Cultural Appropriation

[TheRealJoeFish]

Because they haven't been. 

Except we have. Name a few prominent black people in the rock scene today… go on…I'm waiting…

I'm about as inclined as anyone to believe that a general lack of representation of a particular group in something often represents something institutional (for instance, the lack of black actors nominated for Oscars; I've gotten into more than one argument trying to explain to someone why it is, indeed, a problem). But I'm just not sure that I can accept the claim that black people have been "pushed out of" rock music without more evidence than a lack of prominent black rock musicians. I guess, first of all, what even is "rock" any more? Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas... I think of them in a broad rock/alternative/rap category in which I place pretty much all of the music I listen to.

I do get what you're saying. I mean... The lineup of bands a typical radio station might play - RHCP, Coldplay, Aerosmith, U2... - it's all white dudes. I just don't know enough about the workings of the music industry to explain why that is. I would have to imagine that a big part is probably access to instrumental instruction, which, as schools continue to cut music programs, becomes increasingly available only to the wealthy. Maybe I'm just squabbling over terminology, over, say, "pushed out" vs "denied entry into".