Tuesday, March 25, 2008
they don't know just cause they know the ghetto
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
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
# posted by rachdee @ 2:22 PM 
