Adam Falkner - The Whitest Thing

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Adam Falkner, performing at NPS 2014 in Oakland, CA.
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Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.
We seek to showcase the power and diversity of voices in our community. By encouraging and broadcasting the best and brightest performance poets of today, we hope to broaden poetry's audience, to expand its reach and develop a greater level of cultural appreciation for the art form.

[@shamidkpzd]

"An insatiable hunger to touch things that do not belong to you."

[@gwens5093]

What does belong to the caucasian people of the world? Now even the British Government is attacking colonialism. If we aren't allowed to be who we are then who are we?

[@lascreen3198]

It's interesting that the part of "black culture" whites tend to emulate most is the gangsta part. It's not like "white culture" is lacking in violence or degradation.

[@deseangibir4764]

LA Screen But that’s why they choose it. There is a savage element to some of them.

[@gwens5093]

The refinement of the mob is replaced by the rawness of the street gang.

[@melindaf2798]

I love this piece. So much quiet, simple raw truth. His voice isn't typical shouty slammer, and his gestures are so different too from usual poem videos. Also, he's very handsome - nothing to do with his performance of course but still lol!

[@jaytay7308]

I love this. I'm black and I really feel he is actually understanding one major portion of being black on a deeper level. But he knows he is privileged when it comes to this issue in terms of skin and power. I felt like it made me slightly emphasis with him cause it's the way society is and his cultural up bringing, wither it's spoken or unspoken. I like part about the freckle cause he whisper it as a message. You have to really be open to the idea of being in someone else's shoes. And I'm not saying that all cultures have it easier but as far as skin this is the sad truth. I wish he would have said more. It seemed like he wanted say more but this was the point.

[@tracykiddo4563]

I agree with your comment except I'm white. I think this poem was perfectly written to think deep about what white privilege is. is not often a white person tries to explain what white privilege is without looking stupid. he totally nailed it with this poem

[@lexjohnson1382]

+Jay Tay I have never heard this explained more eloquently. I believe admiring other peoples cultures is an amazing thing. Everyone coming together and learning each others histories of struggle and triumph, however that only gets us so far. Their will always be stero-types and privilege. But admiration of another persons culture is not a crime. I hope one day we can all come together and see that we are different, but also alike in many ways and that that is not wrong.

[@77Night77Shade77]

How is he privileged?

[@77Night77Shade77]

Monay Miles Already did. Now, listen, I have been black for as long as I can remember, but nowhere in the real world do any of the things he described actually apply and the ones that do are menial concerns. Must be because you're American, though, where you've probably grown up, that you take any of these things seriously. Unlike my parents from Somalia, who actually had to cross miles and miles of desert to get to Europe. Now that we live here, do you see ME complaining about white privilege? No you don't and that's because white privilege is a fantasy. Ever since I came here, I have felt very welcome and have never been treated unfairly or looked down upon due to my skin color.

[@77Night77Shade77]

Monay Miles When I first read this comment, I thought you were an idiot. Then, I decided to get someone else's opinion, so I read it to my mother and she even *said* that you are one, those were her exact words and if that's what my mother thinks of you, then there's no need to even ask my father, so there you have it. To give you a better understanding of my own opinion of you, however, let me also say that I don't often meet people as pathetic as you, who will be bothered by trivial bullshit like that. Not to mention all that race entitlement you give off, probably thinking that you are somehow special because people specifically say bad things about you, due to your skin color and that, therefore, it is society's job to make it so that it no longer happens. That is not true, because some kids get made fun of because they have big noses, too, so should we make laws that protects people with big noses, now? Even if we did, people can make fun of you for anything and since you're black, they're gonna use that against you. Why? Because they're assholes, of course, so screw them, you are never going to erase bad people from the world. Grow some balls and learn to stand above these silly things, they're really not worth getting all offended over. It is just like Morgan Freeman said, if you want to stop racism, stop talking about it, stop dividing everything because of race and stop seeing yourself as this pathetic victim that can't even handle having insults thrown at them. Spend just one week in Somalia and *then* see if you come back to your cushy little American home and keep complaining about everything and everyone you think is after you because you look different. I swear, I've always thought African Americans were probably the biggest wimps I have ever seen, it is unbelievable. Thank God other black people here are not like that, I think I could not put up with the constant complaining. Finally, I can only tell you that I myself am extremely proud to be what I was born as, so if I was in your position, not only would I be grateful that my parents *didn't* nearly starve to death just to be able to live a better life, but most of all, I would laugh right in the faces of any who would try to tell me that my skin color is some kind of deficiency in my life and if you can't do that then something is wrong with *you* and nobody else.

[@wellskrazy]

So calm yet so strong

[@chungleandthebims167]

I can relate. I have been told that I was the whitest black girl anybody knew. Even some teachers said it jokingly. It never hurt, but it got annoying. I obtained the name Oreo; black on the outside and white on the inside. But I justify that by saying I don't act as my race because no one does. They act as how they were raised. What they were around. I act like myself. Which just so happens to be justified as...white.

[@morganwilliams4689]

same. i even have a few white friends who are like... i’m blacker than you as a joke. But after a while it starts to get annoying and chip away at you. Literally it got to the point where every night Id get so mad i’d make this argument in my head planning to tell them off the next day at school. And i never did. And there were black people saying the same thing and that just hurts even more because we’re the same race ya know. Like i won’t go through the same stuff they will in life because i talk and act and wear certain things.

[@aaronbarnes8934]

@@morganwilliams4689 Also same. My black father was bi-racial: His own father black and his mother white. He never knew his father or grew up in black culture. He was raised white. My mother is also white. Therefore, my sister and I were also raised white. But unlike my sister, I am not light enough to pass for white. But I'm told, by both black and white people alike, that I am not black enough because of my hair, my skin tone, the way I speak, etc. I'm accused of being privileged, even though I experience racism just the same. It angers me because whites will tell racist jokes about black people to my face and then go "I forgot you were black" when I confront them, sometimes being told that I'm not like the "niggas" since I'm "one of the good ones". I feel isolated by both sides, the white and black communities since I don't belong in either. It is very lonely. Often times I feel whitewashed, like some part of me is missing because I don't have any scraps of my black heritage left. So, I tend to cling to my mother's heritage and culture of the poor southern whites she came from, but even then, I try not to remember that my great-great grandmother would've hid from me due to the color of my skin.

[@gwens5093]

When the Aboriginal community thinks one of their own is acting too white (getting an education and a job) they are called an apple.

[@Silas_MN]

As a white guy I *felt* that I understand this, but it actually took me about 3 times through the video to understand just what "this" was. This is one of the most personally identifiable pieces I've listened to and I don't know if that's good.

[@angelipineda3476]

Grant Hoggan It's not good or bad, you didn't choose your race or gender. What's good is that you're recognizing and questioning these things!

[@taylorjordan2700]

+Grant Hoggan what determines if whether its god or bad is what you do after you realized that you had a connection to what he was saying.. like my mom says, "if your not apart of the solution your apart of the problem." its just the simple step of being more aware of how you relate to people of different cultures.

[@hersailor]

---

[@hersailor]

llll

[@gino2221]

+Grant Hoggan It's wonderful...embrace it!

[@okcomputer1982]

Those born in black skin can not pick and choice which parts of its perception to have and not have. To be of another culture and take on whatever parts of black culture you think are cool is a luxury and a slap in the face. That is the whitest thing. It is only hard to understand if you can't imagine life outside of your own body being drastically different your own day to day. To be black and walk down the street, in particular if you are male, is to assume first that you can't be trusted, that you will and should be treated as violent, that you are too loud and extreme by vurtue of your birth and that everyone around you has the right to treat you as such. And to those that are not black that dismiss this as a fiction of the mind, I ask how could you possibly know? What scares you so much that there are ways of being and living in america that are just beyond your experience? Why is it so unreasonable to think that black people just might know more about what is it to live inside there own bodies then you? Shouts as always to Adam Falkner for this calm, inescapable piece. I love it so much and glad it is getting attention.

[@earthfairy.]

that was sooo well put.

[@filmon.]

***** Wow, you're comment made me nauseous. I'm poor because my parents don't have high paying jobs but work until they physically cannot move. I will go to college in September because I have worked 12 years of my life going to schools that I have always felt I "had no place being in" because of people that think like you. I have never blamed any of my "shortcomings" on racism, I use then to my advantage and try to succeed. You cannot be racist towards white people. Reverse racism isn’t real because we live in a culture that supports and enforces whiteness as the norm. Don't pretend you know anything about other races based solely on stereotypes. I hate when people tell me that I could get into any college only because I am black. As if everything I have been through in my life to combat stereotypes was for nothing. The University I will most likely attend has a student demographic of 73% white students and 1% black. If that's not privilege then I don't know what is. Please just make an attempt to be understanding of all people and I will do the same. Have a great life.

[@okcomputer1982]

***** It is possible, I'd think, to acknowledge pain you have not personally experience without it becoming "oppression olymipics" don't you think? Why must you take the fact else may be experiencing something you don't in american so personally? It's not about privilage or oppression sir. It's about empathy for you're follow citizens, something that clearly your own ego is clearly too big to allow yourself to feel.

[@sweetsaintly]

***** I am privileged because I am white, but I have had people rape me, hit me and call me white whore because I am white and at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't live in America, just trust me there is white racism (racism toward white people), however I agree society does enforce white culture as the norm and that is not right!

[@filmon.]

That's discrimination not racism but I understand your point. Racism is based more on a systemic oppression of one race. The white race is and has been considered the "superior" race in America so it doesn't really make sense that you could be racist towards whites. Regardless, stay safe. It's rough being a woman too.

[@MollyM2]

This poem is amazing and deep and intelligent and there are plenty of commenters more articulate than me who are telling you that. But I just want to tell you that I LOVE your performance style. It sets you apart, and it makes people pay attention, and you look so calm and dignified while delivering such an emotional and strong message. This is stunning. Thank you.

[@yolandajerome9561]

I still love this poem and I appreciate it even more now. The delivery was amazing too; he brought you in and made you feel. You're dope man.

[@JuliaWagner43]

The way this man speaks is perfect. His performance level is amazing.

[@kaitlin3287]

this summed up cultural appropriation

[@EvannB1]

in a nutshell lol

[@urliteshinemedia]

So you don't like the poem. We get it! You don't have to keep posting shit 10 comments down. You should really take up a sport or something to put your energy to better use guy.

[@morganwilliams4689]

Luka Hays That’s not the problem and that’s also not cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is not when another race or culture takes something... it’s when they take something that’s seen as ghetto or ratchet or that’s made fun of and make it cool for their race to do it. For example, twerking and colored hair. when black people wear colored hair or twerk they’re seen as ratchet or ghetto but when a white girl does it, she’s praised and make an idol.

[@84bonez]

I really enjoyed this poem. I couldn't feel it on a personal level but I understood what he was saying. Nice job sir.

[@CreepyCulture94]

I love this guy and I love his poem. I would love to see more of his work. My new favorite poet. :)

[@kendalhooper3302]

It makes me sad that more people didn't understand the message of this poem. Fabulously written, what an amazing poem. Thank you for this.

[@samgoldman1390]

I love this guys voice so much.

[@soul7touch]

The most beautiful way of expressing this truth that I’ve ever heard ..

[@ayumeutiaazevy6868]

This one is good, but, you should watch Crystal Valentine + Aaliyah Jihad "Hide Your Shea Butter". That's the bomb!

[@HannahCruickshank]

I can't wait to see what else this guy does. I like this

[@GrannyGamer1]

Definition of white privilege

[@taylorjordan2700]

+GrannyGamer1 white privilege is a systemic cultural reality. its not a personal attack on white people as a whole.White privilege is the interchangeable term for racial privilege, and refers only to race, not to other privileges a person may have been born into. the hardships of your own family and other people you know are not included in it. go to this website amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html and read this article (written by a white women) it explains it much better

[@ledzepgirl92]

this reminds me of several people tweeting white celebrities like Justin Bieber, Iggy Azealia and Miley Cyrus why they don't react to/comment/speak on ferguson and other incidents. The same people who have no problem taking aesthetics, cultural references and music that is deeply embedded in black history and culture, such as hip hop, and often do is in a manner that decontextualises its history, origin and meaning, are silent when the ugly parts of blackness appear, be it racial profiling, police brutality, etc. Trayvon martin was labelled a thug for having smoked marijuana and posing with hand signs on photos, but white kids like Bieber and countless who do the same are not villianised. If I, a white woman, was to be brutally murdered, NO ONE would look through my social media accounts to smear me after death and excuse my murder.

[@Greenday13ism]

Trayvon was 12. He wasn't smoking. They killed him in his home. White people love making shit up and claiming they're facts

[@christopherpetrie94]

Jennifer Sixx It's clear that you are mad, and rightfully so, but please don't call me a liar, I have never met you.

[@Greenday13ism]

right so because fox news claimed a 12 year old was smoking you believe it

[@christopherpetrie94]

Jennifer Sixx No, I must respectfully disagree. I am not expressing an opinion about that Trayvon Martin at all. I am just saying that in our anger over the situation, we need to take care not to become part of the problem. By saying that "white people love making shit up", you are calling me, a white person, a liar. You are saying this despite the fact that we probably agree about the horrible circumstances surrounding Trayvon Martin's death.

[@Greenday13ism]

You're white, you already are part of this problem

[@sayElectronica]

I'm always surprised how old poems can be uploaded on Button Poetry because at first I thought they only uploaded brand new poetry.

[@dehartfamily3091]

Perfectly put Adam. There is this weird tiptoe, all around. And the casualty is all of us. Let as many of us that can stand together, stand together. It's so short here on earth, our time.

[@JEEVY193]

Great poem, a side of the story so often neglected and one I've never heard before.

[@Megan20Marie]

he has a wonderful voice

[@juliadavis5347]

I could listen to his voice forever.

[@bubbybunny2655]

same

[@oneda10896]

"You used to look at that freckle on your left arm and imagine your whole body that color!" LMFAOOO

[@HamzaFarooqui21]

holllyyyy shiiiiitttttt, this guy killed it

[@WittyDroog]

The recent Rachael Dolezal story reminded me of this poem and I think it eloquently explains the problem.

[@vsykes1453]

I appreciate this right here.

[@husseinatetti-balogun1240]

Love you xxx

[@Nassit-Gnuoy]

Reminds me of Tucker Bryant's poem.

[@z3zy11]

Wow this is amazing

[@deseangibir4764]

Salute!!!!

[@cadewooten2460]

It's truly unfortunate how much I can relate to this

[@mystikoasis]

I love this, I really feel like its something that could get through to those more narrow minded people.

[@jessbohn1746]

His voice reminds me of Matthew McConaughey

[@rachelpalepale3345]

Not to mention how attractive he is...

[@SolomonGordonX]

The thirst right now. Take the river from your lips and let it quench your thirst.

[@rachelpalepale3345]

***** No, I was just making a side note unrelated to the poem.

[@christina4012]

Mmmmmm no not at all

[@andriadawn321]

I really just need to find this in a written format

[@asseater0077]

Wow I wasn't expecting this poem to be so good. I wish all these wangstas and eminem wannabes would realize the difference between us and them: they're black when they choose, we're black all the time

[@mayaeveileb8512]

asseater007 that's literally what the poem is about, how black people are always black, but he can choose his whiteness when he needs it

[@addy30961]

Okay Adam 👏🏿👏🏿

[@jademoonraven7840]

powerful

[@loyalkwame]

Nicely done, this may sound weird but elegant performance

[@AirIsntAyotuber]

I wanna see more of him

[@reembelal7286]

Lmfao, this poem brought tears of laughter..

[@TheJayla100]

these comments make me realize people will find anything to argue about

[@BLACKLOTUSBUTTERFLY7]

bravo

[@alist5983]

It's weird to be able to relate. Although I am a mixed women. Beautiful poem

[@MrMichaelLaw2011]

A list *Puts on Grammar Nazi helmet* *Woman *Takes off Grammar Nazi helmet*

[@JezdaGames]

Woah.

[@archeryangel]

please add captions

[@user-dz2zo5je1r]

i can relate to this so much this poem has depicted exactly how i feel to be one of the few white kids in my school

[@mikeya4988]

"You stay when you choose"

[@lostinmyheadx3671]

i understand why he felt the need to look black eventho he was the whitest kid around. up to age 13/14 (i became 16 today) i wished to wake up white. i am raised in a multicultural country but where i live there are mainly white people. up til age 11 i was never in class with a white person, so my schoolfriends where white. i knew they were pretty, so i figured they were pretty because they were white. i wished for straight blond hair and a white skin, amd it took me a long time to see thiss diverent. did this make me a wannabe? i guess it did. but in my defence, i had confinced myself that white was normal and my curly afro was ugly. the people around me didnt really help methink diverent by acting like i am an animal in a zoo, petting my hair, comparing it to fur and telling me my lips are giant. even the once that didn't tease me but were simply curius made me insecure. its the first time i can say i relate to this part of a poem.

[@lostinmyheadx3671]

or of a story in general , for that matter

[@macaly27]

okay WOW

[@shaunmilton8953]

(if you think there should be changes in the grammar with punctuation and other stuff just comment - enjoy). Adam Falkner - "The Whitest Thing" Owning your own white guilt is not cool yet. So you stuff the soft parts of other kids cultures into your pockets until you believe that it is not there at all. You are a matching sweat suit jukebox stocked with everything from ice cube to outcast. Entire albums memorized and coiled in the damp of your throat. They are gunfire into the air of a high school parking lot and that is as black as you think possible. And pulling blunt the size of Magic Markers into your small lungs before school is black and your dance routines are black; they call you Justin Timberlake. Your crossover is the blackest. Though you are the only white boy on the court they call you Steve Cur. You used to stare at a freckle on your left arm and imagine your whole body that color. How much easier it would be, in fact, to be you if that were the case. And until someone tells you otherwise that is black too. And it isn’t that you don’t know you’re white, right. I mean less white is all you’d really like to be. You are good parts about having white skin too even if you can’t see them yet. No one asks you where you came from or how you got here which is good because you could not answer anyhow you just appear with an insatiable hunger to touch things that do not belong to you. In a culture that fits like a bed sheet no one calls you carpetbagger tells you that you cannot place your favorite things about black people into a single bucket and just try them on and parade around years on the front lawn to feel better about what you cannot say. Until it is time to come in for dinner and so you do exactly that, you dip your toe in and out and you run when you must but you stay when you choose. And that, well, that is the whitest thing of all.

[@jayzee7467]

Am I the only one who found the title of this slam poem (seemingly unintentionally) ironic?

[@IsaRican810]

Don't get mad because this is a genuine question: where do you guys think the line between appreciating a culture and just "cherry picking cool things" is? In other words, is it possible for someone to appreciate and participate in other cultures with being a "Carpet-bagger"? Just curious to see what you guys think. :)

[@94ashleycox]

+Isa Quinones I think it's definitely possible to appreciate and participate without appropriating. If a person genuinely wants to learn and appreciate a part of a culture that's one thing. But if someone takes a part of a culture without attempting to understand its cultural significance, that's an issue. For example, people wearing Native American headdresses because they look cool, but failing to realize that the headdresses are an important cultural and religious symbol and are only worn by certain members of Native American society.

[@LoveSphire]

Of course it's absolutely possible. It's all about making sure the ENTIRE essence of the culture is captured and presented in respect instead of what so many people just think of as a trendy way to dress or a hilarious way to act.

[@morganwilliams4689]

It definitely is but certain things we as a society have to overcome before people appreciate each other’s cultures. The example i like to use is colored hair and twerking. If a black girl did this, it is considered to look ghetto and ratchet. but white girls are praised and treated like an idol if they dye their hair like neon and twerk. One person can’t change how society views this. Everyone has to.

[@vernon5560]

Nothing wrong with liking things that are"black" when you are white you should just do what you enjoy race shouldn't come into play. I put black in quotes bc there is nothing inherently black about smoking weed and basketball.

[@vsykes1453]

I certainly thought the same but maybe himself and other white people have had that ingrained as another stereotype of black people.....its nice to get an honest perspective tho.

[@XPXIXgXgXlXeXsX]

Just... Damn...

[@amoymyers2366]

In all my years a poem has never infuriated me this much..

[@amoymyers2366]

+Mayowa F he's not allowed to choose his favourite parts of black culture and appropriate it. he states that "its easier to be black"..what about those blacks who are targeted just for their skin color? killed and mauled arbitrarily? refused jobs and opportunities? is that easier too? I won't even continue

[@asdfqwerzxcv098]

+Amoy Myers I think you're making his point for him...

[@TheDrLynn]

+Amoy Myers I don't think he is speaking as himself but as a white kid trying to be stereo-typically black and how in the end no matter how much he immerses himself in "black culture " he can always go home while those who are black can't step in and out of our existence. Which means he can experience what he wants to and never deal with all the facets of being black.

[@imanibowman6468]

+Amoy Myers He is saying that's what white people think. This poem was about how most white people think it's cool or easy to be black because of our culture. He is stating that it's wrong for most white people to practice black culture. He's not saying it's easy. He is stating from a white person's point of view.

[@tharcilletuyisenge5446]

wow!!! I have to share this to all of my white friends.

[@stratdaddy]

I didn't 100% hate the poem But the comments... they said cancer isn't contagious............ they lied

[@KingDarius013.]

i'm sorry but i am so confused. could somebody explain what he was trying to say?

[@imanibowman6468]

He's basically saying, most white people like taking other people's cultures and practicing it themselves.

[@terlynnlucas8692]

I understood nothing his poem was about can someone interpret it ?

[@CarringtonJoy]

So it's like black people get the "good and bad" of being black and he's saying he doesn't really understand white privilege yet but he knows it's there because he can choose the "cool" parts of being black while not being treated like a black person

[@terlynnlucas8692]

ahhh, I see, thank you for explaining.

[@MrEWaKid]

I'm pretty much pure blooded Afrikaans. But because I'm white I can't be into African culture... That makes sense.

[@calleighjagers6218]

Omg same

[@petitereflexionfeminine9078]

can I say he is cute

[@maibaptiste6793]

I don't get it. Can someone explain please? Why is "choosing to stay" so "white"? What is the "choosing to stay" part referencing?

[@imanibowman6468]

It means choosing to keep someone else's culture.

[@morganwilliams4689]

imani bowman have you seen the poem imani

[@carree7942]

I like is accent

[@zolasullivan5479]

I liked this except the fact the fact that he doesn't acknowledge that black ppl have a lot to worry about that white ppl don't. Like when he was saying that it seems easier to be black

[@hagarfadali9229]

Zola Sullivan I have to disagree. The point is to show that sometimes one white person can be surrounded by black people, he would feel suffocated and would wish to be black, to fit in. I also think this poem is for white people, for a change.

[@stvlpirdfgbd]

hagar fadali i think he was pointing out the white privilege that white people have by trying to “act black” with certain things (basically stereotyping) & then being able to switch back up to white when it’s convenient- which is what some white people do. that’s why he says things like “dipping your toe in then out” “run when you must and stay when you choose” “with an insatiable hunger to touch things that do not belong to you” and wanting to be not white bc it would be easier to appropriate whatever the culture without having to feel some type of way abt it (& he says “& until someone tells you otherwise, that’s black too” which i think is a nod towards the ignorance white people have of what dangers black people can face everyday just for being black). there’s a lot more examples of him pointing out appropriation, it’s just a lot to write

[@blackheartphenom7179]

I do enjoy poetry but I just don't get this one

[@dennyalfro9832]

I REALLY WANT TO KISS YOU RIGHT NOW

[@FSDBARBIE]

white privilege woah he's woke