Alltop.com

WHOAH this is an awesome video with Mr McFerrin. I know whom to send thise. thank you for sharing

Amazing video.

it's not the clothes you wear...it's the life you live and share...the video's the proof

Wouldn't it be great if that kind of "positive anticipation" in language and harmonious delivery, could be brought to the world tables of conference. :-)

Suits don't really matter. http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/what-happens-when-a-maestro-plays-the-subway/

While visiting the US in 2007, it became apparent to my wife and me that there *is* a racial problem between black and white (and maybe a lot of other colors as well) in the US.

Having been raised and lived in Germany for the longest part of our lives, we haven't experienced this at all and have not given it a lot of thought before.

We were set aback during out visit, experiencing various racist comments from white as well as black people. Of course there is no easy explanation, but what was apparent is, that people still think along the lines of one color being superior to the other etc.

We were also aware of how subtle this is communicated. Here half a sentence, there just a snide remark. Your post is an example for that.


"One black guy in tshirt and jeans smokes four white guys in suits."

Sounds as if usually white guys in a suit are smoking black guys in jeans, so it worth remarking about.

Why is it important that the one guy is black whereas the others are white?

Or is it a jeans vs. suit-matter? The one in jeans just happen to be black? Then why mention the skin color?

Who is "smoking" whom here? Doesn't that suggest that it's kind of a competition? Or rather: Doesn't it imply that there has been a competition that a person won where you hadn't expected it to be - thus "smoking" them? Wouldn't that imply that the "suits" are .. what? smug? self-assured? Or that they earned it?
And that black people usually *not* "smoke" white people and/or suits?

The clip shows nothing that would explain that somebody challenged the jeans (or the black guy) and it/he had to prove something?


"Don't ever be on a panel with Bobby McFerrin"

Why not? He seems like a very intelligent man. Nice. Funny.
What should I be afraid of? Or do I need to read the second sentence and then know that this is only if I'm white and/or wear a suit?



This is so wrong on so many levels. I am appalled that somebody with Guy Kawasakis background and experience is writing something as dumb and non-thinking as that. Yes, I'm still hoping this was just an accident.

It's these type of remarks that I can understand make people of another skin color angry, since it looks as if it's noteworthy that one of their color achieves something.

Maybe it's just my lack of proper understanding of your language. But then, how literate must one get not to be offended by this.

Yes, I'm "white" or caucasian, I think it's called...

@Edward Miller: dude... it's a J.O.K.E. please take into consideration the sum of : and - and ) at the end of the sentence... it adds up to :-) which, if you rotate 90º to the right forms a graphic that resembles a smiling face, which in turn, denotes some funniness, humor even, light spirit, towards the message it follows.

and please, do lighten up a bit. we're not in Kansas (nor Germany) anymore.

@Biansta he does ask a valid question. I wondered myself why race was even mentioned in the first place.

I for one, agree with Mr. Miller. We as Americans do need to drop the race descriptor from casual comments. It does tend to further stereotypes and promote an "us-against-them" competitive attitude. Perhaps Guy should have said, "One MUSICIAN in tshirt and jeans smokes four SCIENTISTS in suits."

fully agree with mr. miller as well, though am not offended by it. i recall saying, after tiger wood's first loss of a lead at a major on sunday that a small asian man just owned tiger woods, and while i was referencing the lack of success asians have had on the pga tour, and therefore the increased unlikeliness of the moment, that there was no need to introduce race into the comment; why not just 'a small unknown player'

Edward Miller is not the one who wrote the long post about the race issue, it was "Wolf." Mr. Miller merely posted the link about the WSJ article.

That said, I completely and wholeheartedly agree with "Wolf" and his comments. Bringing race into any discussion through a "joke" comment (as Bianista described it) is inappropriate and racist. Racism and bigotry isn't perpetuated by the obvious, but by the subtle and repetitive. I have been guilty of such remarks, the "half-sentence" or "snide remark" referred to by Mr. Wolf, and am ashamed of it.

As a proud Hawaiian and woman of color in our society I have experienced prejudice for both my skin color and my gender. Rarely is it obvious. Most often is is thinly concealed under the veil of "a joke" or closed-door opportunity.

Mr. Kawasaki is an authentic, genuine human being who I believe meant no harm with the title of his post. However, he erred in this case and I encourage people will use this as an example of what not to do.

Thanks Yvonne, you are correct, I was following up on the posting by Wolf, not Mr. Miller. My mistake.

The video gave me chills. The blog author leaves something to be desired. The comments make me sick. Here's this amazing demonstration of the universality of music as communication totally independent of any other demographic or geographic location, and everyone is caught up in the racial implication of the blogger. And every one of them having the nerve to ask why, or the total lack of self-actualization to realize they are in the very act of demonstrating why race is the least bit pertinent or relevant.

Wolf said...
"While visiting the US in 2007, it became apparent to my wife and me that there *is* a racial problem between black and white (and maybe a lot of other colors as well) in the US.

Having been raised and lived in Germany for the longest part of our lives, we haven't experienced this at all and have not given it a lot of thought before."

I have to disagree with your comment, Wolf. I lived in Germany (I'm an American), and while there, often listened to the local radio stations. In particular, during the daily one hour rap and R+B segment, the announcer would pop in every other song with the words "Black music, happy uhr einz!" Why not just call it rap, or r+b, especially in light of how many non-"black" people listen to this musical genre? For that matter, consider how many non-'black' person's are rap or r+b artists...I would certainly hope that you understand the bias in your own culture, before making a blanket statement regarding the culture of another country.

I will not dispute that America has very serious issues with racial bigotry. America also has issues with economic, social status, gender affiliation, and many other forms of bigotry. Instead of ignoring these faults in my country, I choose to acknowledge them, and then take action to change them.

Perhaps you could gain insight, accept reality, and do the same for Germany?