The amount of ignorance that some people possess is truly baffling. White America can’t seem to cease proving that they are so deeply misinformed about other cultures that their ignorance becomes insulting. I’m sure that there is a bounty of racist YouTubers hiding behind their MacBook screens, doing us all a favor and keeping their judgemental views to themselves. But the one that managed to catch my eye was a YouTuber by the name of Trisha Paytas.
In recent years, Paytas had dabbled with the world of music, releasing a few EPs. Her latest EP, “Daddy Issues”, appears friendly enough, the songs carry the same familiar sounds and melodies. The single that took me aback was one by the name of “Jungle Fever”. Just let that sink in. A white, privileged young woman recorded a song named “jungle fever”. I wish I could say that the title was really a beautiful metaphor for racial injustice, but if I said that I’d be giving way too much credit to Paytas. Instead, Paytas sings of her lust of black men, making sure to include some of America’s favorite stereotypes like cornrows and Phat Farm clothing. She begins the song -if I must call this monstrosity a song- by telling us that she’s going down to Inglewood to find, you guessed it- black guys! The song is beyond disrespectful and takes us back to days that I thought we had long ago left behind.
This isn’t the first time Paytas has been criticized for her racist beliefs. In a previous video, she attempted to support her case for using the N-word. If I said it once, I’ve said it a million times before, THE N-WORD IS NOT FOR WHITE PEOPLE! She uses her sense of entitlement to justify beliefs that are outdated and just plain wrong.
Cleary, the YouTuber has received plenty of backlash for the previously mentioned song, because she has taken to the internet to try to explain the reasoning behind this blatantly racist move. In her video, “Why White Women Love Black Men” Paytas uses other racial inaccuracies to attempt to justify her own racist mentality. I’d like to take a minute to recognize these inaccuracies if you don’t mind.
1. Just Becuase You Have Sexual Relations With Black Men Doesn’t Mean You’re Not A Racist
Yes, you’re still a racist, even if you find yourself in bed with the very people that you are insulting. It may make you a hypocrite, but by no means does it expunge your offensive words and actions. It will take a lot more than kissing and telling to make this go away, you may want to start with a proper education and maybe an apology.
2.Your One Black Friend Does Not Speak For The Entire Black Community
Just because your friend is okay with you doing this and that, doesn’t mean that the rest of us are. Some black men and women are either too kind or too tired and will let the white population get away with just about anything. But let me tell you, there are many more of us out here who are not okay with what you are doing, whether it’s you being uncomfortable with the term African American or naming your song after a racist phenomenon. Trust me, repeating what your only black friend says doesn’t suddenly make you the master of cultural and racial education, it may pay off to take some time and actually listen to what the rest of the black community is trying to tell you.
3. Just Because Some Are Not Afraid To Speak Out, Does Not Make them Sensitive
There are some types of stupidity that need to be combated with a reality check. You cannot expect us to keep quiet and sit down when you commit racist wrongdoings. So don’t you dare try to call us too sensitive because we know when something just isn’t right and are not afraid to tell you just that.
4. Don’t Tell Me To Get Over It
Slavery happened, racial discrimination happened and is still happening today. So don’t you dare tell me to get over such an important part of African American history. White America will do pretty much anything to make us forget about what they have done to the black population and what they continue to do. You don’t tell us to forget about 9/11 or the Holocaust but as soon as the truths of slavery are brought into play it suddenly becomes a thing of the past that should stay in the past.
5. Black Women With White Men Face The Same Interacial Hardships
Black women who decide to date white men are faced with daily prejudice and when others are not insulting the women they are questioning the white man’s choice in women. Interracial couples are something that America has a very hard time getting used to and no matter what gender the POC of the relationship is, they still face hate.
6. I Can Ensure You That You Were Not Born Into The Wrong Race
Has Rachal Dolezal taught you nothing? Cultural appropriation does not seem to register in the thick heads of the white population. Believe it or not, there is a lot more to being black than simply braiding your hair and learning ebonics. Where was this yearning to be black when my ancestors were sold and slaughtered and treated as human chattels? Where was this yearning to be black when we were not allowed to eat in the same restaurants or go to the same schools? Where was this yearning to be black when we are repeatedly subject to police brutality? You can’t pick and choose which aspect of a culture you would like to claim as your own, that’s just not how it goes.
It’s truly scary to see someone with such a huge following relay a message of hatred and ignorance. Songs are more than just songs, they express messages to their listeners and these messages are repeated over and over whether you’re in the shower or driving home. So when a song like “Jungle Fever” depicts a message with so many racial stereotypes and blatant racism, I can only imagine how this same message is relayed into the ears of millions of listeners, shaping the racists of tomorrow.
