Public Enemy – “Can’t Truss It”
When I was in maybe 8th grade, I started getting into
rap and hip hop music. Actually, it was because
of New Kids on the Block that I started listening to it. They grew up with rap and R&B music, and
Donnie was and is a huge Public Enemy fan (I’m sure the rest of them are, but
he was REALLY into them). So I started
listening to them. Somehow, I got my mom
to buy their 1991 album, Apocalypse ’91, for me, because it had a Parental
Advisory sticker on it and I was only 14 or 15 at the time. I think I convinced her because she knew the
New Kids were “safe” and I might have said, “Well the New Kids really like
them.” This song was the main single
from the album, and it was on pretty heavy rotation on MTV, and Yo! MTV Raps,
which I watched a lot.
Looking back at that time, I think it was pretty radical
that a high school-aged white girl from the suburbs was listening to this very
heavy, socially conscious music about race and justice. I am eternally grateful for the education I’ve
gotten from listening to Public Enemy. I
learned about racism and a system of injustice, as portrayed in “Can’t Truss It,”
that has existed for centuries. It’s a
system that has evolved to look less overtly racist, but the injustice is as
present as ever.
As importantly, I learned about the concept of privilege
before it really had a name. Privilege
means that persons of a privileged group – including race (white), or gender
(male), or nationality (American or European), or age (younger), or ability
status (able-bodied, as opposed to physically or mentally challenged) – are
able to live a life that is, for the most part, free of discrimination and
oppression that non-privileged persons experience on a regular basis. It pervades so much of our lives that it is
often not evident if you are in a privileged group.
When we are made aware of our own privilege, human nature
tends to make us defensive and angry, because it sounds like we consciously did
something wrong and should feel guilty. Instead,
recognizing privilege should be an opportunity for understanding an injustice
or unfair situation or system. It should
be an opening of the heart and mind in a way that allows us to see the dignity
of another person, and work with them to fix the problem. This includes asking, “What is the best way
for me to support you?” and not assuming that you know what’s best. I am still learning about my own privilege, from
some wonderful teachers, and it has made me a better person.
So when you see a hashtag that says #BlackLivesMatter, it
does not mean that black lives matter MORE than white people, or more than
police officers. It means that many
people need to be reminded that black people are EQUAL to everyone, and that
their lives matter at all. It means that
people different from you have different lives and different struggles. It means that many people are not able to
lives their lives with the dignity they deserve. If this is something that you feel challenged
or threatened by, I hope that it will inspire some introspection, instead of
anger. And if you don’t think that black
lives matter at all, then you should unfriend me now.
One of my favorite birthdays was when I attended a lecture
Chuck D gave at York College a few years after I graduated. He is the coolest – he talked for hours and
answered everyone’s questions – and I have so much respect for him. He and Public Enemy opened my eyes, as all the
best music does. And the beat is really
great too J
Just a note that this video contains some violent imagery
and is not appropriate for young kids.
Thanks for reading!
#YearlongMixtape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am9BqZ6eA5c
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