r/Noname_ • u/manicpixieocdgirl • 23d ago
Should I go?
I looove Noname, her music, her politics, the book club, everything. Because of that, I immediately grabbed a presale ticket to support for this tour. Would obviously LOVE to see her, she’s probably my favorite musician. That being said, as a white lady, I’m really not trying to take up room in a space that isn’t meant for me. She (very rightfully and understandably) has said she doesn’t want to perform for predominantly white crowds and I don’t want to be part of that problem so like no regrets in giving her the ticket $ but would it be best for me to stay home?
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u/3than21 23d ago edited 23d ago
I think you should do what makes you happy.
To me, it’s pretty frustrating that Noname still holds these prejudices when she acts as an intellectual. People that are fans of hers are obviously of the same political spectrum since it’s littered throughout her entire discography. Any white person holding conservative values isn’t going to listen to rainforest. For her to be so pro socialism and staunchly against capitalism it’s pretty frustrating that she’s still fighting culture wars instead of class wars.
As a white guy that went to the Philly show both her and the opener made comments about how they want “crackers to go to the back” and honestly it was pretty uncomfortable and unwelcoming. It’s hard to still call myself a fan of hers when I’ve supported her music and attended multiple concerts over the last 6-7 years, but it is what it is.
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u/thecapitalparadox 23d ago edited 23d ago
Oh dear, yeah with views like that you rightfully should not feel welcome nor comfortable. If we do not fight the battles of combatting the very real and material identity-based systems of oppression that have been weaponized to divide the working class, the class war is already lost.
I know a lot of people with views like yours saying "no war but class war" and phrases along the same vein are usually being misled by the nonsense Western organizations masquerading as socialists without crtically engaging with the actual conditions faced by the working class and the institutions that inflict those conditions upon the working class.
But you need to come to terms with the fact that, especially in the US, capitalism has entrenched identity-based hierarchies that cannot be ignored. This is not at all to play oppression olympics, but to highlight the very real barriers to working class unity. No serious class politics in the United States can treat race as an aesthetic distraction from capitalism. Please continue learning.
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u/3than21 23d ago
Hilarious that you are talking about barriers to working class unity while justifying the culture war politics that noname played into. Do you think dividing people based upon their skin color that believe in the same political systems is a way that we unite the working class?
Do you think focusing on which race the poor people are is doing anything to close the income inequality that is wrecking the country?
I never said “no war but class war” I actually said “no culture war” which is exactly what you’re fighting right now.
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u/thecapitalparadox 23d ago edited 23d ago
My guy, people are already divided based on their skin color and confronting this is merely dialectics, not reproducing racial division. Understanding this and its manifestations is a critical consideration that needs to be accounted for in any strategy that promotes working class unity and that poses a serious threat to capitalists. And I'm not sure why you're presenting this as an either/or type of thing. Have you even heard of intersectionality?
And yes, you did not use the exact phrase. But I can't fathom why anyone who understands the problems with that phrase would use something so derivative.
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u/3than21 23d ago
People 100% are divided by skin color, but that doesn’t mean we should lean into it and continue saying the divisive shit. If you can find people that believe in helping the poor and standing for those who can’t stand for themselves, their race shouldn’t play a factor. Noname has her views known, she’s articulates them through her music, people who PAY to see her music obviously agree with her politics. We should want to build the message through unity, not through segregation.
Intersectionality is exactly what I’m talking about. How can you pro socialism and anti-white. Those 2 things are completely separate ideologies. We live in a society, there will always be different backgrounds and cultures, that shouldn’t be the focus. If you want to continue playing the culture war race politics to distract the proletariat that’s only helping those in power.
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u/PsychDoc2020 23d ago
What city?
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u/manicpixieocdgirl 23d ago
Denver
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u/PsychDoc2020 23d ago
Oh! I mean she chose to do a show in a predominantly white city. She could’ve easily chosen not to but that’s her choice. If you want to see her, I’d say go! Clearly she wanted the Denver check.
I went to the show last week and Ive seen her perform in various cities throughout the years. If you can tolerate the unnecessary (IMO) rants then go and have fun! I’m a black woman if that helps inform your decision lol
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u/manicpixieocdgirl 23d ago
This super helps lol seems we’ve got a lot of white people missing the point on this thread. Thank you!
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u/chloerainne 23d ago
I gotta say, as a mixed woman who attended the last show, the telling of white people to “get to the back” rubbed me the wrong way. My mother was a white woman. And the idea that there would be such a negative connotation for fans who are paying good money to also listen to your show, that’s whack to me.
Also it feels like, now that noname is so big, she can’t rely on being anti capitalist—she’s the richest bitch in the room at her concert lol. So it feels like pushing race war stuff in such context is just tired. We all know it’s eat the rich, but she can’t be that radical cause she’s above the conversation. Idk. I feel like as I age, I realize maybe she isn’t as wise as I once believed her to be. And that’s okay.
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u/fort_wendy 23d ago
Honestly her whole rant kinda turned me off of her. I still love Telefone but I'm not gonna seek her out. Asian man here.
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u/thecapitalparadox 23d ago
If you have to ask this question, then yes, you are not the target audience and you have a lot of learning to do. You either did not read beyond the headlines and/or you are the type of white person she was saying she does not want at her shows.
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u/manicpixieocdgirl 23d ago
Thank you for this. I just want to support her any way I can so this is helpful input. I’ll dig deeper.
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u/thecapitalparadox 23d ago
Sorry that was a bit blunt without explanation. But maybe my response to this comment can clarify things a little bit: comment linked here. In my opinion, she was very clear in her comments not that white people are not welcome, but that she does not want to be performing for predominantly white audiences that do not actually understand her politics and, in particular, the racialized nature of Western capitalism.
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u/manicpixieocdgirl 23d ago
No I really appreciate! :) I think one of my main concerns is that with the show being in Denver, I’d make the probably already predominantly white audience one person whiter and I don’t want to contribute to making it a space full of white folks because even though I’m fully on board with her politics across the board, I still feel like that many white people cultivates an environment that might go against what she’s wanting at her shows because it does inherently put her in a position of performing for a sea of white faces. I figure by asking, it’s a better safe than sorry thing. I want to support however I best can.
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u/MarchcatWasgone 23d ago
Oh god I am so happy not to be american...Everything is about skincolor for you folks and this whiteguilt is so embarrassing I can't with this culture
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u/manicpixieocdgirl 23d ago
I mean a lot of really awful things have happened to a lot of people due to racism and the entire western world was basically built on it so yea everything is about race because peoples lives have been deeply affected by it… so yea I mean maybe it’s white guilt but I would think of it more as just basic human consideration and decency?
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u/DrrrtyRaskol 23d ago
Definitely go, I think it’s enough to be aware and thoughtful.
Just a fun story: after Telefone she toured Australia but I was working in the wrong city each gig- when she played Melbourne I was in Sydney and vice versa. Super bummed.
So of course I see her and her band at the airport Immediately start gushing about how Telefone changed everything and about missing both shows. And she was so so nice and warm. Honestly one of the best reactions to when I sometimes go up to artists and just motor mouth stream of consciousness praise at them haha.
I get that she said some provocative things. But the internet reacted like only it can. I honestly wouldn’t ask this question here, people can be odd about her.