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Is The Song "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas Racist/Cultural Appropriation?

nkarafo

Member
Stop giving attention to these people. Don't even answer when someone asks/says such dumb things. Don't even look at them or react to them in any way. Completely ignore their existence. All they seek is attention.
 

protonion

Member
I'm not American, so I have no first hand experience of this woke lunacy- just what I see online here and there.

However I think we are way past the point we should consider this funny/cringe or something to wave off. Such people should be confronted.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
This sound almost as made up as shinoby shitting on his 4 years old racist son on reeee.

Too bad they are probably both true stories...
 

Alx

Member
My Asian cousins love that song, you can be sure it will play at least once in any family party .
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
Signs im getting older. I worry the younger generation are gonna implode should they watch Mel brooks films or the airplane movies or films of those ilk. Hell even ace Ventura
 
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EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Signs im getting older. I worry the younger generation are gonna implode should they watch Mel brooks films or the airplane movies.
I saw a Norm clip come up on social media and checked the comments. All the zoomers decried that it wasn’t funny, who was this problematic guy, it’s offensive, etc.

Then I see what passes for comedy to zoomers…

 

nush

Member
Of course it’s racist, it’s championing the blaxploitation genre of cinema in the 70s. /s
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
All parties need people like your friend James, OP. Excellent way of weeding out the weirdos that don’t self-signal themselves through hair color. I’ll have to assume the girl in question didn’t get her hair dyed (yet).

This is unironically a great thing. Imagine downing a few drinks and waking up in bed with said girl the next morning.
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
I saw a Norm clip come up on social media and checked the comments. All the zoomers decried that it wasn’t funny, who was this problematic guy, it’s offensive, etc.

Then I see what passes for comedy to zoomers…


Professor Farnsworth Futurama GIF



So glad I had bill hicks, have bill Bailey and bill burr plus other acts to make you think and question. George Carlin/Ricky Gervais anyone ?
 
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I saw a Norm clip come up on social media and checked the comments. All the zoomers decried that it wasn’t funny, who was this problematic guy, it’s offensive, etc.

Then I see what passes for comedy to zoomers…



What clip was it, if you don't mind me asking? And this interview is crazy, if you never heard it. Norm screwing with the hosts of a morning radio program, and fighting racism as only Norm could.

 

John Bilbo

Member
A young girl, who I think was in her mid-twenties, came up to us and told us to turn off that racist song and that the song was just white people using cultural appropriation to make money from Asian culture. Before we had time to explain that Carl Douglas was a black UK singer and the song came out in 1973 at the height of Bruce Lee's fame, she turned around, gave us the finger, called us racists and walked away.

Discuss.
Actually OP she just did the dance move invented about ten years ago called the sarkeesian.
 

mcjmetroid

Member
What clip was it, if you don't mind me asking? And this interview is crazy, if you never heard it. Norm screwing with the hosts of a morning radio program, and fighting racism as only Norm could.


He's 100% right here. It's amazing how everyone hears the same question and statement and people take it 100% different ways. It's almost like a case study.

On Kung Fu fighting. It's my understanding based on my experience living in China that generally Asian people don't give a shit and find it funny when people immitate their culture. They find it funny.

Anytime I see Asian appropriation comments, its by either white or Asian Americans who grew up in the USA. I think it's racist to assume people from these cultures should feel ashamed of themselves which is how I would take it if I was from these cultures and people stand up for me.
 
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dave_d

Member
Guess I'll chime in, "Of course it's not racist, it's sung by a black guy and blacks can't be racist. It's impossible for them." (I wish I was making that one up but there's a certain social-political view that basically says only whites can be racist because it doesn't count unless you're in power.)
 

MastAndo

Member
I suppose the term "Chinamen" qualifies as a slur/racism nowadays, but there's nothing worse than white folks getting offended on behalf of other groups. This whole racial supersensitivity/pearl clutching movement really is just propped up by certain people dictating what is offensive to groups they aren't even a part of. I don't know how so many people don't just see right through it.
 

Braag

Member
Just ignore her and keep having fun?
There's no reason for you to feel bad if someone else gets upset over nothing.
 

StueyDuck

Member
I was at a house party last night, with about twenty or so people at it, ages ranging from early 40s to early 20s. My friend James was in charge of the music and decided to put on a playlist of "One Hit Wonders." So songs like What Is Love, Breakfast At Tiffany's, She Drives Me Crazy, Shut Up Your Face, Don't Worry, Be Happy etc. When this song came on:



A young girl, who I think was in her mid-twenties, came up to us and told us to turn off that racist song and that the song was just white people using cultural appropriation to make money from Asian culture. Before we had time to explain that Carl Douglas was a black UK singer and the song came out in 1973 at the height of Bruce Lee's fame, she turned around, gave us the finger, called us racists and walked away.

Discuss.

I hope you opened the door and kicked that dummy to the street, no one needs stupid in their house
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
I wouldn't say it's racist but I also don't think it's something you would get away with today. The term "Chinamen" is kind of a no-go, and the "oriental riff" has a negative connotation.

"Cultural appropriation" is a pretty problematic concept that is never held to any kind of standard with consistency. Most people who use it don't even really know.what it means. Which is clearly the case in your example.

I do think there are circumstances where people have used their whiteness to profit off of art created by minorities in ways that those artists couldn't themselves. But I don't see how one could possibly make that argument about Kung Fu Fighting, which is is just a novelty song about genre movies. No more approptoation than Blue Oyster Cult's Go Go Godzilla.
 
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FunkMiller

Gold Member
I wouldn't say it's racist but I also don't think it's something you would get away with today. The term "Chinamen" is kind of a no-go, and the "oriental riff" has a negative connotation.

"Cultural appropriation" is a pretty problematic concept that is never held to any kind of standard with consistency. Most people who use it don't even really know.what it means. Which is clearly the case in your example.

I do think there are circumstances where people have used their whiteness to profit off of art created by minorities in ways that those artists couldn't themselves. But I don't see how one could possibly make that argument about Kung Fu Fighting, which is is just a novelty song about genre movies. No more approptoation than Blue Oyster Cult's Go Go Godzilla.

There's far too much nuance in this post. Please don't do it again.

surprise supplies GIF
 
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