So I’m on a crowded bus this morning listening to my McCartney and Wings collection, and the guy opposite me asks me what I’m listening to so I tell him.
His response? “I tried listening to the Beatles, but it was too much like jungle music to me”. he didn’t lower his voice or look around to see if there was anyone around that might find his remark insensitive-he just loudly offered up his racist comment is if it were perfectly acceptable for public consumption.
Never mind racist— what the hell is he even talking about?
Exactly.
And how did the OP hear this non-sequitur of a question? If I’m on a bus/plane/etc I’m wearing earbuds in part so that people do not attempt to engage in small talk.
He motioned over to me and pointed at the earbuds I was wearing.
Fucking Neil Sedaka fans. One in every crowd.
I heard a lot of overt racist comments in the Army directed at blacks, whites, hispanics but most of it was good-natured ribbing. I live in the South I hear racist shit from strangers all the time.
So, he chose to ignore the fact that you were otherwise occupied and forced you to engage in small talk. You knew he was a dick before he opened his mouth.
I wouldn’t use the term jungle music to refer to the Beatles. Not sure I’d use those 2 in the same sentence. I can get close, though. The beetles made sweet music in the jungle. But (rhetorically) do beetles even make music?
And, using only the context of the OP, I’d not be so quick to call it racist. Are there other clues that gave you the vibe? What exactly IS jungle music (again rhetorically)?
[QUOTE=WikiP]
The terms “jungle” and “drum and bass” are often used interchangeably by the layman but this should not be the case. Jungle originated out of oldschool and in the late 1990s the term “drum and bass” was used in association with music that did not have the same emphasis on breakbeats and complex production.
[/QUOTE]
Until he spoke, he might also have been someone who was trying to tell me about an important announcement from the bus driver. Sometimes it pays to pull the buds out of your ears and listen to someone else, and sometimes it doesn’t.
I live in Southern Maryland where 90% of white people are racists and worse, they all assume if you are white that you are racist too. Right before the 2008 election, a friend of mine and I were at Hooter’s having some beers. We had been previously exposed to the kind of casual yet not-so-hidden racism of the surrounding area, so we asked the white waitress who she was going to vote for, thinking it would be funny to hear her say “Not Obama” in a non-racist way. But nope, she just came right out with “Well, I would never vote for a nigger, so not Obama” :eek:
I still feel bad for not notifying the manager then, but we were in such shock that we just paid and left.
Protip:
Unless you smell smoke, it’s generally better to ignore the passenger’s charades.
/Protip
You were in a Hooter’s in Southern Maryland. She might have gotten a promotion.
“Jungle music” is a slur on “Black music”. I’ve heard it all my life, and never realized that others may not have heard the term.
That specific example did float through my mind 
This reminds me of something I’ve noticed for a long time:
A racist white person assumes all white people are racists.
A sexist man assumes all men are racists.
An antisemitic gentile assumes all gentiles are antisemitic.
A homophobic straight person assumes all straight people are homophobic.
Etc.
I think it gives them an excuse for being what they are, in the sense of “Of course I’m a racist; it’s part of being white” or “Of course I’m homophobic; it’s part of being straight.” I think it behooves those of us who don’t fit this pattern to speak up and show them that hatred is not automatic, no matter what you are.
Oh, I know what you meant by the term. However, from only the clues presented in the OP, it’s a bit of a stretch to call dude’s comment racist. Playing devil’s advocate, I could paint this picture different ways before I pull out the *racist *crayon. 
In fact, using this part of the OP, “…he didn’t lower his voice or look around to see if there was anyone around that might find his remark insensitive.”, might lead me to believe that he didn’t intend to use it racistically.
I live in the South. I hear or see casual racism nearly every day.
Yesterday’s example was a conversation with a guy about why he never goes “downtown” anymore. It’s because there are too many large groups of black people and it’s not safe coming out of parking garages late at night. :rolleyes:
The manager was black, so I doubt it.
I get it, but… the Beatles? The Stones, maybe, but the Beatles? That’s too stupid to be offensive.
(Seriously: does anyone under 80 still think of rock as somehow being “black” music? It just seems so weird to me.)