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BIG HATE GANG!
On May 5, 2000 pop music group Bloodhound Gang performs at the Univ. of Maryland despite student protest against the group for their offensive lyrics perpetuating racism, homophobia, sexism, and offense towards the disabled. Various campus and other groups such as the Asian Student Union, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Alliance, the Women's Circle, the Latino Student Union, the NAACP, the Jewish Student Union, and many others showed support for the cause. These groups led the support for the protest against the offensive music group and university administration for allowing them to perform on campus. The peaceful protest grew to as high as 200 students of all mixes of race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation.
May 24, 2000 also saw a protest against the BHG in San Francisco where they played at the Fillmore Nightclub. Mainly students from De Anza College as well as students from UC Berkeley scattered along Fillmore and Geary Streets to raise awareness of the BHG's racist messages. Organized by TAR, protestors were met with much support from various community organizations, gay/lesbian groups, independent media, and many neighborhood residents of the extremely diverse Fillmore district. The purpose of the demonstration was to educate fans about prejudice today. They asked fans to be critical when listening to such prejudice music. Some fans disgusted by the BHG's messages actually refunded their tickets.
The BHG's song "Yellow Fever" is a clear-cut representation of racism and sexism today. The lyrics are a perpetuation of the Asian female fetish and are filled with racial stereotype upon stereotype. Those unaware of Asian/Asian American racism may wonder what the big deal is. If this song had targeted the African American community using the same type of language, responses would be quite different. This song reinforces racism but towards an easier target, Asian Americans.
The music group also targets gays/lesbians and promotes ignorance towards them. In their music video, "The Bad Touch," it shows them beating two gay French men up. This not only condones gay bashing, but glorifies it. Their offensive lyrics and images may seem purely "humorous" to some, but their music continues the intolerance that is poisoning our society. "I just don't know how something like that could breed hate. It's all in good humor," says BHG member Jimmy Pop.
These kinds of messages are very influential to culture and especially to our youth. We know that pop-culture has a lot of influence on society and people's views. All this racism, hate, and intolerance is being capitalized at the expense of those who are affected by it. The BHG targets minorities such as ethnic groups, gays/lesbians, women, and the disabled. While these groups still continue to encounter ignorance and discrimination, they still hold strong in fighting against intolerance. Sure there is freedom of speech, and we have the freedom to voice our concern. But by being silent, we are condoning their messages as acceptable. We need to continue in educating the public and creating awareness of all the hate that we as humans encounter and will not stand for.
The Together Against Racism Organization
tarorg@yahoo.com
Online Petition: www.dragon5000.com
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