a step back and re-evaluate your thinking.

For example, I happen to think Fred Durst is kind of a dipshit. But I'm starting to wonder if I have any real right here to point him out and call him fake. I mean, I don't question Eminem. I don't have a problem with the Beastie Boys. For whatever reason, I don't have any problem thinkng that the way they act is probably the way they more or less are as people.
So why do I give them a pass but continue to bag on Fred?
Think about it, is that stupid red hat he always wears any different than a country music fan from New York city wearing a cowboy hat? I mean, it's not like there are dudes standing outside Travis Tritt concerts pointing at people and shouting "You're no farmer!"
And perhaps that's what worries me.
I'm starting to think that I'm projecting my dislike of Fred Durst the personality on Fred Durst's lifestyle as well -- to the point where if I see someone around town sporting that same look (and believe me, I live in Fred's hometown -- they're all over the place here) I have a hard time not putting them all in the same boat.
And therein lies the problem:
Because the last time I checked, that's called prejudice.
When it comes right down to it, I think the whole thing for me centers around the idea of authenticity. My problem with most wiggers I encounter is that I simply don't buy it. It feels like an act. As much as I'd like to think that I judge people on their individual merits, it's pretty clear that sometimes I just can't.

I guess what I really don't like is how much this whole wigger thing illuminates just how slippery the slope really is with these kinds of things. If you flip it around, it's not too difficult to interpret my wigger problem as the equivalent me going up to someone and saying "Be more white." -- and that's dangerous ground to be walking on, you know?

Because really, what is white culture? What is black culture? By attempting to define these things, wouldn't we be helping to identify, if not strengthen the divisions between them?
That's not what I want.
What I want is a culture that's open to new and different ideas, encapsulating of them all without ignoring where they came from. At the same time, I want the freedom to be able to appreciate, even laugh at the differences without feeling like I'm crossing some line.
That being said, this is hilarious.
[Listening to: The Specials, "Little Bitch"]

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