Poll: How racist was he?

[bl4ckh4wk64]

If there was a button for, "Slap the race-card pulling asshole right in the face" I'd have picked that. Guess I'll go for "not really racist."

The way I see it, it's a guy who goes to a party that brings a CD full of music no one has heard before. He wants to DJ to play it because HE likes the music on the CD. It doesn't matter if others like what was playing already, HE wants to listen to HIS music. When the DJ tells him that he won't play the unheard of music because most people probably won't like it (which is probably true by the way) then he pulls the race card (I would be okay with this guy if he hadn't pulled the goddamned race card). The DJ's job is to play music that most people will like and to correctly judge the crowd (what kind of music to play next, i.e. slow, fast, techno, rap etc.) If he is a good, or at least adequate DJ, as you said, then he would be able to judge the crowd a whole hell of a lot better than that other guy.

The DJ made no mention of race, he mentioned that the music isn't popular.
This. Isn't. Fucking. Racist.

Second OT: Yes, people have pulled the race card on me, but most of it went along the lines of, "Oh, you don't like Obama? You're a racist fuck." and then there's the common thing I experience at Pearl Harbor when I go to pay my respects, "You did this, you damn Jap."
Now that is actually a racist comment. Jap is a derogatorry term for a Japanese person, and it is meant as an insult. There was no insult in the comment you talked about, only a knowledge of what the crowd wants.

 

[mjc0961]

No, that's not racism. And be sure to chew out that guy for pulling the race card inappropriately.

The DJ is a professional who has been hired to play music for this group of people for years (as you said) and probably has a good idea of what they would and wouldn't like to hear by now. And he's right that he's supposed to play music that most people there will enjoy. That's what he was hired to do.

 

[BonsaiK]

Also, have you ever been in a situation where you thought someone was unfairly being labeled a racist. Or have you yourself faced racism?

I've been in both of those situations (including touring Australia with a part-Aboriginal punk band - fun times, and great way to learn about racism firsthand), but I've also been in a different, more relevant situation: I've been a club DJ.

People coming up to me and asking me to play "their music" happens all the time, and over 90% of the time it's stuff that the other people there aren't there for and won't want to listen to. Race has nothing to do with it, musical style does. I don't care how much I love you and your culture and your music, (just pulling an example out my ass here) Brazillian speed metal just isn't going to fit into my 80s industrial set, it will make people walk out the door. If it was a whole audience full of metalheads, yeah fine, but if not - hell no. As a DJ, you are paid to keep people happy and dancing/drinking/socialising/whatever, not to make them go somewhere else, so you play what that audience wants to hear. Maybe if it was 3am and the club was closing, I'd play a random song only one punter wants right at the end just to tell people it's time to leave now. Other than that - no, are you mad? Get that music out of here, I'm busy.

 

[EvilPicnic]

He should have said what most DJs say, which is, 'Yeah mate, it's on the playlist for later'. A couple of hours later and the guy's too drunk to remember he's requested a song...

But seriously, a DJ's paid to play tunes that fill the floor and keep the party going. If he's nice he might grant some requests if they fit in with his set. But if the tune requested doesn't fit in with the set, he's perfectly entitled to turn down the song. That's why it's called a request.

How that guy was turned down is another matter, if he was condescending to the guys culture or something...but honestly, what self-entitled prick thinks that he can tell the DJ what to play, and then get all angry about it?

 

[jawakiller]

Thats not even close to racism, I'm sorry but that guy (hispanic dude) was being overly dramatic. If the DJ started calling him stereotypical names because he liked that kind of music, thats not even really racist. If a group of [insert other race here] guys started beating him up and raping his wife BECAUSE he was Hispanic, then we'd have a problem.

I hate people who pull the race card whenever they feel like (to quote another thread) "an entitled little shit" who isn't getting their way. Call me politically incorrect but thats how I see it. You can't shout "racist" every time you don't get what you want. it doesn't work that way...

Well at least it shouldn't work that way [glares at liberals] thanks for making us so "equal."

 

[The Gnome King]

So at my college each year we have a celebratory party towards the end of the semester in order to give ourselves a big pat on the back for surviving another year in the curriculum. At this years celebration we hired the same DJ that we've been hiring for all of our other events bc of nepotism and he is a pretty good DJ for the cost.

One of the students knowing that we were going to be getting the same DJ brought one of his own CD's for the DJ to play for maybe a song or two. Here is the kicker, this is a Hispanic couple that wants to hear some music that they like to listen to instead of Lady Gaga for the millionth time. Upon seeing the genre of music the DJ says, "No one else is going to like your music except for you two." The man pleads with him to just play one short song but the DJ remains adamant that only music that a majority of people will like should be played.

This upsets the man who goes on to say that he has never felt this kind of racism in his life. I was wondering how people on the escapist feel. Was the man in the right or the DJ. Was the DJ doing this out of racism or was it maybe just his misconception as to what was best for the party.

Personally, I see where the DJ is coming from but I think its unjustified. In his place I would've played the one song and knowing this guy he and his wife would've been awesome on the dance floor.

Also, have you ever been in a situation where you thought someone was unfairly being labeled a racist. Or have you yourself faced racism?

Ehhh... I don't know if this is racist or not. He might just not like the kind of music your friend provided. As a white guy who likes reggaeton (a lot) I get shit from my wife and partner when I try to listen to it, unless they're drunk. It's not that they don't like Mexicans or Puerto Ricans or any other Latino race - they just don't like reggaeton.

Or, he could have been racist. I'd file this in my "not enough information to make a call" category.

 

[Zantos]

The DJ was showing a lot of prejudice but I don't think it counts as bona fide racism. He was employed to provide a popular mix of music to suit the majority of people at the party. Yeah he acted like a dick by not giving the benefit of the doubt but whilst, like others have said, he probably would have turned down a request for Slayer or Beethoven for the same reasons.

If he had said "none of these white guys wanna hear your hispanic shit", or denying the request without even looking at the cd/genre, then that'd definately count as racism.

It'd be a bit like some calling the BBC racist for not using a rap song as the 6 o'clock news broadcast... Although Bill Bailey would point out they use post apocalyptic rave music instead... Serious amounts of cookies being baked up for the guy who gets that reference...

Part Troll. I love it, but I preferred the love song.

OT: Not racist. If it had a good vibe going with what he was doing he wasn't going to ruin it for 2 people. It's hard enough to put a DJ set together into a nice square hole without someone demanding if you don't try and hammer in the triangle piece then they're going to accuse you of being geometry-ist. That analogy fell flat on it's face but the point still stands.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

that's not racist at all. A DJ is paid to go to a party and play music that the crowd will like/be able to tolerate. I wouldn't have put the CD on either, and I've got nothing against Hispanics.

 

[Jonluw]

Did the DJ say that noone would like the songs because they were Latino?
It doesn't seem like it from your story. It just seems like the couple had really bad taste.

 

[SkyrimOrBust]

I don't think so. He may have been but then again he was probably right for the other reason.

 

[Vykrel]

thats not really racist... in fact, he was probably right. the majority of people there probably wouldnt have enjoyed the music. hes payed to play what he believes the majority of the crowd will like, and he is a professional, so he probably knows what the majority would prefer.

imo, the husband is a bit racist. just because the DJ didnt play his favorite music, he decides to play the race card. im willing to bet that if the DJ was also Hispanic, he wouldnt have said anything

 

[jpoon]

Doesn't sound racist to me, probably just doesn't want to hear shitty music, even though the music he was DJ'ing sounds fucking horrible (anything by lady caca).

 

[Kadoodle]

It could swing either way. One would need to witness the situation to truly judge. Although I do think he could have been a mensch anyways and played a single song.

 

[Titan Buttons]

His job is to make sure that as many people as possible can dance to the music and he even said that the reason was that it wouldn't be popular, it's not racist he's just doing what he was hired to do

 

[dkyros]

Also, have you ever been in a situation where you thought someone was unfairly being labeled a racist. Or have you yourself faced racism?

I've been in both of those situations (including touring Australia with a part-Aboriginal punk band - fun times, and great way to learn about racism firsthand), but I've also been in a different, more relevant situation: I've been a club DJ.

People coming up to me and asking me to play "their music" happens all the time, and over 90% of the time it's stuff that the other people there aren't there for and won't want to listen to. Race has nothing to do with it, musical style does. I don't care how much I love you and your culture and your music, (just pulling an example out my ass here) Brazillian speed metal just isn't going to fit into my 80s industrial set, it will make people walk out the door. If it was a whole audience full of metalheads, yeah fine, but if not - hell no. As a DJ, you are paid to keep people happy and dancing/drinking/socialising/whatever, not to make them go somewhere else, so you play what that audience wants to hear. Maybe if it was 3am and the club was closing, I'd play a random song only one punter wants right at the end just to tell people it's time to leave now. Other than that - no, are you mad? Get that music out of here, I'm busy.

You bring up a lot of good points and this is what I believe the DJ was trying to do. I said I would play the song only bc I know the guy personally, but if your paid to give ppl a good time then your going to play a certain genre of music that most people enjoy.

On the first point, was it mostly people who came to your shows or was it actually the venues that you experienced discrimination from. Only reason I ask is bc I'm from the US so I don't really know how aboriginals or the torres straight islanders are treated (hope I spelt that right). Its shitty either way, just want to get a feel how bad it is for natives.

 

[Serving UpSmiles]

Nah he's just an asshole

 

[Uskis]

I generally feel like people should respect a DJ's set, but if he is the kind of bastard that plays lady gaga and has no artistic integrity, he should shut up and play what the people who pay him asks him to play. It's not necessarily racist what he did, if me and me friends who dress like punks came to a DJ like that and asked him to play some hardcore or oi!, or stuff like that, I guarantee the response is gonna be the same.

 

[ReaperzXIII]

Hell no this isn't racist, 1 bad song can ruin the entire vibe of party, I remember on a school trip last year in Spain everyone started dancing to a song then they switched it to some 5 year old head shoulders, knees and toes song and everyone was like WTF?!

As people have already said it is the DJs job to gauge the crowd and figure out a good playlist, I listen to rock sometimes but I don't think it is good dance music, instead for dancing I think reggae, soca etc... would be better so if everyone was dancing to reggae I wouldn't suddenly switch to rock because 1 or 2 people requested it.

If the the majority requested it and he still said no then he is an asshole

Please stop pulling the race card on everything otherwise when things really are racist I can't complain because of the desensitization

 

[kittii-chan 300]

this is not racist... not at all... if they think that is racism they dont really deserve to have their song played anyway...

also,

i was unfairly labeled racist because a little kid who happened to be mixed race was being a little brat and running around causing trouble for people so i told him to "stop being a monkey (comeon i cant just go around swearing at little kids)" and i got called racist in return

 

[BonsaiK]

I've been in both of those situations (including touring Australia with a part-Aboriginal punk band - fun times, and great way to learn about racism firsthand)

was it mostly people who came to your shows or was it actually the venues that you experienced discrimination from. Only reason I ask is bc I'm from the US so I don't really know how aboriginals or the torres straight islanders are treated (hope I spelt that right). Its shitty either way, just want to get a feel how bad it is for natives.

Actually it was neither. People at the shows and venues have both always been great (oh except that one time we were booked with a skinhead oi band, but that was still great in its own "glad we didn't get our asses kicked" way). It's other things. Like when you go to book the motel room, we got the sound engineer to do it because he was the only white guy with us (I can pass for white but it's funnier to get him to do it, and besides he's getting paid more than us so he's gotta earn his money somehow), otherwise they ask for huge deposits because they think we're gonna trash the rooms. Or the weird glare you get everywhere you go. Or getting stopped by the police constantly in Queensland because one of the guys in the band looks like an Aboriginal Bob Marley, so of course we must be drug dealers. Most extreme example - being told to "move on" in a food court - the crime? Playing chess at one of the tables (yes we had food too). If we were some 60 year old white guys I doubt that would have happened.