Just Looking ...

When I was younger I can definitely say that I took a liking to hip hop music. Now that I’m older, I seem to view the genre very differently. I’m not sure if it is because my tastes have changed or whether it’s because rampant commercialization of the genre has squeezed out every last drop of relevance and meaning. I’m leaning towards the latter. While, I still like a lot of the beats that the genre has to offer, I find it hard to excuse the violent, misogynistic and down right commercially explicit lyrics that go along with these beats. In my opinion, most of the hip hop artists have sold out to the marketing agendas of their label and any other corporation ready to through money their way for an endorsement.

One commercial that really got my attention was this new commercial for diet Pepsi max: “With ginseng and MORE caffeine! Endorsed by hip hop celebrities Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Macy Grey and Missy Elliot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVYzxxgKXTY

I find it really hard to believe that such wealthy celebrities like these (who all probably have personal trainers and dietitians to help boost their image) would regularly drink a sugary and highly caffeinated drink such as Pepsi Max. As if Pepsi didn’t already have enough caffeine in it! What’s even more unnerving is the idea that this adds is probably targeting poor working class American families (including African-American families) that are already dealing with high rates of diabetes, heart-disease, and obesity.

It's things like this that really get me upset that hip hop artists use their influence and power to the detriment of people they claim to represent, exacerbating current social problems.

During our discussion last month in class about the Canadian Identity, Kalmar made a few points that made me consider how I look at my own Canadian Identity. I would disagree that there is no Canadian identity, but I wonder why perhaps 5 years ago I would have actually agreed with that statement. I try to think about what may have sparked my change in perception. Perhaps it was my trip to Hong Kong two summers ago where HKU students I met told me what they found so interesting about Canadians (apparently we really ARE polite). Maybe it has been the recent reign of President Bush in the States and the war in Iraq that has made me want to find reasons to distant myself from the American identity and cling to the safer, more "neutral" Canadian one. It could because I've grown out of my rebellious youth where I couldn't stand being the same as everyone else and now I want to be part of something, part of the greater imagined community. There is no doubt that identity is carved out of difference from others, and Kalmar discussed that in class. I think the need to be unique and to have an exclusive understanding or sense of humor attached to the Canadian Identity is something we love perhaps more than the identity itself. I watch Bon Cop Bad Cop and think that somehow it's really awesome that, at least in my head, no one really understands the Ontario-Quebec border issues other than Canadians. Or that in the old TV show, Due South, that the idea of a superhuman Canadian mounty who is just too darn nice and heroic for his own good, saving chicago from it's evils, is just too funy for words. I think we revel in that sense of humor, where we're okay to laugh at ourselves and our stereotypes. It's almost a mockery to U.S. Patriotism, and we love that it's a mockery. So please, enjoy some Canadian fun, here's a clip from Due South and the independant film Bon Cop Bad Cop, they are fabulously Canadian.

Due South Commercials
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l0zCYUMf5s

Bon Cop Bad Cop - Border Dispute
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fti-gr5vqKQ&feature=related

I first watched the movie Borat after my brother persuaded me into watching what he called "the funniest movie you'll ever see". Of course, I expected it to be hilarious and was quite pleased that the movie lived up to its expectations. I was however surprised at how much the movie made me think. Not only was it hilarious, but it really showed how easily people will open up and show their prejudices. While many may perceive Sacha Baron Cohen as an idiot who gets laughs out of disgusting, sexist and racist jokes, I think he is one of the most intelligent comedians out there. The movie Borat isn't just a comedy, it is a movie that demonstrates how quick people are to follow along with stereotypically racist jokes, and does it in such a clever way. Perhaps he did not go about it in quite the right way sometimes, i.e. by getting drunk college students to go on rants about their racist point of views, but no one can deny how clever he really is.

After we discussed about hip-hop culture outside North America, I realized that I didn't know the "purpose" of Asian hip-hop culture though I'm listening their music almost everyday. Then, I began to read some articles about hip-hop culture in other countries rather than North America. I think hip-hop has become a universal tool for talking back to the mainstream of any society. For example, youths in some regions such as Japan, England, France, and Germany adapt American patterns to their own demographics. In London, marginalized East Indian youth blend Indian melodies and Hindi with English rap as a street form of protest. In Paris, poor Jewish, Middle Eastern and West African youth coming out of the projects use hip-hop styles and rap to talk about their poverty and police brutality. In Japan, female hip-hoppers use the genre to defy gender restrictions for women. However, like the problems in North America, the very success of this genre has created something of a schism in hip-hop culture. Community-based underground rappers are drowned out by the mass appeal and commercialization of the big-time, best-selling artists, some of whom are marketing a gangster persona with songs that focus on wealth, possessions and crime, often with a misogynistic attitude toward women. Fine. You're making money, but what are you going to do for the community? For the basic purpose of hip-hop culture (the freedom of self-expression), or at least for the music, I think someone has to do something about this global problem...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtZWflgZ6Ts

This video gives an apt brief description of the phrase "Jews and Money". Being new to Canada, I was unaware of this stereotype attached to Jews. I thought it was interesting about the term Jews being linked to Judas, so I decided to look into this and found this excerpt.


JUDAS – JUDAH – JEWS and Money
Hugh Fogelman


Scholars and Jews are looking closely with the word association of Judas, Judah, Jews. Just about all of the Gospels were written after the fall of Jerusalem and Jewish Temple in 70 CE when the feelings of Rome against Jews were strong. Christianity was trying to promote their new religion and the best way to have people accept you is to have a common enemy. The Jews were the enemy of Rome―hence, the Jews and Judas had to be the enemy of Jesus, his betrayer.

Isn’t it strange, that of all Jesus’ twelve disciples, the one name that can be associated to Judah and the Jews throughout eternity happened to be Judas? But, according to Christianity, didn’t Jesus have to die because it was preordained? Wasn’t Jesus’ mission to die for the sins of mankind? Therefore, the name of the betrayer of Jesus was not important, unless there was a strong motive behind it. Was that why the name “Judas the betrayer” is mentioned over 30 times in the New Testament?

So why did the Gospels write so much about Judas being the betrayer? Scholars today suggest the writers were trying to associate the name Judas (the betrayer of Jesus) with the Jews in Judah (the betrayer of God's Son). Judas = Judah = Judaism. In other words, Judah, the Jews were the enemies of Jesus.

What is also strange is the close parallel in the story in Genesis 37:25-29, of the selling of Joseph. Christians will say the Gospel writers knew all the stories in Genesis (otherwise, how could they write which prophecy was fulfilled if they did not know the prophesies mentioned in the Torah?) Ergo, Matthew probably remembered the amount of money Judah, the brother of Joseph received for the betrayal of Joseph. The brothers of Joseph wanted to kill Joseph, but argued as to how the evil act should be performed, so they threw him down into a pit (a well). It was Judah who talked the others into selling Joseph to Arab traders for twenty pieces of silver. Twenty pieces of silver is also the redemption price for a twenty year-old male, as told in Leviticus 27:5.

In the Gospels of Mark, Luke and John, Judas was never associated with any exact sum of money. It was only in Matthew’s gospel that elaborated on the story and put a specific price on the betrayal of Jesus. Apparently Matthew had to elevate Jesus’ stature by making him better than Joseph. If Joseph was sold/betrayed for 20 pieces of silver, Jesus had to be worth much more. If 20 pieces of silver was for a mere 20-year old man, Jesus should be worth at least 30 pieces of silver, since he was in his 30ths when he died.

The Encyclopedia Judaica tells, "For Christians, Judas Iscariot was considered the "typical Jew." The Gospel of John is considered the most anti-Semitic book in the New Testament. John goes over-board showing Judas's greed by making him into the corrupt treasurer of Jesus' band of disciples. John's picture of Judas carrying his money-bag was implanted in Christian thoughts with tragic results to the Jews as a whole. John turns Judas Iscariot into a man associated with evil and money. This expansion of Judas's money-corruption was a most fateful development for the history of anti-Semitism as Christian Europe, later on, associated Jews with money-lending, forcing them, by the order by the Church, to make this their only permitted occupation.

John tells another tale about the evil Judas in his story of Martha and Mary. Mary buys very costly perfume and pure oil that she anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped them with her hair. At this time, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, said; "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor? Not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief and wanted the money for himself" (John 12:3-6). Notice how John connects Judas with being associated to sharp business practices (a Jewish image carried forward to this day) while at the same time being evil and crooked. This association helped to establish the derogatory meaning of the word "Jew" in popular usage by meaning people who "extort money ruthlessly, moneylenders, driver of hard bargains, to cheat by sharp business practices, uncaring for the helpless, and of charging extra high interest". Thus, the synonym Jew and money are linked together in semantics and popular Christian usage.

With respect to sexual aspects, women are frequently depicted as young, beautiful, sexy and submissive while men are portrayed as sexually active and progressive in numerous advertisements. Indeed, women are aware of their responsibilities, such as cooking, cleaning and caring for their families as mothers, yet they still have a great longing for beauty, youngness and sexiness as women. For example, a Soft&Dri deodorant advertisemnt tagline says "When you feel soft and dry all day. What will that make him? Make him sweat." There is a strong sense of gender ideology in our culture about women being submissive to men, and as a consequence, it is not unusual to find cases about women being sexually desirable and attractive to men in contemporary advertising.
On the other hand, men are often portrayed as sexually dominant and active in advertisements targeted primarily for male consumers. For instance, a photograph advertisement with a word saying "I do" repeatedly, along with a cheeful looking old man surrounded by a plenty of beautiful and young women presents men's powerful desire for polygyny.
So It seems that our gender ideology in advertising shows that women are continuously related with submissiveness while men are related with sexual prowess representing masculinity.We must realized that there is a thick borderline between women's sphere and men's sphere in comtemporary advertising.

Regarding the last lecture on racism, I have some insights on the difference between Canada and America. While they both inarguably contain some degree of racism towards "non-Caucasians", Canada tends to be more unexpected and hypocritical whereas in America it has long been an issue publicly dealt with throughout history. Multicultural as Canada represents itself, in many parts-non-metropolitan in particular, of the nation racism towards non-Caucasians prevails. Also, in Canada, a person's social/economic status seems to have lesser effect of offsetting the fact that the person is a visual minority than in the U.S.

I found the topic in class today about Goffman's notion of wearing a face or mask particularly interesting in light of an ethnography I read for another course as well as some of the material from essay. In Bonnie Urcioli's Exposing Prejudice she examines identity in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in New York and how it is particularly tied to language. English is created as good symbolic capital which can change social and political interactions between community members and white authority figures.
Getting to the point, in our age of globalization in which English and Western (American) cultures are considered to be the dominant hegemony, how is this changing the capacity of people to change their "face" and break with stereotypes (or recreate them perhaps) and instill greater amounts of agency? People can now with increasing ease acquire English and diminish a major marker of one as Other. So while I agree to some extent that your "face" is often assigned to you by society initially, I'd argue that it is quite possible to change your "face" if one desires to do so and that personal agency cannot be easily over looked in issues of stereotype.

I wrote my paper on hip hop culture as a form of resistance to hegemony and I also talked about the commercialization and commodification of hip hop in North America.  Here is an excerpt from my paper:

By incorporating hip hop into mainstream corporate America, hip hop is no longer viewed as complete resistance to hegemony.  Popular culture favours resistance and opposition to dominant values and social norms.  As hegemonic incorporation occurs, we the society, are left controlled by culture.  Resistance begins to fade as hip hop is incorporated into every part of our lives and in the end it looks as though we are conforming to social norms.  

All this talk about and focus on the commercial aspects of hip-hop culture drove me into writing an essay on the topic of how hip-hop culture can be used as a tool for (positive) change both on an individual and group level. The thing is that there today exists quite a lot of academic literature on hip-hop culture (mainly with an American focus but still) that focuses on almost all kinds of aspects of the cultural movement (after the realization last week that hip-hop no longer is a youth culture mainly because the people who grew up with it are now middle-aged people I refuse to call it a youth culture anymore) and the more and more I take part of it I realize how most of them tend to claim the same thing – how it is an almost expected result of the racial tensions within the American society. This keeps making me wonder in what terms future hip-hop scholars, with a different geographical outset, will view and discuss hip-hop. That is where I see the future of hip-hop academia.

As for the actual commercial hip-hop, I don’t really know what to say. I know enough to not totally dis for example, 50 Cent since he, first and foremost, is a business man. I realize that and respect him for that. The fact that the kind of music he produces causes various negative reactions around the world is a reason why he is one of the most popular rappers. Any publicity is good publicity. Anyway, I guess I view commercial hip-hop music and culture as a natural ingredient in our capitalist society. I don’t think that the lyrics should be taken very seriously any longer, except for the token content of love/sex/death/reference to our consumer-oriented society… Just look at Soulja Boy. Kids LOVE him and everybody under the age of fifteen seems to know the Soulja Boy dance (even some U of T profs, I’ve heard…). I don’t understand what’s so special about this seventeen-year-old kid who honestly doesn’t even say anything I can comprehend in his songs (and that just might be the reason to his acclaimed fame among kids – no one else but they understand what he’s trying to say), except for the fact that I through him found out about the term ‘superman’, which is NOT something for twelve-year-olds to listen to. And there I recognize the nostalgia and “it-was-better-back-in-the-days” in my own statements. I mean, I went through a period of gangsta rap-listening myself when I was fifteen-sixteen, later got sick of it and returned back to the ‘other’ kinds of hip-hop (but I still crave my dose of Mobb Deep every now and then). What I’m trying to say is that just as Snoop’s earlier music containing all the sexism, violence and misogyny imaginable in gangsta rap did not have any negative side effects on me and who I am, I can’t judge those who listen to Soulja Boy, or even 50.

I personally find all the product placement (in both lyrics and videos) and videos that are difficult to differentiate from commercials much more urgent issues to discuss and deal with concerning commercial hip-hop culture since especially kids need our help to realize that the same artist they’re adoring (and Kanye’s guilty to this as well) has become a salesman/saleswoman without them even noticing it.

At the end of the day, I guess this hyperreality makes things very complicated since we are at the same time claiming to be affected by the media only to later claim to be savvy capitalists… I just wonder how today’s kids will handle all this psychological challenge. Then again, people survive wars and turn out to be okay so I’m sure they also will.

(I don’t mean my blog contributions to be so long… Sorry ppl)

I have recently read an ethnography called, One of a Children: Gay black men in Harlem. It was quite interesting to note that gay men in Harlem recognize the discrimination against them has to do with their skin colour, rather than sexuality. They were being discriminated against in the white gay community, but are accepted in their own black community. The author illustrates the importance of these gay black men’s pride in black culture. They strongly feel the need to maintain a unique ethnic identity that is in opposition to mainstream culture. Agreeing with Rach’s post, gay black men in Harlem is about being black in America, that is not to be white. They transgress the “whitewashed” norms in mainstream culture. In doing so, they search for African roots to bring out a unique black culture, a culture that cannot be imitated by white people. They emphasis that white men can dress, and talk like black people, but they will never understand how it is like to be black. Because being black is learn through family and associating with black roots. Understanding that they have been treated as second-class citizens in America, they want to be defined as Black African-Americans.

First of all, let me admit that I now nothing about hip-hop. So I'm going to approach this from a theoretical point of view.

I think in a way Hip-hop is in a way channeling back the fantasy that the West have projected on them with revenge. The Black race was constructed as the Lower Other who are irrational, exotic and sexualized as an excuse for Western Europeans to assert control over them through imperialism and the slave trade. At the same time "Black" helped to construct of "White" by acting as an opposition. So "Black" (as an unindividualated mass) acts kind of a like screen (that Zizek talked about) for Western Europeans to project their fantasies on. Because of the Enlightenment ideals the "White" identities were hyper-rational and cohesive which left no place for the Real and so they projected the Real onto "Blacks". The Real with all it's unknowable chaos, violence, and bodily drive is a threat rational Western society and the symbolic order. But at the same time it was precisely what the West lacked and wanted. The offensive aspects of hip-hop: sex, violence, and death can be all attributed to the Real. It is what we desire and what we fear. If we think society as a "collective consciousness" then being repulsed by hip-hop and being fascinated by it is really the two sides of the same coin: It's "us" reacting to the real. It's ironic though that the black hip-hop artist is using his/her identity as the lower Other to make money in a society that tires to suppress them. I guess that leads back to Fiske's idea of resistance by "making do". But that's anew topic.

yay! i posted a blog!

I had avoided seeing Borat when it originally came out and even now don’t regret not seeing it. I don’t think that it was exceptionally hard to show that Americans often say and do stupid things. Just look at Miss South Carolina at the Miss Teen USA pageant. http://youtube.com/watch?v=WALIARHHLII. I understand that the joke is not on KazakhstanBritain or Canada or Australia. but on Americans but I am wondering why Cohen didn’t have the movie take place in There are plenty of problems in all of these countries when it comes to people of other countries. Racism, sexism, misogyny and anti-Semitism are not uniquely American problems. I found this article written by God is Not Great author Christopher Hitchens http://www.slate.com/id/2153578/ who actually questions and defends the reasons some of the people reacted the way they did at the dinner party saying that “Americans are almost pedantic in their hospitality and politesse.” I understand he wants make fun of those who stand by, not calling him out on his actions, but where is the line between politeness and indifference?

While I think it is great that Borat can expose the hatred found among some people, what is done after that has happened? After appearing in the film, have they changed their views? Should they? It seemed that showing people with the same anti-Semitic view held by Borat would create a sense of comfort among the people who shared those views, not challenge those views. Americans have for years come across as stupid and ignorant. I doubt that those who appeared in the film will change their views, though some may be a bit embarrassed about having them seen and heard in a movie. What was expected of those who watched the movie? People who watched the movie might laugh at those in the film who hold those views but do they really care? Will they do something if they hear people on the street who hold those views, or simply laugh?

There are rappers who promote negative stereotypes, violence, and sexism through their music, but others who use rap as therapy, or to share their story. Here is an example of people using rap and hip hop as a medium for an important message.

The Refugee All stars and Black Nature started a music group together during the war in Sierra Leone. They used music to show the trauma they had gone through and to bring a positive light to people who listen to their music. They had a documentary filmed about them, and have since become popularized throughout the world. Here are a few clips of their music, and what the music means to them.

1. Black Nature 'Makeni to Bo'
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1bt2HB3A8e8

2. the Award-Winning Sierra Leone's Refugee All stars
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HaN45qu39Pc

3. Black Nature, in Freetown, Sierra Leone
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ltUTj_grvS4

Even though these people have been influenced by "western" rap, they have deviated from what has been known to be the "typical stereotypes" and have put a positive spin on it.

Lately there has been a lot of controversy about the language used in hip hop videos, especially after Don Imus' comments about a black women's basketball team. Russell Simmons (founder of the Phat Farm clothing line) has stated strongly that words such as bitch, whore, and nigger should taken out of hip hop videos all together. However, the problem with this is that it creates a paradox in which the historical importance of hip hop is lost. Hip hop is a well known medium for self expression, which will be lost if censored. Yes, hip hop is violent and sexist, but it also represents freedom of expression, which is GREATLY important in today's society where everyone is more concerned about how we are seen in (our "faces", if you may) than who we really are. So I say, until there is a way to satisfy every aspect of hip hop...live and let live!

I remember reading an article in one of my other courses a little while ago called "I Don't Want to Grow Up" by Christopher Noxon. He writes that there is an emergence of adults wanting to reconnect to their youthful times which is seen through purchasing merchandise such as action figures/dvds of old cartoons, etc. He also mentions the success of the Harry Potter series among adults even though it was written for children. He calles these adlts as "rejuveniles" The reason why I mention this article however is what he suspects is the reason for this retreat to youth. Noxon said "researchers say rejuveniles are simply seeking comfort in jittery times." The first thought that crossed my mind when I read this was the idea of trying to retreat back to the real. As stressful hectic times in an adult's life they seek to escape these times by reverting back to their childhood, though this can not fully be fullfilled as we cannot take back time. So it creates this 'circularity for desire', for instance an adult might buy the dvd box set of the Pink Panther show for memory sake, but then they want to buy the Flinstones box set, etc.



Here's the linke to the article on New York Times' website if anyone is interested. I personally enjoyed the article as I too enjoy watching old tv shows and movies I use to as a kid.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1DD1638F932A0575BC0A9659C8B63&st=cse&sq=i+don%27t+want+to+grow+up&scp=1

For a long time I used to avoid listening to hip-hop music because I was on the side of the debate that it was overly violent and sexist, and I didn't agree with it. But recently my younger brother gave me some music by Lupe Fiasco to listen to, saying he thought I might like it because it wasn't as misogynist as some hip hop. I listened to it, and googles the lyrics to a particular song:

Is hip-hop violent and sexist?!?!?!? I would like to draw your attention to the following lyrics:



******************************************************



STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON by: N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude)



Verse One: Ice Cube



Straight outta Compton, crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube

From the gang called Niggaz With Attitudes

When I'm called off, I got a sawed off

Squeeze the trigger, and bodies are hauled off

You too, boy, if ya fuck with me

The police are gonna hafta come and get me

Off yo ass, that's how I'm goin out

For the punk motherfuckers that's showin out

Niggaz start to mumble, they wanna rumble

Mix em and cook em in a pot like gumbo

Goin off on a motherfucker like that

with a gat that's pointed at yo ass

So give it up smooth

Ain't no tellin when I'm down for a jack move

Here's a murder rap to keep yo dancin

with a crime record like Charles Manson

AK-47 is the tool

Don't make me act the motherfuckin fool

Me you can go toe to toe, no maybe

I'm knockin niggaz out tha box, daily

yo weekly, monthly and yearly

until them dumb motherfuckers see clearly

that I'm down with the capital C-P-T

Boy you can't fuck with me

So when I'm in your neighborhood, you better duck

Coz Ice Cube is crazy as fuck

As I leave, believe I'm stompin

but when I come back, boy, I'm comin straight outta Compton



Verse Two: MC Ren



Straight outta Compton, another crazy ass nigga

More punks I smoke, yo, my rep gets bigger

I'm a bad motherfucker and you know this

But the pussy ass niggaz don't show this

But I don't give a fuck, I'ma make my snaps

If not from the records, from jackin the crops

Just like burglary, the definition is 'jackin'

And when illegally armed it's called 'packin'

Shoot a motherfucker in a minute

I find a good piece o' pussy, I go up in it

So if you're at a show in the front row

I'm a call you a bitch or dirty-ass ho

You'll probably get mad like a bitch is supposed to

But that shows me, slut, you're composed to

a crazy muthafucker from tha street

Attitude legit cause I'm tearin up shit

MC Ren controls the automatic

For any dumb muthafucker that starts static

Not the right hand cause I'm the hand itself

every time I pull a AK off the shelf

The security is maximum and that's a law

R-E-N spells Ren but I'm raw

See, coz I'm the motherfuckin villain

The definition is clear, you're the witness of a killin

that's takin place without a clue

And once you're on the scope, your ass is through

Look, you might take it as a trip

but a nigga like Ren is on a gangsta tip

Straight outta Compton...



Verse Three: Easy-E



...straight outta Compton

is a brotha that'll smother yo' mother

and make ya sister think I love her

Dangerous motherfucker raises hell

And if I ever get caught I make bail

See, I don't give a fuck, that's the problem

I see a motherfuckin cop I don't dodge him

But I'm smart, lay low, creep a while

And when I see a punk pass, I smile

To me it's kinda funny, the attitude showin a nigga drivin

but don't know where the fuck he's going, just rollin

lookin for the one they call Eazy

But here's a flash, they never seize me

Ruthless! Never seen like a shadow in the dark

except when I unload, see I'll get over the hesitation

and hear the scream of the one who got the last penetration

Give a little gust of wind and I'm jettin

But leave a memory no one'll be forgettin

So what about the bitch who got shot? Fuck her!

You think I give a damn about a bitch? I ain't a sucka!

This is the autobiography of the E, and if you ever fuck with me

You'll get taken by a stupid dope brotha who will smother

word to the motherfucker, straight outta Compton



********************************************************



This song comes from one of the pioneering gangsta rap albums (which hit double platinum), entitled Straight Outta Compton, which also includes these modern classics: Fuck Tha Police, Gangsta Gangsta, Parental Discretion Iz Advised, and A Bitch Iz A Bitch. Straight Outta Compton is incredibly violent and sexist, but I think that it had to be in order to overcome the Western ideologies of the black man as lawless, uncouth, passionate, uncivilised, and to actually attract peoples attention to the problems of the ghetto. Nowadays, the trite lyrics of hip-hop only serve to drown out any legitimate resistance by artists who still want to use the hip-hop as a medium to protest social injustice. It’s a shame how quickly resistance can be incorporated.

When discussing the movie "Bamboozled" today in lecture, I couldn't help thinking about the way in which Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" came to an end. The star of the program, Dave Chapelle, left the show after performing in a sketch in which he performed in blackface and dressed as a character in a minstrel show. This seemed very similar to the plot of "Bamboozled" that Professor Kalmar told us.




From Wikipedia:

Chappelle also admitted to Oprah that he felt some of his sketches were "socially irresponsible". He singled out the "pixie sketch" in which pixies appear to people and encourage them to reinforce stereotypes of their races. In the sketch, Chappelle is wearing blackface and is dressed as a character in a minstrel show. According to Chappelle, during the filming of the sketch, a white crew member was laughing in a way that made him feel uncomfortable and made him rethink the show. Chappelle said "it was the first time I felt that someone was not laughing with me but laughing at me."



The sketch was later aired on the show againt Chappelle's wishes and included comments from audience members on their opinion on whether the show was satarizing racial stereotypes, or merely reinforcing them. For the most part, the audience found the sketches more thought provoking than offensive.


You can view the sketch at the following link: http://milkandcookies.com/link/48511/detail/

WARNING: Video contains coarse language and may be offensive to some.



What do you think?

In the last two classes we have been discussing issues such as race, history, and political economy with specific attention to, at least last class, black and white relations in America. During these classes I constantly find myself thinking about the show 30 Rock (created by Tina Fey). Now, my love for Alec Baldwin aside, I feel that this show does a really good job of addressing the stereotypes - from blondes, Black-Americans, Irish-Americans, corporations etc. - that arise from history and political economy. And does so in an extremely humorous way. Many of the episodes highlight stereotypical PERCEPTIONS of Black-Americans. I should note that show addresses (and in MANY ways REINFORCES) the way stereotypes are ingrained in society and draws attention to what Prof Kalmar was saying: that these stereotypes are more a part of us than we may like to admit due to the fact that have been deeply ingrained into our society/culture. For example, in one episode Liz Lemon (Fey) is suspicious that Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), a Black-American media star, might be illiterate due to his refusal to read scripts or cue cards. Even though Tracy is literate he pretends not to be in order to lessen his work load and schedule. When Tracy is eventually confronted on the issue, he tells Liz that she has shown "the subtle racism of lowered expectations". He then tells her that "Bing Crosby" said that. Liz corrects Tracy by telling him that it was "Bill Cosby" who said that, at which point Tracy calls her a racist. So, while the show addresses subtle aspects of racism it concurrently works to reinforces race stereotypes. It is an extremely funny show - to which my description has done no justice - and I highly recommend watching it.

Here is a link to some clips of the show on youtube.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4Dj28PhHfeI

Prof. Kalmar's mention of Spike Lee's comment: "Every white man wants to say 'nigger'" immediatedly made me remember a comment made by Paul Mooney, a black comedian, on Dave Chappelle's skit "Ask a Black Dude". Paul Mooney said that "Everybody wants to be a nigger, but nobody wants to be a nigger."

I think that this comment is very applicable to the appeal of mainstream hip hop and the ghetto. In a generalized sense, people want to be associated with the ghetto, but not with being black. As pointed out in class, a lot of the audience that supports mainstream hip hop aren't even black, and I believe that the audience is buying into the ghetto fantasy. But the truth is, you can buy the clothes, walk with swagger, wear the bling, pimp the hos, hustle/traffic whatever, but this ghetto culture will never comprise of all the elements of living as a black person. Paul Mooney's comment is eluding to far more than being ghetto; it's about being a black person in white America. People want to associate with the ghetto, but don't want to be associated with the oppression still being faced by black people, the stereotypes that are put on them, and the low social status that some black people still hold despite the civil rights movement. Perhaps instead of celebrating that they "know" the ghetto (ie: have friends from JnF), supporters of mainstream hip hop should question why there is a ghetto.

On a side note, while youtube-ing some DPJ, I came across a video that discusses the word 'Nigger' and its various connotations, and elaborates more on what I'm trying to say.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD-UpHlB9no

Since we've been discussing how rooted in the masculine identity hip hop can be, I started thinking about different groups within the genre that are, by appearance/content etc, diametrically opposed to what we could very well consider the universal hip hop stereotype to be.
Keeping in mind that the kind of hip hop we've been discussing in class is a specific type of highly commercial and mainstream music, there has to be room to acknowledge alternatives that challenge the physical, dangerous and highly sexualized imagery we're prone to see.
I initially thought of a fairly new group called the Cool Kids (http://www.myspace.com/gocoolkids) who exhibit the complete opposite - their songs tend to touch on obscure pop culture references and individuality rather than the ubiquitous mainstream trinity of money, women and crime.
I think this relates back to topics of hegemonic resistance, where the Cool Kids are part of a kind of resistance within a resistance in that hip hop itself can be considered a form of social resistance, yet a group like the Cool Kids can find reason to resist from within.
This kind of resistance from within also brings to mind guys like Kanye West who have openly spoken about - and defended - homosexuality. Within mainstream hip hop, the concept of homosexuality is incredibly taboo and any mention of it is in the form of an insult (remember how Eminem caught all that heat for his homophobic lyrical rants?). For Kanye West to go ahead and defend homosexuality is another interesting example of resisting the hegemonic force of hip hop, while hip hop itself is purportedly resisting hegemonic forces. Boo Yaa!

"Stuff White People Like" is a comedic blog which may have recently popped up in your inbox, forwarded to you by an enthusiastic friend (him or herself no doubt, like the blog's author, white).

For those few who haven't yet seen it, read about it in the Los Angeles Times, or heard about it on NPR, the blog was created by a 29-year-old aspiring comedy writer in L.A. and it is, by its own description, "devoted to stuff white people like," presented as numbered, encyclopedia-style entries.

As many people have already pointed out, Stuff White People Like isn't about white people in general, but rather about a very specific demographic sliver of left-leaning, city-dwelling white folk. These people have previously been trapped and tagged alternately as yuppies, or bobos, or grups. Basically, they embody the uneasy marriage of urban affluence and liberal (and/or progressive, and/or alternative, and/or "indie") ideals.

As someone who is not only a decendent of this targeted group, but a lover of much of the 'stuff'' mentioned on this blog, I find it to be an incredibly humorous excercise in self-reflexivity. However, as is evidenced in the user comments on the blog, many people do not share this view.

Labels: blog, humor, stereotype

I read an article for my project that brought together all of the concepts of identity.“Crackers and Whackers: The White Trashing of Porn,” it was written by Constance Penley and you can find it at the Innis Library in Pornography and Culture edited by Peter Lehman. Through her personal discussion of growing up in central Florida, she explains succinctly how the "White trash" culture is desperately trying to define itself against the economically equal black culture of the area. The main distinction she can remembers is that white people didn't eat a kind of land turtle, where black people did. On top of explaining this relationship with personal interest, she manages to link it to the aesthetics of pornography. If you want a quick fun read to bring the concepts discussed in class into focus, I highly recommend this article.

Is hip-hop just entertainment or is it more? I believe it is the latter. The thin line between entertainment and reality is becoming blurred. Hip-hop is no longer simple entertainment; it is the advertisement of a lifestyle. By airing these images, cable television channels like Black Entertainment Television (BET) have given hip-hop a grand stage to air its message.

Nothing has captured the attention of youth and young adults like hip-hop. Though it has plenty of entertainment value, hip-hop has defined the way many people, especially blacks, view society and themselves. The videos aired on BET contain lyrics and depictions of life that do mirror some of the everyday scenes in the inner city. However, they glorify the hedonistic nature of life by praising promiscuity and violence, in my opinion. Last year, BET aired the "BET Hip-Hop Awards" in which Piles, one of the rap artists nominated for the Rookie of the Year award, gained notoriety with lyrics from one of his hit songs, "Shawty". It goes a little something like this:

"If you done ripped her before you know how to cuff, lil' mama, you know she gotta be something cause I done beat her under … I exposed her to real and now she hate lame. Member she used to run from me now she like pain."

Loosely translated, the rapper speaks of his sexual exploits with a woman. However, it bears mentioning that the words used to describe his actions are words of violence such as "ripped," "beat" and "cuff." Lyrics such as these cast black people in the kind of light that encourages others to refer to black women as "nappy headed hos."

This is not a total indictment of hip-hop on my part, however. In my view, there are plenty of quality hip-hop artists out there. For example, Common, known for his uplifting lyrics, won a BET award for his CD "Finding Forever." Although Kanye West does tend to use explicit language, his songs actually say something more than the standard money, drugs and girls message.

It would be one thing if it all was just entertainment, but it isn't. The glorification of "thug" activity spills out of the videos and onto the streets. Homicide is the leading cause of death among black men aged 15 to 30, according to a source from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Two of hip-hop's biggest stars, Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., fell victim to that very fate.Recently, Atlanta rapper Clifford "T.I." Harris, who is a convicted felon and won a BET award for his album, "T.I. vs. T.I.P.," was arrested and faces felony charges for attempting to purchase machine guns. The correlation between his song lyrics and his real life drama demonstrate the kind of lifestyle that many wannabe thugs want to emulate.

Hip-hop has shaped the way black people view themselves and how other groups view blacks. Those who wouldn’t admit to this fact, who claim that hip hop is all just for entertainment and who are merely profit driven in the hip hop business, would tend to downplay the impact that association between hip hop and violence/sexism has on society, perhaps even arguing whether hip hop is in any degree violent or sexist at all. But we as educated and critically reflecting folks are not so naïve as to submit to this judgment.

I usually choose not to watch movies I consider stupid and a waste of my time which is exactly why I never watched Borat when it came out. But I was in class when clips of the movie were shown. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself very cultural or traditional in the old-school sense but I was offended by the content of the movie. The clips shown weren't offending in that my culture or anything of the sort was targetted. But I definetely agree with ther person who posted earlier about the movie being PG13...not the right rating AT ALL.

The movie was disgusting in some of its clips and just plain rude and mean in the others.

I didn't find it funny at all.

Maybe I feel this way because my culture and my religion is also frequently targetted in other ways. And I do relate with the person who wrote earlier about how its not fair that people end up believing what they see.

I'm all up for comedy though. For example I think Russel Peters is hilarious. But I do think theres a level of appropriateness and Borat was just beyond anything appropriate.

I came across the following article on BBC World. It deals with nanotechnology, specifically with the creation of 'a tiny chemical brain' that will be able to control multiple nano machines at the same time. The aim is that one day the brains "may be able to guide the nanobots through the body and control their functions". Reading this article made me think of Dr. Sagman's lecture on 'How Nanotechnology Will Change the World'. This invention reinforces the claim of this technology's revolutionary capabilities in all spheres of our lives. If a nano brain, albeit a simple one, is createable, then how soon will it be until highly complex systems are created? Is it conceivable that through breakthroughs in the research put forth by this article,  highly complex robots could be created, outfitted with sophisticated reactions and pseudo-thought? My mind is drawn to the phrase 'the faceless horde' from the lecture on cloning. If science is able to create a brain, then arguably, the concept of robotic armies with the same programmed aims, moving as one and responding intelligently is no longer purely in the fantasy realm of science fiction.

During the last class prof Kalmar used Flo Rida’s song “Low” as an illustration to the fact that the commercial hip hop music has become a part of the hegemonic society (when it started out as being anti-hegemonic), and he asked us why we think that has happened.

At first I didn’t really know how to reply to that question. It seems as if the popular belief that hip hop had gone pop and become hip pop might be reluctantly accepted, but it has nevertheless become accepted. Then I started thinking about the various terms and ideas we have been learning in this course and here is my short answer (could write an essay on it).

Andrejevic’s idea of the uncanny capitalism is an interesting term in this discussion. Since capitalism is the only way of life we can see, no wonder that the kind of hip hop culture (HHC) we see in the media (hip pop) has become a part of the capitalist society. Why HHC has become less and less transgressive with time? Because adopting to the ‘mainstreaminess’ sells.

Still, I would argue that even the most mainstream hip hop music is transgressive. First of all, I find it important to point out that most of us refer, in the popular/every day language, to North American hip hop when talking about commercial hip hop. Since the North American culture is, as prof Kalmar has discussed in class, still very much affected by the division between black and white, it is embedded in the society itself. This, to me, makes the act of non-white people taking up space in media a transgressive act, since being white is still very much default as it has been since the first wave of colonialism. Just like prof Kalmar pointed out – anything else is the Other. Therefore, even when Flo Rida is (without using any faul language) rapping about how this certain girl is making him sexually aroused and there’s a description of her outfit, I would argue that by being non-white his very existence in the media is transgressive. Looking at the content of the lyrics and the video spurs other discussions and other points of views, such as that since it is not as sexual as many other songs and accompanying videos it is no longer transgressive – yet, by taking a closer look at the lyrics there is plenty of sexism to be found along with the objectifying of women. If that is no longer transgressive I would argue that it says more about what is considered transgressive in this North American society of today (that the limit and tolerance level has changed) and with it something about the entire society itself than about Flo Rida’s music. The artist most probably got into the ‘hip hop game’ as an easy way of getting rich (even though most hip hop artists don’t seem to gain a greater wealth for a longer period of time) and he might not even care about the content of the lyrics - he probably didn’t even write them himself. The idea of uncanny capitalism might, therefore, be the reason why Flo Rida got interested in becoming a part of the ‘hip hop game’ and it might be one of the reasons why hip hop has become as commercial as it has – it's the biggest thing out there and by being a young (black) male in North America, what else does the consumer-capitalist society tell you to aim for?

Lupe Fiasco’s song “Hip Hop Saved My Life” talks on this topic I’m arguing that Flo Rida might have went through, along with many of the young men aiming for a career in hip hop music:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4XtBqNCL-I

(For those of you who are fans of Lupe, he's coming to town this Thurs. For more info: http://www.circatoronto.com/eventcalendar.html)

This is a bit off topic, but I came across an article in the Toronto Star a couple of weeks ago about a new set of Commandments the Catholic Church (in time for Easter) drew up that includes modern issues that are part of our popular culture. Some of these issues we discussed in class:
1. bioethic violations (cloning, stem cell research)
2. morally dubious experiments
3. drug abuse
4. polluting the environment
5. contributing to the divide between the rich and the poor
6. excessive wealth
7. creating poverty

So after talking about race identity and how Borat represents the preconceived notion of an "Eastern European" I though about a blog that my friends and I had talked about before. It's about, as the title suggest, stuff that white people like. This blog basically lists and describes all the things that white people like (it's currently on #90), but does so in a humerous, politically incorrect way. The list is comprised of various things regarding political issues, culture, general activities etc. ranging from having black friends (which apparently makes white people become accustomed to "black culture" and uses Justin Timerbelake as an example) to Barack Obama (whom they must like or risk being called racist) to hating their parents to indie music to St. Patrick's Day and even to having gay friends.

The explanations as to why white people find these things so fascinating/participate in these activities is the best part of the blog. For example, the blogger suggests that white people like having gay friends because

"If white people could draft friends the way that the NFL drafts prospects it would go like this: black friends, gay friends, and then all other minorities would be drafted based on need and rarity to the region.
...It is also worth noting that a gay friendship of any sort allows white people to feel as though they are a part of the gay rights movement. While white people love being a part of any movement, the gay movement is especially important to them because they can blend in at rallies and protests and spend an afternoon feeling the sting of oppression.

Gay friends are an essential part of a white person’s all-star diversity roster. But they are always on the lookout for the ultimate friend; a gay minority.

It is generally accepted that a gay black friend with a child is considered a once in a lifetime opportunity...White people will crawl over each other for the opportunity to claim this person as a friend and add them to their roster of diversity."

While I was reading the list, I began to wonder who this blogger was...was this person male or female? would they classify themselves as black or white? what socio-economic class would they categorize themselves as belonging to?

This blog fits well into the discussion of race stereotypes and although the blogger is commenting on the things that white people like (I'm assuming the blogger means people who have white skin), I think that he/she is really discussing the things that the "Western world" or people who are involved in "white culture" like.

Check out the blog if you have time...it's pretty funny if you have a sense of humour and aren't concerned with being "politically correct"

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/

The reason why I love watching comedians is because of their observations of ordinary life, such as Cohen’s character Borat which comments on ‘ethnic stereotypes’ among other things. I haven’t seen the film in its entirety (pretty much just what was shown in class) but it did make me think, along with some MadTV characters mentioned in the previous post how I’d react or appear if I was confronted by ‘Borat’. A lot of the stuff we’ve seen seems outrageous to us as we are watching it with the knowledge that this is a ‘mockumentary.’ However instances such as Borat kissing the men and shacking hands with the women as a greeting I might not have thought it as ‘peculiar’ (for lack of a better term) since my family is from a culture where a traditional greeting is to kiss on the cheeks, although it is usually women who do so. Saying this though I do hope that I would clue into what is actually happening (that they are not actually filming a documentary) when someone comes back to the dinner table from the bathroom with a bag of his feces. Especially in a society where television and more recently reality shows play a big part in our ordinary lives, such as with ‘Just for laughs’ or ‘Punk’d’ where they profit from making fools from their participants.

After watching Borat in class, I remembered a few MadTV skits featuring a man named Mofaz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzEbA2hTdbY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVt2etuGqaE&feature=related

Like Borat, I assume that Mofaz embodies cultural stereotypes associated with being Persian as well as being a US immigrant. He smokes everywhere (take note of the hospital scene), has 14 children, works as a tow truck driver, and trumps everyone in terms of discussing how terrible his life is.

Since I've been catching MadTV early in the morning, I've really paid attention to the large amount of skits stereotyping cultures - a lot of Bobby Lee skits (Chinese and Korean culture), Mrs. Swan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MADtv_recurring_characters#Ms._Bunny_Swan), and countless others targeting the black community.

As a warning, I found Mofaz hilarious, but it's almost as offensive as Borat. :)

Through the lecture and the course readings we are now aware of the commercialization of hip-hop, but how do those within the industry feel about this?

The following link is to an interesting article that discusses the commercialization of hip hop and the viewpoint of some prominent people within the hip hop industry itself - i.e. the rapper Nas, BET (black entertainment television) industry veteran Paul Porter, and BET's senior vice president Stephen Hill.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=12258

There's a very amusing satirical blog based on stereotypical perceptions called Stuff White People Like, and since it's in tune with recent course themes, I thought I'd share the link. :)

Concerning the discussion we had in class about black and white ethnicity, it brought to mind this song called Black and White that i heard by the artists Timbo King and R.A. the Rugged Man. i thought it brought together our discussion on hip hop and black and white perceptions quite well...i warn everyone though, R.A. is notorious for offensive and graphic lyrics that many people find offensive. He's been banned from almost every studio he tried to record in. Anyways...
I found that "white" is portrayed as weak, impotent, and white trash, while "black" was presented as strong, highly sexual, and violent, much like what we were saying in class about the universal white culture as bland but normal, as opposed to more ethnic cultures as more "colorful". Maybe other people can find different perceptions within this track.
On another note, i also wanted to mention this track contains that "shock value" that today's hip hop lacks. I think that hip hop with real shock value will never sell as much as what we know as mainstream rap, and it never did. Artists like dead prez and immortal technique will never top the charts like today's kanye west, 50 cent, or that clown soulja boy because mainstream society cannot relate to it. hip hop started out as the voice of the oppressed, and it only became popular when corporations made it more commercially viable. Anyways, heres the link to the track...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqdms2dEmC8
enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6p_6wvByFg

This is a clip from the movie "Canadian Bacon" (1995).

It's a satirical film, directed by Michael Moore that contains numerous Canadian and American stereotypes. Basically, the US president plans to start a war against Canada (because "everyone hates Canadians") to gain popularity.

Some examples from the movie:
"Canadians are always dreaming up a lotta ways to ruin our lives. The metric system, for the love of God! Celsius! Neil Young! "

"There's not a locked door in the whole country"

"These Canadians suffer from a serious inferiority complex. That's why they built this: The Canadian National Tower! World's largest free-standing structure!"


Funny movie, I definitely recommend seeing it once =)

This blog post is with regard to the class reading, From Independent to Corporate: A Political Economic Analysis of Rap Billboard Toppers.

The corporate takeover of rap music has created a division between original rap and new rap. This has led to terms such as 'old school rap' and 'new school rap', with new school rap being the subject of conformity and submission to the overpowering record companies.
Old school rap was about expressing one's self, while new school rap has abolished this self-expression and is more about creating music that fits into mainstream culture and can make maximal profits.

A good representation of this transition from old school to new school can be seen in the following youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzj_V79PGFM&feature=related

(Note: examples of new school rap don't appear until 9:05min.)

Rick Mercer of 22 Minutes interviewing Americans about Canada.  It's shocking to see how ignorant some Americans can be.  This just goes to show you how little they actually know about Canadian identity even though it is so similar to their own. 

A complete list of all the Canadian references ever to appear on the show

This is a great article on our fear of faceless hordes, robotic drive, and the question of who gets to control such destructive technology:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080227/technology/technology_robots_military_1

there is a new Ford commercial which seems reminiscent of both cloning, "modulation" mode of production:
people becoming "identical particles" to be used as a technological device

"Canadian Idiot" by Weird Al