Just Looking ...

An experience that I had the other day made me think of a comment Professor Kalmar made about resistance in the culture of consumption. A Chinese friend of mine has, in recent years, learned to speak English through listening to Hip Hop music. Our conversations were still in Chinese since his competence in English was limited, but I realized that he started throwing English words into the conversation. I found myself uncomfortable with the words he chose, for he threw in mainly swear words and, at one point, even used the “n” word jokingly. I explained to him that he could not use the “n” word as it is an extremely racist term, and it took him awhile to be convinced. Then it occurred to me that in Hip Hop music, artists occasionally throw in the “n” word casually, and Hip Hop listeners have somewhat become habituated to the usage of the term. Many of us have learned about the history of racism within the Black community and have been told repeatedly, since we were young, that the “n” word is a derogatory term to be avoided. However, I realized that perhaps this seemingly obvious fact may not be so obvious to those who did not grow up speaking English. I could listen to Chinese music and easily make a similar mistake of using an “n”-word equivalent I heard in the song, oblivious to the fact that it is so offensive because I am not knowledgeable in Chinese derogatory terms.

This got me to think, what kind of resistance is Hip Hop artists portraying and how are they alleviating social problems such as racism by degrading, in many cases, their own race? Many Black artists promote the usage of offensive terms by applying it casually in their music, but if labels such as the "n" word were used against them on the street they would feel mortified, and in turn, write a song about the experience of racism, while again throwing in the “n” word to their fellow brothers. I usually think of people resisting conformity and the social order because they want to, in one way or another, improve their situation. The resistance in Hip Hop music bewilders me.

# posted by Denise Chan @ 11:26 PM