Country artist Brad Paisley has released a ballad/apology song called “Accidental Racist,” featuring actor LL Cool J.
In it he claims that Southern whites really do mean well and are simply “caught between Southern pride and Southern blame.”
But MSNBC talk show host Toure writes in Time that the idea that racism is an “accident” is ‘insulting.’
“…the phrase conjured up an apology rooted on a disavowal of fault that made me cringe,” he writes.
goes on to admonish LL Cool J – who at one point shouts out “RIP Robert E. Lee” – for his participation in the duet and for his “egregious” lyrics, homing in on the lines: “If you don’t judge my doo rag I won’t judge your red flag and If you don’t judge my gold chains, I’ll forget the iron chain.â€
“Let bygones be bygones?” Toure writes. “Slavery is a formative event that led us to the current racial disparities in income inequality and incarceration trends. It’s not excuse-making to recognize the pervasive, continuing impact of slavery. It’s not necessary to speak of slavery every day. But it’s critical to never forget.”
Read more at Time