Riley Cooper’s Racial Rant An Embarrassment For Country Too
Yesterday, Philadephia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper was caught up in a public controversy when video surfaced of him saying, “I will jump that fence and fight every nig**r here!” at a June 8th Kenny Chesney concert held at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Cooper immediately took to Twitter to apologize for the incident, but not before it fueled a media storm with the racial epithet spreading like wildfire across the internet.
Implicated in the viral event was not just Riley Cooper, but Kenny Chesney, and country music. The video was originally posted by crossingbroad.com, but really blew up when big sports site Deadspin posted it, characterizing Cooper as a a “racist hillbilly at a Kenny Chesney concert.” With the story saturating the sports world—a world that doesn’t necessarily interface with country music on a regular basis—similar characterizations of country music fans as racist hillbillies have spread with it, becoming a subplot and discussion point about the incident.
It doesn’t help that this is the second time in 6 weeks that the personal behavior of country music fans and the NFL have interfaced. In late June, a Kenny Chesney concert at Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, became a cesspool of humanity, with 30 tons of trash left behind as litter in the parking lot, and 73 arrests made after multiple fights erupted. Local residents and football fans have since banded together to try and keep Kenny Chesney from returning to the stadium.
As Saving Country Music has written about at length in the past, the intrusion of a fighting culture into mainstream country music realm has spread an erosion of values that is translating into the personal actions of fans. Even before the Riley Cooper racist video surfaced, a separate story and video was already out there about him fighting in the parking lot beforehand. And before these Riley Cooper incidents or even the previous story of the Kenny Chesney concert at Heinz Field made national headlines, 68 people were arrested in Indiana earlier in the Kenny Chesney “No Shoes” tour for fighting and other infractions.
Meanwhile Kenny Chesney himself has deflected blame from himself for these incidents, even attacking Alco Parking in Pittsburgh for “publicly slandering his fans” over the incident, with the Steelers jumping on, concerned about their ability to promote any future concerts at the stadium. The Alco parking president responded by saying, “If the Steeler organization is waiting for an apology from me, I can only characterize my sentiments with a title to an old country-western song, ‘If the phone don’t ring, it’s me.’”
Kenny has since commented on Riley Cooper’s rant, saying:
I’m as shocked as anyone to see the video of Riley Cooper that’s started circulating on the internet. I don’t believe in discrimination in any form, and I think using language like that is not only unacceptable, it is hateful beyond words. To judge an entire audience by one loud mouth isn’t fair … not to the NFL, not to the city of Philadelphia and that awesome crowd, not to my band and crew and certainly not to me, who believes music is about bringing people together for friendship and forgetting about the things in life that bring you down.
In the end Riley Cooper’s actions, and the actions of Kenny Chesney fans at the respective concerts are their actions and there actions only, and don’t represent the actions of Kenny Chesney, country music fans, and certainly not the sentiments and actions of many independent and traditional country fans whose distaste for Chesney was firmly ensconced before his fans decided to start misrepresenting the behavior and values country music to the rest of the world.
But misrepresenting country fans is exactly what these continuing incidents are doing, with Riley Cooper simply being the latest example, and likely not the last.
August 1, 2013 @ 1:21 pm
Oh no somebody said nigger somewhere again, we must stop at nothing to hunt them down and make them knell before the diversity God and beg, even then we will not forgive.
It’s a word folks, yes it’s an insult aimed at a racial group but all in all just a word, please treat it as so, not the end of the world.
August 1, 2013 @ 1:55 pm
I dunno, I’m more of the opinion if you got that kinda hate, you should, in the words of Ricky Bobby, “Bury it down deep! And never bring it up again!”
Assholes are assholes.
August 1, 2013 @ 1:56 pm
Words are symbols, which have meaning. The full meaning can be determined by the context and, in this case, it is quite clear what was meant. Its not the “end of the world” of course, but it is more than “just a word.”
August 1, 2013 @ 2:31 pm
I agree. In this case, it was used against a black person in anger, and in a personal threat of physical harm. We can go back and forth about the incidental use of that word, but this is a case where the guy was acting out-of-order to begin with.
August 4, 2013 @ 8:43 pm
What Cooper did is obviously wrong.
However, if he had just yelled and threatened the security guard and didn’t use a racial slur, no one would care. In fact, if he punched the security guard in the face and didn’t use a racial slur, this incident would have been at the bottom of ESPN and no one would have heard about it.
A couple weeks ago, some black football player punched a guy to face and nearly killed him, http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/browns/2013/06/26/ausar-walcott-attempted-murder-punch-club/2459295/ and it is not nearly as big of a deal (If I put “ausar walcott” into google news, there are 112 results. “Riley cooper” gets 152,000)
Thus, to the media, saying a racial slur is than actually beating someone.
August 1, 2013 @ 2:35 pm
You’re right, indeed, Ronnie.
During the apex of the trial of the Pa abortionist who was killing late term babies he had just delivered in his “clinic”, the media focused its outrage at Paula Dean for admitting she said a racial slur 30 years ago.
Some kind of perspective.
It floors me that someone actually cares about this kind of thing.
I don’t care who says whatever about anything.
This really shouldn’t even be newsworthy, but I am sure the NFL will make this player do a very public mea culpa, go to sensitivity training, sing Kumbayah, do group hugs, etc.
August 1, 2013 @ 2:52 pm
This story was news and Riley Cooper getting in fights at the concert was being reported on by multiple outlets even before the video came out of him using the N-word. This is not only about him using that word, and representing it as such is just as misleading as saying that the Zimmerman trial was all about “stand your ground” laws when they never had anything to do with the trial.
Of course there are much more worthy stories of our attention. The reason I decided to write about it is because it fits in the context of the ongoing thread about the reduction of culture and values being perpetuated through the male side of country music. I think one of the symptoms of that is this unhealthy obsession with celebrity culture and media hype.
August 2, 2013 @ 6:22 am
I wasn’t faulting you for the post, Trig.
I was just expressing general n-word fatigue and the fact that the media likes to use its use to destroy people.
Selectively destroy people, that is, because General Electric/NBC gives its prize property Alec Baldwin complete amnesty whenever he calls a black person a “coon” or makes homophobic remarks.
The backstory, though, of fans leaving the place looking like Woodstock is pretty shameful to me.
August 1, 2013 @ 5:25 pm
As George Carlin said: “There is absolutely nothing wrong with the word ‘nigger’ in and of itself. It’s the racist asshole who’s using it that you ought to be concerned about.
August 1, 2013 @ 2:00 pm
I’ve got a feeling somebody is going to take a few late hits this year.
August 1, 2013 @ 2:23 pm
You know what I don’t get? Isn’t branding a huge part of commercial music? As an artist why not ask oneself what kind of fan base am I attracting? And actually I’m sure Kenny Chesney has a team with numbers & charts that does just that. This should send a huge message to him that he is attracting such a trashy (pun intended) classless crowd. Sounds like he needs to rebrand & stop making such stupid music. You know how many metal & “outlaw” country shows I’ve been to & I’ve never once seen a fight break out? Ridiculous. I also believe it’s morally wrong to litter.
August 1, 2013 @ 2:29 pm
Not a Big Kenny fan BUT because people choose to say and do ignorant things at his gigs ,in some places isn’t his fault. I’ve seen folks to ignorant and say ignorant things at gigs before, not often, only occasionally. This football player is not going to enjoy his locker room experience this season I am sure and like Iron Boss said late hits will be coming his way this season. He will be wishing he hadn’t said what he said shortly.
August 1, 2013 @ 2:34 pm
I will admit. I didn’t read the story, I just wanted to link it…but I am pretty sure whatever happened, it was Paula Dean’s fault.
Randomly Random Tiddy Bits
August 1, 2013 @ 3:01 pm
[…] This is ALL Paula Dean’s fault.  […]
August 1, 2013 @ 3:17 pm
i’d like to hear this clown say that shit at a M.O.P. or Onyx show,see how tough he really is. fuckin Kenny Chesney…gtfoh.
August 1, 2013 @ 4:13 pm
I agree Kenny Chesney fans are d bags… irregardless you’re saying he should be basically beat to a pulp or killed because he said a word that they themselves use like a fish drinks water? I bet if a black guy at a Kenny Chesney concert called a white person a named they were offended by, the black guy wouldn’t be murdered or beat to death by the crowd. Remember racism is a one way street, only whites are capable of it… this whole story is really a non issue.
August 1, 2013 @ 4:55 pm
“this whole story is really a non issue.”
I disagree.
As a country music fan, and someone who believes in trying to promote the genre and help guide it in a positive direction, big stories like this help perpetuate negative stereotypes about country music fans. It’s bad enough running a website called “Saving Country Music” that I already get lumped in with Kenny Chesney when it comes to the mindset of the majority of consumers. 99% of Americans have no idea who Leroy Virgil or Sturgill Simpson are. And these continuous stories from the Kenny Chesney tour (mind you, this is the fourth story, and the 2nd involving Riley Cooper) don’t help, they hurt.
I understand the whole use of the “n-word” thing can be a divisive subject, and honestly, I have no desire of getting into the middle of it, and that is why I avoided it in this article. Instead, this article is about how the behavior of some is hurting the public mindset about who country’s fans are. In my opinion, it is irrelevant whether the use of the N-word should be met with scorn or not. The fact is that it is, and this is making country fans look like a bunch of racist hayseeds who fight all the time and throw their shit on the ground carelessly. And that is why it is an issue. I want folks to know that many country fans find this unacceptable, whether it be Riley Cooper’s aggressive, angry rant aimed at a black guy, 30 tons of trash left in in Pittsburgh, or Kenny Chesney’s idiotic “little pink umbrella in my drink” music.
August 1, 2013 @ 6:34 pm
If your trying to stick up for all country music fans it just isn’t possible. Just like saying everyone in a trailer park is trash, or every black man is a thief and etc, etc with stereotypes.
Now Im with you 99% of the time when it comes to the posts and articles you post on here. And obviously you cant make everyone agree with you and neither can I or anyone else. We cant make everyone happy but I think a vast majority of people that visit this site regularly agree Chesney sucks ass and so do his fans. Because this guy has not a lick of real country music talent. Just remember though this video only starts when he goes on his “racist rant”. How convenient that the video only shows him when hes pissed off. So it really could be taken out of context. Who knows what happened to push him over the “edge”.
Either way Kenny Chesney is terrible, not country and needs his own genre along with the rest of “mainstream country. Im going back to my beer and Jim Reeves.
August 1, 2013 @ 8:24 pm
The context of the video was he wanted to get backstage to see Kenny, and a black security guard wouldn’t let him.
http://deadspin.com/riley-cooper-was-pissed-he-couldnt-go-backstage-at-ken-981432082
Also remember he has been in another altercation earlier that day.
http://www.crossingbroad.com/2013/06/did-you-see-riley-cooper-or-zac-rinaldo-fighting-at-the-kenny-chesney-concert.html
On a total side note, I believe these VIP / backstage perks that many artists are trying to use as a major revenue stream are killing music. This is another good example.
August 6, 2013 @ 5:44 am
I’m new to this site and am still trying to decide if I like it or not. I do like non mainstream country, my favorite being Lindi Ortega at the moment.
But, I also like some mainstream country including a couple of Kenny’s songs and don’t understand why that means as a fan that I “suck ass”.
That’s why there are different genres, different artists, different everything. “Mainstream” wouldn’t be mainstream if no one liked it.
August 4, 2013 @ 9:09 pm
I have not seen any scientific polling but I would bet the bank, that country music fans–and this includes fans of classic country, underground country, etc.– are more likely to have conservative views on racial issues, are more likely to support flying the confederate flag, and frankly are more likely to use the N-word. BFD.
The entire anti-racist crusade is part of a greater crusade against Southern Culture, and trying to pretend that Southerners are all politically correct isn’t going to appease them. Instead, we need to fight for a culture where people aren’t so politically correct. (and to clarify, you don’t need to be PC to condemn Cooper’s behavior, but turning it into a huge deal because he used the N-word, is a product of our PC culture)
Finally, while I hate Kenny Chesney, he has a stupid song about how a “Rebel yeller” needs to stop being “narrow minded and full of hate” and love black people. How in the hell is his music encouraging stereotypes of racist country singers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6JI8IZ9tII
August 1, 2013 @ 4:15 pm
I’m just sick and tired of all the media uproar whenever a white person makes a racist comment against anyone but when blacks or hispanics do the same thing the media tends to ignore it. The hypocrisy and double standard involved these days in painting us whiteys as racist and no one else is just unadulterated bullshit, so I just ignore it all.
It seems the “tailgating culture” that surrounds certain country artists these days attracts drunken, belligerent yahoos who like to fight, leave a lot of trash, and apparently say stupid things! Back in the early days of country music and up through the 1960’s drunken fights at honky tonks were commonplace (and probably still are in Texas and Oklahoma) until personal injury lawsuits became big business. If idiots want to fight, I say let them but leaving all of that trash is inexcusable! (lol)
August 1, 2013 @ 6:58 pm
Yawn. I saw that he was fined by the Eagles. Will the Eagles fine every black player that uses the word?
James Harrison, Ahmad Brooks, and dozens of other NFL players have beat their wives/girlfriends/baby mommas and were never fined, let alone suspended or cut by their teams. Pacman Jones has beaten numerous women, including one a few weeks ago, and he’s still in the NFL. Some Steeler player was high, smashed into a bunch of cars, and tried to run over a couple of cops last year. He is still on the team. Yet, Riley Cooper is forced to grovel at the altar of political correctness for using a word.
August 1, 2013 @ 7:45 pm
He should feel worse about having been at a Chesney show. All white people have used racist words. All black people have used racist words. Anyone claiming they haven’t is a liar. Those of us who admit we have aren’t necessarily racist hatemongers. This guy has no doubt spent more time with blacks than all of us white folk who want to break him down for a mistake.
August 1, 2013 @ 9:40 pm
I’m not defending anything but I’m not sure the N word was used in a racist way this time. I don’t see any African Americans in the stadium or parking lot and never do at any country shows, well maybe just one or a few at some. Were any behind that fence? What were they doing? Nothing? Anything to draw that response? I’m confused about the word myself after hearing Rachel Jeantel talk about it on Piers Morgan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jUTzivZNO8
Maybe Riley uses the word all the time around his teammates in the locker room? If not, NFL players might have it out for him now.
Oprah wants rappers and everyone to stop using it. That sounds like the best idea.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/07/31/oprah-you-cannot-be-my-friend-and-use-n-word/2604587/
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Jay-Z-on-the-N-word-Video
To me rappers using the N word in their songs is a much bigger problem than this Chesney thing and it’s another reason for country artists to avoid collaborating with any rapper that has used it.
Looks like they needed better security and more trash cans or a dumpster for that parking lot party or they should just ban tailgating for Kenny’s next show there. If radio played less drinking songs and more with variety and substance that might help and would better represent country music and fans.
August 1, 2013 @ 10:40 pm
Riley Cooper was using the N-word specifically to a black security guard who would not let him backstage.
http://deadspin.com/riley-cooper-was-pissed-he-couldnt-go-backstage-at-ken-981432082
August 3, 2013 @ 9:55 am
I’m with the Big O on that one. I was just wondering if anybody of note had ever proposed that EVERYBODY just stop using the goddamn word already!!!
August 4, 2013 @ 10:48 am
http://www.zimbio.com/Rev.+Jesse+Jackson/articles/25/N+Word+Rev+Jesse+Jackson+N+gger+Ressurection
He’s a bum though. If there isn’t any sort of hate or racism to drum up he wouldn’t have a job. What is his job again? Who pays him? But at least he said that blacks need to quit using it.
August 2, 2013 @ 4:58 am
I would like to see an article based on what country artists have the word in their songs as well as its context of use.
Off the top of my head
The Bottle Rockets – Idiots Revenge
Bob Dylan – Hurricane
David Allen Coe – If that ain’t Country
Etc…
August 2, 2013 @ 5:00 am
Wow, I just remembered
John Lennon – Woman are the Niggers of the World
August 2, 2013 @ 8:04 am
Dylan and the Bottle Rockets were using it to speak from a person’s mindset in the song. Maybe not right, but I can at least understand why. Coe, well, I just don’t know about him. It’s hard to tell whether his racist songs are a complete joke just meant to piss people off or if he actually means them.
August 2, 2013 @ 6:48 am
Let’s get enraged about every black person, hip hopper who use that word in their music and on a regular daily basis. Oh, and those who call white people crackas.
We need to get back to being “one nation under God” and get over ourselves and this pc BS and the those so-called leaders who race bait and divide us.
Rant for the day,
Thank you very much,
Karen has left the building.
August 3, 2013 @ 7:29 am
“Cracker” was not a term used to oppress white people, that’s the difference. Also, just wanna say religious oppression is no better. I think it should be “one nation under the people”.
August 2, 2013 @ 6:50 am
Everyone is making this into too big of an issue. I want to ask this, if an african american called a white security guard a “cracker” or “honkey” at a 50 cent or Lil Wayne show, would this be a major story? The answer is no. Reverse discrimination at its finest, and this story is just feeding it with the rest of the media. The way the media has treated this is no different than the Trayvon Martin case. A hispanic/white mixed man shoots a black guy in self defense and it makes headline news nationally. A group of african americans kidnap two white college kids in Knoxville, rape them, abuse them, brutally kill the guy in front of his girlfriend and set him on fire, then rape the girl for days and leave her for dead and it only makes local news. I’m sick of the reverse discrimination. I honestly think this write up is complete bull shit and is not an embarrasment for country, only an embarrasment to the guy who used the word. You’ll never see african american’s speak of embarrasment for using ghetto slang, that same word, and multiple sexual comments, specifically about white women in their music. When has rap fans or artists ever apologized for this? ONE intoxicated white male at a damn Kenny Chesney concert slips up and says this ignorant world and everyone is ready to stone him. White people and “country” in general need to grow some balls and stop feeding this reverse discrimination. Just my two cent.
August 2, 2013 @ 8:37 am
Yes, it is a double standard that black people can freely use the N-word in public and white people can’t. I was making this point in Jr. High school over 20 years ago. At this point, that goes without saying, and is redundant. And to raise that point in this context, when this article really doesn’t deal with the N-word subject but the way country music is being perceived by the actions of some people over now multiple Kenny Chesney concerts, and not taking into account that the word was used in anger, against a black guy, in a threat of personal harm, only goes against my argument, and makes it look like the stereotypes of country fans probably have merit.
Honkey and the N-word are not apples and apples, and we all know why. And neither is two black dudes saying that word amongst each other, and a pissed of white guy threatening a black guy with it. Whether that is fair or not doesn’t even matter. Hell, I’ll even give you that it’s not fair. But that still doesn’t erase the fact that it is making thousands, maybe millions of NFL fans look down their noses at country fans as racists.
August 2, 2013 @ 3:21 pm
its no double standard country music fans are racist they find it hard to hide that HATE I think its in their consciousness to hate black people they mainly hide it to protect assests and money as a real blackman commenting i’d like to say send us back to west coast of Africa where you got us I know alot of blackmen will take that deal you don’t want or need us here FYI WE DON’T WANT TO BE HERE SEND US BACK
August 4, 2013 @ 5:44 am
I think anyone who brands all country music fans as racists because of this isolated incident didn’t hold country music or its fans in high regard in the first place. I, for one, don’t care what people like that think.
August 2, 2013 @ 7:09 am
Wow, the amount of posts who see this as “no big deal” speaks volumes. Could it be that the stereotype about MANY country fans being racist hillbillies is correct after all?
August 2, 2013 @ 8:08 am
Why? Because some people refuse to think as they are instructed to think by the media, popular culture, the government, etc. and don’t care about being shamed by these entities?
At a point in time where NFL players are running amok, beating women, dealing drugs, murdering multiple people (allegedly,) racking up dozens of DUI’s, trying to kill cops, having dozens of kids out of wedlock and refusing to support them, murdering their girlfriends, etc., the powers that be dictate that a word that some drunk jackass uses is a big deal. So, yes. It is no big deal.
Its also very telling that the NFL is being used in the new Obamacare push and that any of the players who have spoken out against homosexuals, or so called “gay marriage” have also been publicly shamed and forced to apologize. For what, I don’t know.
August 2, 2013 @ 1:11 pm
Word.
The NFL is good to watch after NASCAR racing’s season is over, but only as a 15 – 20 minute prelude to a nap.
There is little the NFL can do to sully its image.
I simply can’t get behind a sport which presents a largely thug image.
August 2, 2013 @ 8:28 am
It’s because many of these people aren’t even reading the story I posted, they’re simply coming here to give their pre-formulated arguments about the use of the N-word that they’ve been spouting since Jr. High, and are not even taking a second to understand that this was said to a black person in anger in the midst of a personal threat of injury. That is a much different context than two black dudes talking amongst each other. And even after clarifying this in multiple comments, people are still doing this, and yes, they are probably hurting their own cases.
August 2, 2013 @ 10:44 am
Jim, I guess you’ve never been drunk and pissed off then said something meant soley to anger the guy or girl you were angry with? Probably never told anyone in anger you wanted them dead either. You are a hypocrite. Everyone mad about this is also a hypocrite.
August 3, 2013 @ 3:43 pm
Shade, sorry to disappoint you, but I’ve never been drunk and done that. Explain to me how this makes me a hypocrite? Btw, what people say when they’re drunk often conveys their true feelings. So if a person makes racist comments while drunk, then they likely have racist tendencies.
August 3, 2013 @ 4:52 pm
You have never tried to get under someone’s skin that you were pissed off at? You have never told someone you wished them harm or that they were dead? Either of those digs would be worse than simple name calling. Whether you admit to it or not you have done these things. We all have. Maybe you weren’t drunk, but you still have said regrettable things. I know this because you are human. Not saying Cooper shouldn’t apologize but once he did everyone should look in the mirror, accept the apology and move on.
August 2, 2013 @ 7:13 am
I was wondering if you would write something about this incident and congratulate you for taking it on. It is sad that many people say and do a lot of hateful things without thinking about the impact of their words and actions. And what is continually troubling to me are the kind of replies here that are tolerant and often supportive of those hateful words and actions. In the past I have read many of the anti country-rap replies are down right racist in tone and other times I read homophobic terms applied to male pop country artists.
In consideration of the use of the word nigger by anyone I think Richard Pryor’s late in life perspective is quite illuminating. Here’s a section from a NY Times article about it…
After touring Kenya’s national museum, Pryor sat in a hotel lobby full of what he described as “gorgeous black people, like everyplace else we’d been. The only people you saw were black. At the hotel, on television, in stores, on the street, in the newspapers, at restaurants, running the government, on advertisements. Everywhere.”
That caused Pryor to say: “Jennifer. You know what? There are no niggers here. … The people here, they still have their self-respect, their pride.”
In “Pryor Convictions,” Pryor said that he left Africa “regretting ever having uttered the word ‘nigger’ on a stage or off it. It was a wretched word. Its connotations weren’t funny, even when people laughed.
“To this day I wish I’d never said the word. I felt its lameness. It was misunderstood by people. They didn’t get what I was talking about. Neither did I. … So I vowed never to say it again.”
…I don’t care what your color is or what your gender is or what your sexual preferences are we should all be self-assured and proud enough to allow others to be self-assured and proud enough to live in a world were they and we are not referred to as a nigger or a bitch or a faggot. We are all better than that if we choose to be.
August 2, 2013 @ 8:13 am
No no, Fox News fans. We hear ya!
August 2, 2013 @ 8:45 am
Didn’t South Park do an episode about this?
I’ve used the b-word – and my daughter was born and I wish I hadn’t.
I’ve used the f-word – and then my friends have come out and I wish I hadn’t.
My point being, you can’t destroy someone’s life because they have been an idiot in the past. You can only help them not be an idiot in the future.
August 2, 2013 @ 9:14 am
Wow. I’ve watched that damn snippet several times now and you can tell by the look on the guy’s face almost immediately after he said it, that he knew he just put himself in deep shit. After the tired Zimmerman story, the ongoing crucifixion of that cook, and the earlier controversy this year over that one filmmaker who Spike Lee claims is “obsessed” with that word (hilarious in and of itself), anyone who ever had a racist thought should be lashing themselves at this very moment. Anyway, no more incoherent rambling. I just wish that more people would read “The Redneck Manifesto”.
August 2, 2013 @ 9:41 am
As a black man who has loved country music for over forty years the feedback I always get from friends and family, white and black, is that country music is a racist genre. I defend country music with a pride so strong that people think I am a radical about. I am. Few things on earth have brought so much to my life as country music. I am married to it.
That said Cooper is just revealing himself when he uses the word” nigger”, as are all those rappers and other black people who think they are taking back a word that was never their word to began with. That word is a racist slur made to attack, belittle, and hurt the person it is aimed at. Only an idiot would not see how the history of that word has insulted and demeaned the very truth of who we are as Americans.
As for the beach boy singer, he probably has no concern, regret, or regard for how his concerts impact the rest of the public. No matter what statement he releases, his music is still about being young,careless, and drunk. If some of his fans hate black people, trash his concerts, start fights, as long as he is making millions off of their behavior he can deflect any harsh words directed toward him. I do hold him, and his brothers in country, who sell a shallow image of the good life and then expect their fans to behavior like nuns responsible. Getting drunk, acting ugly, and being stupid is not what country music stands for. But it is harder and harder to defend that idea thanks to the forty-three year old teenager standing there singing about getting drunk and letting the good times roll.
August 2, 2013 @ 11:09 am
this is a total indictment of country music your mouth speaks peace but you always attack specifically black men I was starting to like country music I liked the stories and well written songs even blue-grass I was a big Kelly Clarkson fan but no more i’m am done I see country music has no respect for black men and never will that’s why hiphop will always reign supreme cause they invite all cultures make them feel safe liked and even loved and respected country music has never did that you always have 1 token negro darius rucker who isn’t gonna say nothing about what’s goin on in the world I heard the satan runs country music from Nashville you two deserve each other
August 2, 2013 @ 11:32 am
Here’s my humble take. First, It IS an embarrassment to country music as Trigger suggests. Why? Because when I’m asked what kind of music I like, and I reply “Country Music,” 99% of people immediately think Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift. Brethren, we’re lumped in with those folks whether we like it or not. The fact that they’ve stolen, raped and pillaged the name of the music we love is not up for debate. That’s a fact. So we’re forced to immediately either defend contemporary country radio (which is almost impossible) or try to separate ourselves. With either option, we have to address assclown behavior like the Chesney fans who fight and trash the facility. Which is also almost impossible.
Second, the post above makes a great point about the cultural inconsistency we’ve adopted with respect the word, “nigger.” I would refer to it as the “N-word,” but I have a strong hatred for political correctness. That being said, I do not believe in using hateful terms for people and judging people strictly by their color (or any other arbitrary criterion). However, the cultural backlash against the use of this word is absolutely laughable. It is almost impossible for one to recover his/her career or livelihood after it becomes public that he/she has uttered the word nigger (see Paula Deen). The whole time the media and everyone else who has ever uttered this word at least once in their lives somehow has the balls to condemn someone else for the same behavior. If the word is so hurtful and offensive, black people and everyone else should banish it from existence. Refuse to utter it. Yet it is heard with such frequency in black culture (locker rooms, rap songs, etc.) that it has become part of the vernacular. I agree, Trigger, it is unfair. But I would go a step further and say that, if indeed this word is so offensive to destroy lives and careers if uttered by the “wrong” race, then it should be buried completely instead of perpetuated. Further, the NFL is full of players who commit repeated reprehensible behavior (crimes, rape, etc.) who have not been condemned as much as Riley Cooper has for this one act. I dare say that the media has not even condemned Aaron Hernandez as much for pretty clear evidence of murder than it has for Riley Cooper uttering a drunken racial slur (although there’s been more media coverage for Hernandez, I haven’t seen the same condemnation). That’s alarming.
August 2, 2013 @ 2:25 pm
I am a Kenny Chesney fan, have been since the beginning. My mom and I have attended his show every summer for about 12 years now, I have all his records and all that jazz; I’m a BIG fan. I openly acknowledge that his music has changed over the years in such a way that I don’t pretend it’s country, mainstream country, maybe. But, I don’t believe it to be that in my own collection of music. When I want to hear country music I put on Waylon, The Damn Quails, Randy Rogers Band, Merle, Hank3, etc. I listen to Kenny when I want to hear Kenny or when I go to the beach or when I’m hanging out with my mom.
I’ll tell you that over the years the crowds & atmosphere at his shows have gotten progressively worse. So much so that for the last couple of years I’ve almost wanted to skip it. I have attributed this to alcohol consumption, his opening acts, and definitely the lifestyle being “sold” to the fans. The crowds have changed from the early days. I see a lot of people stumbling around drunk out of their minds when I’ve just walked into the venue–tailgating is to blame here. This idea that gathering in the parking lot for hours before the show and eating and drinking is heavily encouraged by Kenny Chesney & his people. It’s celebrated as part of his concert experience. My mother and I have never been drinkers and have a distaste for belligerent, drunk people. We’ve never participated in the tailgating mess, but one can simply imagine exactly what goes down. Recently we’ve experienced fans in our vicinity spilling drinks on us, leaning all over us cause they can’t stand on their own feet anymore they’re so drunk, vomiting fans, fans falling (literally, falling) down rows of seats, and so on. It’s enough to make you swear off concerts for life; for me at least.
I also think his choice in opening acts alters the crowd because you attract the fans of those artists. His most recent choice in Eric Church led to my mom and I deciding to not attend his actual show this year. Instead I saw him at the Houston Rodeo where it was just him; no big show, no other acts, no craziness. I’ve seen artists like Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, etc. open for him in earlier years and the crowds were reflective of those types of acts. They’re not rowdy, outlaw wannabes.
I agree with what you’re saying, Trigg, in regards to how the culture surrounding mainstream country music is affecting how country music fans are perceived. I myself have looked around and thought, “man, these fans are just a bunch of drunk, ignorant idiots”. I want no association with that kind of fan. So, yeah I answer, “I listen to country, but not THAT kind of country. I steer clear of the radio.”
August 2, 2013 @ 3:40 pm
child please!!! there is only 1 kind of country music and that’s WHITE POWER ALL HAIL HITLER MOST COUNTRY MUSIC FANS ARE JUST 2 FACED THEY HIDE THAT HATE BEHIND A NICE SMILE AND TALK DOWN ABOUT BLACKS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS YOU OBVIOUSLY STEER CLEAR OF THE TRUTH AS WELL
August 2, 2013 @ 8:37 pm
Not sure why you felt the need to reply to my post with that ignorant comment, cloc. Let me clarify a few things for you.
1. I’m not a child, don’t refer to me as such.
2. I’m Hispanic. Not quite in-line with your “white power” misconception of country music fans.
3. If you think there’s only one kind of country music, you unwittingly reveal that you know nothing of the genre. (And I get what you were trying to say with your “only 1 kind of country music” statement. But, really that’s just false all around.)
September 14, 2020 @ 2:40 pm
i apologize for that comment i posted (as cloc)sorry from the depths of my heart i shouldn’t have posted that i didnt mean anything my heart wasn’t right back then i dont apologize to country music tho i know what goes on behind the scenes i stand by my indictment of country music as racist towards native american african all indigeneous peoples as a black man half native we live that hate everyday 365 i should have said it kinder or just said nothing at all
August 2, 2013 @ 5:25 pm
As someone who is southern but has lived in a non-country-New England for a few years, it’s difficult to explain how deeply intertwined the concepts of “country music fan” and “ignorant racist” are. I believe that part of this perception can be problematized by the way people from certain geographic areas with particular political views create ill-informed conceptions about those they conceive as others.
However premature these judgements may be, there is still legitimacy to the “racist country fan” stereotype. Racism exists among fans of all genres, I’m sure, but country music is different due to a predominantly white fan base directing anger and violence toward minorities.
Yes, lateral violence (minority on minority) is bad and we see it in rap music constantly. But there is a completely different power dynamic at play there that is devoid of white privilege. When people come here and say that the use of the n-word isn’t a big deal because black people use it all the time, it completely misses the point. This kind of behavior only perpetuates the stereotype that the country music scene is not a welcoming place for minorities.
People try to make the argument that hick-hop is acceptable on country radio because country music evolves. Well, the social dynamics of the genre need to progress, too. This is about basic human decency and, you know, not continuing to degrade others (or yourself or country music fans as a whole, for that matter).
August 2, 2013 @ 5:27 pm
*a non-country-listening New England, that is
August 2, 2013 @ 7:43 pm
I wonder if Riley also listens to other genres besides country?
This Waylon song is anti-racist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YYzIWTE1L4
Here’s some idiot using Waylon and others to “illustrate how racism has been around country music for decades”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jxk0tKHeaM
What’s the point in bringing up songs made decades ago by a few older generation artists as examples of racism? I’ve never even heard some of those songs and some aren’t racist. I’ve never thought of Indian Outlaw as racist, just a great song about the life of Indians. Brad Paisley performed Welcome to the Future for Obama and it’s not racist it’s the opposite. Apparently this idiot doesn’t know country songs are about real life. If he listened to the lyrics in Welcome to the Future they say racism is the past and this is the now. He should make video showing all the recent rap songs that use the N word and keep it going.
August 3, 2013 @ 7:32 am
In response to the article itself… I don’t care what someone who doesn’t know me thinks of me. That seems to be the root of racism in the first place. Ironic that so many who hate the idea of preconceived notions and judgements hold others accountable for the actions of a few. My hope is that this cools down and Cooper is given a chance to redeem himself. To not forgive someone for name-calling when they are angry is just absurd to me. I wouldn’t be married if my wife and I used those standards. And I don’t feel we should say how far over the line someone can go when angry. I have cursed out God himself when really pissed. Pretty sure he forgave me. Sticks and stones people…ibleal the
August 3, 2013 @ 7:35 am
Recaptcha response doesnt work in comment section, i guess.
February 21, 2024 @ 2:03 pm
Where IS ol’ Riles in 2024 ?
February 21, 2024 @ 2:04 pm
He may attend a Beyonce concert.