These days, in great part because of the internets, pretty much nearly everything can offend someone somewhere. In fact, if one doesn't occasionally offend someone somewhere, that probably means one is tapioca pudding.
I find that whole "Everything offends SOMEONE!"/political correctness argument to be a bunch of horseshit, personally. Blackface used to be a common thing, we know better now. Lots of awful, insensitive shit that took the feelings of other people for granted was once normal. I am totally comfortable with making an effort to be bleeding edge in the area of "Not unnecessarily making people feel like shit for my own larffs."
People are free to be offended. The problem is, "offensive" is subjective and often depends on context. There's no objective method to determine what is offensive and what is not. It often comes down to who you're talking to, and your own sense of tact.
For instance, I know I can make jokes on religion on crappity that wouldn't fly if I made them on facebook (several people I know are religious). So I keep those jokes for crappity.
If one is offended by the name "Viet Cong", well, maybe one doesn't belong to the demographic the band is targeting. In that case, one probably shouldn't buy the band's records.
And don't walk down streets with their name on marquees. Or listen to your favorite indie radio station, because they might play them. Or read your local newspaper, because they might review them....
Saying they can just avoid it is disingenuous.
I'm not going to say that people being offended should supercede everything.
Like I said: I'm not against the band's right to use that band name. But I think when you work with material that can be offensive, it needs to come from an aesthetic that makes something of it. When you just lazily name your band something that pisses people off, then whine when they tell you they're pissed, I have zero fucks to give about you. The people who are being stupid and entitled about their feelings in this case are the band.
And don't walk down streets with their name on marquees. Or listen to your favorite indie radio station, because they might play them. Or read your local newspaper, because they might review them....
One could try to learn about the band with the offensive name in order to figure out if they know they are being offensive. Like you said, maybe they were just "lazily naming their band after something that pisses people off".
And Jeff, as I said before, I'm sure one can find plenty of Vietnamese who think the Viet Cong were heroes. Of course, they probably won't be living in North America. Subjectivity, eh?
I give you enough credit to assume both halves of that.
My larger point (from which I have wandered somewhat) is that while very nearly ANY band name can be justified, these guys didn't have any skin in the game at all for this one.
If their argument was "We're making a fucking statement, man and this band name is part of it," that would be one thing. Their argument is more like, "We were too ignorant to realize we would offend you, but we still don't care enough to stop, so stop being offended, you're embarrassing us."
Yep, as far as I know, they were basically clueless. Apparently one of them was holding his guitar like a rifle and they went "woa, all you need is a rice paddy and you'd look like the viet cong". And it's clear they didn't care, they dropped the name pretty fast. Kids these days, eh?
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For instance, I know I can make jokes on religion on crappity that wouldn't fly if I made them on facebook (several people I know are religious). So I keep those jokes for crappity.
If one is offended by the name "Viet Cong", well, maybe one doesn't belong to the demographic the band is targeting. In that case, one probably shouldn't buy the band's records.
Saying they can just avoid it is disingenuous.
I'm not going to say that people being offended should supercede everything.
Like I said: I'm not against the band's right to use that band name. But I think when you work with material that can be offensive, it needs to come from an aesthetic that makes something of it. When you just lazily name your band something that pisses people off, then whine when they tell you they're pissed, I have zero fucks to give about you. The people who are being stupid and entitled about their feelings in this case are the band.
I give you enough credit to assume both halves of that.
My larger point (from which I have wandered somewhat) is that while very nearly ANY band name can be justified, these guys didn't have any skin in the game at all for this one.
If their argument was "We're making a fucking statement, man and this band name is part of it," that would be one thing. Their argument is more like, "We were too ignorant to realize we would offend you, but we still don't care enough to stop, so stop being offended, you're embarrassing us."