False Note?

The New York Times > Arts > Music > The Rap Against Rockism

Rockism isn't unrelated to older, more familiar prejudices - that's part of why it's so powerful, and so worth arguing about. The pop star, the disco diva, the lip-syncher, the "awesomely bad" hit maker: could it really be a coincidence that rockist complaints often pit straight white men against the rest of the world? Like the anti-disco backlash of 25 years ago, the current rockist consensus seems to reflect not just an idea of how music should be made but also an idea about who should be making it.

The Times' contention that a critique of singers who cannot sing or write songs has been coopted by a shrill minority with a racial agenda is a sad commentary on popular culture. Certainly, popular music is notorious for putting a white face on other people's musical traditions. However, is there not enough genuine talent across the board to disprove easily any assertion that the only people who can really sing are straight white males? Although the search for "authenticity" in popular music may be a chimera, surely this does not mean that we should fail to distinguish talent from its lack?

The Washington Post has an overview of the smoke and mirrors that surround the production of modern popular music. The Post points out that Simpson's performance should have come as no surprise; electronic enhancement has been around for years and is pervasive in the industry. Simpson just had the misfortune to get caught in a very public and embarrassing way.

Rockism defined.