while i think the article approaches this subject the wrong way, the internets is misinterpreting the message here. i think the most important thing to take from this article is not that there's this fringe group of black people immersed in white culture, but that the black community is beginning to reject the notion that there is a definitive way to "act black" and taking an interest in aspects of "white culture" does not make them less black.ignoring the 800 pound elephant in the room doesn't make it go away.however, i do agree that terms like blipster are totally unnecessary.

I'm not saying that ignoring the issue is the way to go by any means, but it seems like this article isn't reaffirming that there's not any one way to "act black" so much as it's pointing out how "out of the ordinary" black rock fans are. I would think that the people who already feel a little out of place at rock shows as described in the article are going to feel a hell of a lot more uncomfortable now that there's a big sign hanging over their heads. It'll be like sideshow now, "hey, maybe we'll run into one of those blipsters at the show tonight."

when i was being interviewed for an article, what i got on from the questions i was being asked was that it was going to turn out to be an insightful feature on an overlooked subgenre of people. by keeping a correspondence with the interviewer, i found that the article went through nine editors. she even told me she cringed when she read the final version. and if i can quote the essay i did on my band's website about the article, "what could have been a great article got diluted into 'black indie rockers for dummies.' "i, and the interviewer, thought this was going to be a commentary on black stereotypes, but it seems as though the editors made people like me a stereotype.

i wasnt trying to say that black people are trying to not act black. the fact that there is a notion of acting black is a large part of the problem. i was just saying there is an ideology shift where they can like things that arent perceived as black without being considered a race traitor. and the stereotypes of "blackness" have been bred from within the black community as much as they have been from outside.

the entire notion of "acting black" makes no sense at all. one could argue that blackface minstrels were "acting black." ha. i just didn't want to be portrayed as someone whose existence is defined by being a black kid who likes indie rock. it just so happens that it's what i like. i actually wrote a lengthy piece about it on my band's website, which is available through the link where my name is. haha. yeah, yeah; shameless plug, but i really wanted people to get my take on the situation, since my quote was the most generic thing i said during the entire interview. ugh.

it is different from the persective of a white person being into hip-hop music. even the ostracism isn't the same. black people already deal with enough **** as it is. the reaction from the black community in respnose to alternative lifestyles is MUCH stronger and has a larger cannotation. white people might think you're being stupid or doing something unneccessary, even trying to hard. But it is a sense of betrayal with the black community it very literally seen as an affiliation with the enemy, in many senses (and i'm only speaking to some experiences, not all). But regardless of the degree, you likign hip-hop is not at all the same thing.

i'm by no means trying to say that the level of exclusion i felt is the same, society-wise...i'm just saying that it's crazy that terms like "betrayal" and "exclusion" on a societal level even have a place in a conversation about what kinds of music you listen to. that's all.

Obvious an opinion as it may be: I'm so sick of hearing about hip hop being "black music" and rock n' roll being "white music."

[...] Seminal punk-funkers (and possible original Blipsters, just to bring up that controversial label one more time) Fishbone will return with the new album Still Stuck in Your Throat on April 24. Production assistance on the album comes courtesy of David Kahne, who was in the studio with Fishbone during their heyday in the ’80s and has more recently worked with The Strokes. U.S tour dates in support of the album are expected to be announced shortly. For now, the band is heading over to Europe and then moving on to Australia. Continue you on after the jump for Still’s track listing, which includes song titles like “Skan ‘N Go Nuttz” and “Party with Saddam.”1) “Jack Ass Brigade” [...]