Punk band Slaves changes name to Soft Play | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site
news.com.auSubmitted by quitofilms t3_zkmrb7 in news
Submitted by quitofilms t3_zkmrb7 in news
>"When we called our band Slaves, it was intended solely as a reference to the grind of day to day life,” the two wrote in a post on their new official Instagram page."
That tracks
>"Someone once wrote on our Facebook wall, ‘Nobody but African-Americans have a right to use the word slaves.’"
That's BS
Like Egypt, Sparta, Mongals and many others didn’t happen.
Or Africans who were enslaved outside the US.
You mean “are”?
Slavery is still a huge problem in most of the world.
It’s worse than it’s ever been
I don't doubt you, but do you have a source?
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Depends on what you’re referencing Egypt about. The pyramid builders were actually well respected craftsman.
Edit: I’m sure I’m still going to get downvoted into oblivion, but it would be cool if people actually tried reading the many articles and research out there before you do.
Slavery occurred in civilizations including ancient Egypt, ancient China, the Akkadian Empire, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, ancient Israel,ancient Greece, ancient India, the Roman Empire, the Arab Islamic Caliphate and Sultanate, Nubia and the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas.
Slavery has occurred basically from the start of civilization to the current day. There’s even hidden slavery in the US, much of it still in the south picking tomatoes. There are some very interesting studies and articles on the subject.
That said, I specifically only mentioned the pyramids because they were proof positive built by experienced craftsman and tradesman that lived in large communities, well paid, with benefits most people wouldn’t have. Even sick days.
That’s another antisemitic dogwhistle, mi amigo. Yes, there were paid contractors involved in the architecture, but those paid contractors used slave labor to build. Denying the use of slave labor is erasure.
You’d be hard-pressed to find any monuments that don’t include a history of someone getting screwed out of a lot of money. See also: Gutzon Borglum’s Mount Rushmore.
No, they didn’t. There were entire communities of respected craftsman and tradesman. Archaeologists have definitive proof that they were not slaves. Try googling it, there is a LOT of easily accessible documentation.
It is erasure, it's definitely not antisemitic. No one beyond a very few extreme religious types believes that the Hebrews were actually enslaved in Egypt.
I was trying to emphasize that the dogwhistle is the antisemitic part. Hence the separation between the two sentences. The notion that “They got paid, quit complaining” is common rhetoric in hateful circles.
See also: The “40 Acres and a Mule” rhetoric that racists often use to shut down discussion of reparations for black Americans.
Racism is a hell of a drug, apparently.
They didn’t just get paid. They had amenities the general public didn’t have. They even got sick days. The only “evidence” that slaves built the pyramids is the same document that says the world flooded for a boat carrying two of every animal and the world is 6000 years old.
I don’t know if they were enslaved, though if were using my the same text that spawns creationism, I’d hardly hold my breath. That said, the pyramids were not built by slaves.
wait until they find out where the word slav comes from lmao. Absolute hogwash
OK I generally don't believe that woke stupidity truly exists and then they have to go and prove me wrong
I take it more as marketing than being Woke
Many venues and labels wouldn't want to deal with the social backlash of booking them
Would be a hard sell
Similar to just change the band name
That’s totally fine, I get it, but highlighting a ridiculous statement like “only African Americans are allowed to used slaves” when slavery has impacted numerous cultures and races recently is absolutely, mind boggingly stupid. Maybe even a little offensive considering Australia’s history with slavery was primarily involving Aboriginal people
But also they’ve pretty much disqualified from calling themselves punk if they are seriously concerned about commercial issues
It’s literally a comment from some random on Facebook. It only has as much weight as we grant to it.
As THEY granted to it is what I’m discussing. They highlighted it and changed their name, citing it. All I’m doing is calling them out
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They could sincerely decide that isn’t a name they want for themselves. I mean, if they sincerely didn’t want that name but kept being called “slaves” to appeal to people then that would also be about commercialism. I don’t get the impression this is about selling more records. But maybe you have more direct insight into the band than I do.
I also think that FB comment is ridiculous but if it moved them to change their name sincerely then I would think that is “punk”. I also doubt that comment was the only thing that convinced them to reflect and change. It’s just one they felt worth sharing.
But by highlighting a comment that says that only African-Americans can use the word slave, that’s erasure of the slavery the indigenous people of their home country endured. You don’t find that problematic?
As I said, I thought that particular highlight was stupid and agree with you there. My main point was about how I don’t think this was a change based on commercialism and the band retains whatever “punk” status exists. And now with your new reply you ask about something else, an idea that I had addressed above. And at this point they’ve both seemed to have reached their conclusion.
There was a band in my home town called free beer, that had to change their name, cause bars wouldn't hire them. Sometimes the names are just too clever for their own good.
I imagine it's why throbbing gristle isn't the household name it should be.
Wasn't that what Barenaked Ladies used to be called too? At least I'm pretty sure I've read that somewhere.
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…it’s literally everywhere…. What do you mean you don’t believe it exists?
It means he don’t want to believe it exists and thus believes it doesn’t exist
You don’t believe one person is stupid enough to write that?
But then a punk band highlighting it and changing their name over it?
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Welcome to the internet.
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Every group of people have been slaves at one point in history. Slavery was very common before the last 200 years, hells it’s not all that rare today.
Not gonna lie, I always felt weird telling people what I was blasting. They're pretty effing good, but yeah. I thought tropical fuckstorm, was a dumb name for a good band, but then I heard "one more day won't hurt", by Slaves. It was on repeat at work and the reaction of people who'd ask was hilarious.
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