Originally Posted by jjwales:
“Being anti-"murder music" is clearly not the same thing as being racist.”
It isn't but the methods you use to pursue it can be, as can the attitude that you represent and speak for a minority and ignore the criticism from within that group on the theory that you know best.
It's similar to the fact that criticism or even non-approval of Israel isn't anti-semitic BUT some use the issue to target and stigmatize all Jews. And that is anti-semitic.
PT's campaign against what he called "Jamaican murder music" crossed that line by quite a way:
Assumed an infantalised audience to the music as if black people couldn't distinguish between incitement to violence and lyrics about violence and played on that racial stereotype;
Told outright lies (there is no history of gay attacks after dancehall concerts in the UK, but he campaigned to get them banned on those grounds)
Ignored the complaints of black gay rights protesters about that issue knowing they would be ignored by the UK press and he wouldn't be (use of white privilege) and also of course the expanded that protest to venues that hosted black music, music awards, targeted a nation and made ridiculous accusations such as are Jamaicans the most homophobic people in the world that many people in the UK still subconsciously buy into.
All that is racist. There is a reason his stance against Eminem and the Pogues were laughed at an rejected on the grounds of free speech and his campaign against several black musicians wasn't. And he knew the reason was racism and encouraged that attitude in society in general and particularly amongst gay activists. And that is hardly conducive to helping gay black people either.