We've Come A Long Way, But We're Slipping Back

Yesterday was an extremely sad day for the music world, David Bowie died. His legend will undoubtedly live on, which we should be thankful for.

However, yesterday's awful news gave way to some of Bowie's greatest moments, whether it be his music, his acting, or his answering of questions.

One video stuck out to me like a sore thumb.

Back in 1983 Bowie was being interviewed by MTV, and he challenged them on not playing enough black musicians, unless it was at an ungodly time of 2am to 6am.

The guy questioning Bowie at first denied this, and gave a shrug off answer of "fits into what we want to play."

But Bowie, in his greatness, didn't let up. "There seems to be a lot of black artists making very good videos that, I'm surprised aren't used on MTV."

"We have to try and do what we think, not only New York, and Los Angeles, would appreciate, or some town in midwest that would be scared to death by Prince, which we're playing, or a string of other black faces, they're not used to."

So David Bowie had successfully turned from interviewee, to interviewer.

"That's very interesting, isn't that interesting." Bowie said with a rather wry smile,

The, now interviewee, realises he's dug a hole, and tries to get himself out of it by listing off a few black artists "who mean something to me," now here's the part that's really cringe worthy.

"But what do they mean to a 17 year old?" By that he meant a white 17 year old, apparently black 17 year old's interest aren't worth worrying about.

So good old Bowie hit him back, "Well I'll tell you what Marvin Gaye means to a black 17 year old, and surely he's part of America too?"

Mark Goodman, the supposed interviewer, then starts spouting on about how white musicians are starting to play black music, so hopefully one day both black and white kids can listen to the same music, then hopefully white kids will understand black music.......

As Goodman says that awful line about white kids understanding music, Bowie gives another wry smile.

My jaw dropped at this interview, I was pleased our plucky, weird Brit came forward, and absolutely disgusted that the answers he was given was good for Goodman to keep his job.

In Britain, we've come a long way, I can't say they have or have not in America, you see artists like Jay Z, Beyonce, Kanye West, Sean Combs, 50 cent, etc, all on the TV.

However, when you hear about incidences like Sandra Bland, who was arrested for absolutely nothing, then subsequently died in custody, the Baltimore riots over the death of Freddy Gray who was arrested healthy, but again died in custody.

Or Eric Garner who was choked to death by a police officer, who he repeatedly told whilst his hands were in there air "I can't breathe." 

America has a long, long way to go, so when someone like Donald Trump says America is too "PC", someone please remind him of these incidences.

Europe seems to be heading backwards too, the migrant crisis has not helped, on New Years Eve, a large group of women were sexually assaulted by immigrants in Cologne in Germany, the left want you to ignore it because these offences were committed by migrants.

This is by Laurie Penny in the NewStatesmen:

"Why we can't always take sexual assault as seriously as we do when migrants, and Muslims are involved as perpetrators?"

"In a perverse sort of way, it's progress."

These are the people who are also sitting there wondering why groups like Pegida who are spouting Hitler quotes, even some here in Britain are saying things like "Hitler was right."

From one extreme to the other, and neither is helping the other cause, not that either side would admit any wrong doing.

We are heading back to these times of racism and fascism, and I'm scared, I don't want that.

I don't judge someone because of their skin colour, nor do I find their music hard to understand because they have a different skin colour.

I don't care about someone's religion, all I ask is that you respect my views, and I'll respect yours.

But we're heading away, the left want us to bow down because of years of oppression, that was committed by our ancestors, the far right want us to kill anyone of a different colour, and for those of us stuck somewhere in the middle, we need to find a message, then say it loud.