“White Noise” is the most troubling track on “Inflammable Material.” The song is made up of several racial epithets, each verse targeting a specific group of oppressed individuals. However, the song should not be understood as a racist outpouring but, rather, a tongue-in-cheek act that exposes the absurdity in the language used to oppress individuals. “White Noise” also roots this language to White, Anglo-Saxon narratives–the Brits. Irony, therefore, is a key feature in punk.
The first verse of “White Noise” draws on the language and ideas discussed in “Backseat Freestyle,” describing the virility of black men and the necessity to lynch these individuals to protect white masculinity: “Black golly gob. Big horny monkey / Pimp pusher coon. Grinning piccaninnies. Send him home soon. Back to the trees.” The second verse deals with the Islamic, Paki experience in the United Kingdom and Brits’ xenophobia: “Ahmed is a Paki. Curry coffee queer…/…Tax-sponging canker. Smelly thieving kids. Ponce greasy wanker. Worse than the yids.” Lastly, the third verse draws on language used against Irishmen: “Paddy is a moron. Spud thick Mick. / Breeds like a rabbit. Thinks with his prick. / Anything floors him if he can’t fight or drink it. / Round them up in Ulster. Tow it out and sink it.” The fear of virility that emasculated African-Americans was used against Irishmen. Stiff Little Fingers, most importantly, exposed how language universally effected oppressed individuals. Irishmen and blacks were believed to be sexual deviants, and arabs were thought of as dirty effeminate figures. Language solidified these stigmas and provided a vehicle to distribute and permeate oppressive thinking.
Listeners may be upset or disgusted by this language but that is Stiff Little Fingers’ intention. As was referenced in the discussion of “Here We are Nowhere,” punk was a reaction to the over saturation of post-modern living. Post-modernity conflated certain ideas and aesthetics that over stimulated individuals, causing them to misunderstand their own individuality. This framework caused peoples to assess the language they used to comprehend reality. Racialized language, thus, exposed how individuals were hegemonically defined as deviant. Stiff Little Fingers, by sarcastically exposing and shouting this language, subverted their meanings and exposed the absurdity behind language as it debilitates one’s thinking. These words are giving meaning and value when they are used against certain communities. Stiff Little Fingers expose universality in their music by appropriating and subverting language. Stiff Little Fingers claim that the tactic of shouting this language is the only way to destabilize society’s oppressive ideology–the basis that normalizes and accepts oppressive systems. Simply by turning “up the white noise!,” the language of white-male supremacy, can individuals realize its absurdity.
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