Reacting to "MOST HATED ARTISTS: Tom MacDonald..." by PunkRockMBA

Is Finn McKenty racist? Well, he certainly said some racist things in a recent video while attempting to guilt listeners of Tom MacDonald. In fact, the first sentence in the video is a blatantly racist remark about "rednecky girls." If we expect to live in a world without racism, this type of language absolutely needs to disappear. That goes for everyone.

I've never shared one of Finn's videos before. I do think that his work is semi informative, but I also get the feeling that he is a tad full of himself and wants to make himself in to some kind of scene celebrity. Just my own opinion, and you're absolutely welcome to call me judgemental for that. This is also a reason why I largely prefer to write articles instead of producing videos. I don't care to be a celebrity. I just want my voice to be heard.

In a recent video called "MOST HATED ARTISTS," Finn criticized rapper Tom MacDonald for writing music that preaches unity and speaks to a demographic that has largely been under fire in the media and culture for some time now. Minimizing Tom's entire career into a racist remark "I'm white, deal with it snowflake." It doesn't take two tenths of a brain-cell to explain where this kind of mentality is damaging and highly problematic. In fact, such a statement is outright racist in itself.

Finn openly admits that Tom is clearly connecting with a large group of people out there. Well Finn, I hate to break it to ya, but that large group of people out there buys in to his music because Tom is one of the few who are willing to go against the grain and speak for those on the persecuted side of the fence. Now wait a minute, I'm sure some of you are about to repeat some of the same "white privilege" garbage being spewed by spoiled people on social media and the liberal college professors who brain-washed them to hate themselves. "B... b... but Pop Punk Radio... aren't white people the privileged class and non-white people are the persecuted class?" Yes and no. 

Yes, there are clearly a lot of rich white cronies in powerful positions in the United States. But if you think that their little exclusive club for rich jerks is nothing BUT white people, or that every white person is also included in that club... you are dead wrong. Finn would foolishly have us believe that because Finn is a white guy who is "doing just fine" that means all white guys are doing just fine. Well Finn, I invite you to take a drive through San Francisco and tell all the white male homeless people lining the streets that they are privileged and doing "just fine." Go. Do it. Do it now. I'm waiting...

I hate to break it to ya, but a lot of those rich elite cronies want people like Finn foolishly using racism while hating on other common people because it keeps guys like Finn from focusing on the real issue... CLASSISM and ELITISM. Why should the elite's who control every aspect of our lives have anything to fear when guys like Finn are pointing the fingers at each other rather than up at them? All of us common folk, white, black, brown, and every color or shade that exists are oppressed by the ruling class. All of us literally are victims.

Tom's fans listen to him because his music is real. He goes against the grain and points out where society can improve. He overwhelmingly has a message of unity and brotherhood among all races. Why so much hate, Finn? I sure don't hear anyone hating on the guy except for yourself. I'm not saying hate for Tom doesn't exist outside of Finn's channel, but it's certainly my first exposure to it.

Just take a look through the comments section for Tom's video "Cancer." Tell me those are privileged people bonding over a common skin-color. Do it. Do it now. I'm waiting... Make sure you listen to the song while you are there. Oh wait, it's not people bonding over skin color... it's people bonding over a shared tragic experience. How do these people feel about Finn attempting to brush them all under the rug?

 

How can anyone hate this guy? Does a song about people battling cancer really come across as "whiny" to you, Finn? Did you really even ever listen to Tom's music or did you simply read titles from his more controversial videos and jump to a conclusion? Because it feels like the latter.

The first song that I ever heard from Tom was "Castles." A song with lyrics that go "everybody's got a story, if you look a little closer you can see it in the wrinkles on their face" The first time I heard the song, I was going through a rough time of my own. I end up watching the video on repeat for the better part of an hour. "We all travel different roads and we put on different clothes, underneath it we're really all the same."

What's wrong with a white artist making cries for unity among all colors? What's wrong with a white person saying "stop hating on me for my skin color and unite with me?" Ironic that the narrative has flipped. Now look, we all understand why some would feel justified in expressing hatred towards white people. Fucked up shit has indeed occurred in the past, but the generation of white people growing up today are not the one's guilty of perpetuating it. 

If one side feels justified in oppressing the other side, all it creates is bitterness and hatred. It creates a drive for the oppressed class to plot revenge, rather than both sides coming together to achieve a common goal. Somewhere along the line, both sides have to come together and agree that what occurred in the past was wrong and that both sides need to stop perpetuating the hatred.

Does Tom sing about white people's struggles? Yes. Does Tom sing about white superiority, absolutely not. So why does Finn throw so much racial hatred at the guy? Because hating on white people is popular and Finn wants to be popular. That's my opinion. I also find it highly hypocritical of Finn to continue creating slam videos when just a few weeks ago he released a video expressing that he wanted to focus more on making constructive content.

Tom goes against the grain. Everything a good rapper or punk is supposed to do. When he continues to do so in the face of people like Finn who want to contribute to the left wing's corporatized "white guilt" narrative, that makes him the punkest motherfucker of all.

I leave you with a message from the great narrator himself, Morgan Freeman:

(*edit) To answer my own question, do I think Finn McKenty is racist? It's impossible to make such a judgement based off of one video. I'm sure he's probably a decent guy at heart, and overall I do find his videos to be entertaining and semi-informative when he actually does research. Although if he missed the mark this far on Tom, it does raise questions about his assessments of other artists. Finn also does say some blatantly racist things in the video while getting Tom MacDonald all wrong.

We all have moments where we say abrasive things, we all have our opinions, and we are all allowed to speak our minds. Ultimately, Finn is an entertainer and he's allowed to create content that will get people watching, talking, and clicking. I am also a big fan of stand-up comedy and believe that comedians should be able to speak their minds and say controversial things in order to spur debate. But I do want to raise the question to speak my own mind and offer another perspective. That's just my opinion. Thank you for reading.