Why Are White People Obsessed w the Banjo ??

[@geraldhill7547]

I just started playing banjo but have been obsessed with it all my life. My great uncle played Little Brown Jug for me when I was knee high to a grasshopper. Poor Appalachian Scotch-Irish people have "appropriated" it for a couple hundred years and it is part of my cultural history as well. Interesting to hear your perspective. God bless.

[@CatherineSomerville]

Hi! I appreciate your videos and yes you are correct that the banjo is and will always be your BIRTHRIGHT- much like most of our contemporary artists owe it to the Black foremothers and forefathers of music! And now BEYONCÉ dominating the country music scene with the multi talented Rhiannon Giddens on banjo ! Slavery stole so much. Culture, language, lives. My ancestors were at one time shoulder to shoulder with the Blacks until the Irish “became” white. I see my Black brothers and sisters still trying to show the masses their lives matter and have value. Still trying to show us their masters of science, the arts, inventors, and the barriers that still exist! My neighbors, my loved ones. Still in 2024 - THIS is how far we have come? And what of the rest of the world? Chaos, slavery, sex trafficking, mass deception and all kinds of horror. Children climbing down hand dug tunnels to mine for cobalt. For our laptops, cellphones, and electric cars. Hey, it’s our world. There does remains a connection and great love that exists between the blacks and the Irish that can still be found: - tap dancing - Irish influence in the Carribean particularly in Montserrat. -AfroCelts -more Blacks, more dogs, more Irish. We also have some beautiful and talented Black Irish dancing champions. Keeping the spirit alive! Serious change does require furious dancing! We are stronger together! It’s the SPIRIT inside us! Music has a way of bringing people together to learn and KNOW! I totally agree - Time for a change with this long standing power structure. Based on the falsehood of this “super white” guy stuff these colonizers invented so long ago!! They even taught us to believe Jesus was white! Wait what??? A lot of pale kin do need an education. Truth. Re- education I should say. If I knew how to play the banjo I’d stand shoulder to shoulder with you - if you let me.

[@caseyhenry]

These are important questions to be asking. No easy or fast answers. Thank you for sharing this talk.

[@tristenredondo6546]

God, this just breaks my heart. I literally fell in love with playing the banjo and now I just found out I’m a piece of crap racist white person because of it. 😢

[@yam-fries]

i'm responding to a year old video, i know, but bear with me here! as someone who is of mixed (though very, very white passing) romani descent living in northern turtle island (canada), i was entirely unaware somehow of the history of the banjo or its contemporary usage amongst white people as a tool of oppression, and i'm glad i stumbled upon this video, and certainly hope you'll do more vids on this in the future (though i'll definitely try to do my own research)! this particular topic echoes a similar issue that rroma have faced throughout our history in europe of europeans taking our musical styles and tradition as their own, almost as if to flex that they can do it freely whereas we're only allowed to do it in certain contexts and venues (and only where the local europeans allow, or else we're thrown out, arrested or driven out of town). i also think the fascination with 'exotic' (to them) music in the us and canadian states generally comes from a lack of connection to their own cultures in europe, they have this void that needs to be filled that would normally be filled with their own traditional music. they had to give up a lot of their cultures to immigrate here in the first place so that they could maintain what socio-economic power they could, to be replaced with the culture of whiteness (a more concentrated form of nordic/anglo-saxon supremecy that pervades europe). they see other 'lesser' cultures enjoying their own music, and because they've been told from birth that they are of a higher nature than these 'lesser' cultures, they took/take what they like as if it's simply a fruit from a tree. its so ingrained in white america's general culture that it doesn't even occur to them that it's colonialism in action, even to this day. i'm definitely not as educated as i could be on this subject, but i love seeing others reclaim what has been taking from them and will definitely look forward to what the future will bring with this project in place! t'aven baxtale!

[@montedogfish2626]

I feel the same about blues

[@MakerBoyOldBoy]

Old white guy here with implicit biases awareness. I disagree with nothing said here. The only point I wish to make is the historic universal issue of human domination of other humans. No place in history is excepted from this strange biological drive. The patterns described here are historic ills of civilization. This is not to excuse behavior but an attempt to hope to rise above it. Other less compassionate groups view this as weakness to be violently exploited. Current domestic politics follow the same historic patterns. These information episodes are critical to maintain a balance. The banjo is an interesting example. The concept and origin is lost in the fog of history. Sound making using available materials is primal. I like the current renewal of historic gourd fretless string instruments. Play on, please.

[@JimmyAce77]

Please give me some names of black people that would love MY banjo! Since it's a crime to own one myself

[@OdaKa]

because it's loud, fast and it sounds awesome, same reason why anyone would be obsessed with it

[@babaaladeolamina4810]

🙏🏾🪕♥️🌹

[@Hisgracecase]

Another attempt to separate people by beating an old issue to death, when if you’d make an attempt to get along with your fellow man instead of trying to place blames and unrest; I could believe you were trying. Absolutely empty rhetoric…..

[@jasminepearls1047]

Why are white people so obsessed with trashing black american culture only to try to co-opt it years later and try to remove black Americans from our very own culture. Now white people try to make it seem like black people have no place in bluegrass when half of the instruments such as the mouthbow, banjo, jugs, diddleybow and washtub bass were instrument created by African americans.

[@Hisgracecase]

@@jasminepearls1047 Wow..!!.. You Have Summed Up The Racial Unrest In America Quite Well With Your Vitriol…. Surely You Have More To Be Concerned With Than Rudimentary Musical Instruments. And I Trash No One Of Any Color Or Standing…. Peace To You 💕