Ok so lets make this discussion interesting. I would like to open with a simple question on race with, do you think other races should be allowed to join in on an activity that is clearly dominated by a primary culture? This question hasn't only come up in this chapter, but many times in my life. For example, I was once in a dance class where a white teacher taught African dance lessons and she asked the class if white people or other races should be allowed to demonstrate traditional African dances, if they would have the same meaning? One girl who was black, raised her hand and began an uproar of how traditional African dances should only be taught by people that were in the culture.. Of course the teacher didn't appreciate that, however that is just my point... This question gets brought up a lot and is quite debatable by many people, including the people in chapter 12.
A short summary of this chapter would be centered around this idea. It also centers around the question of does rap bring races together or apart? Billy Wimsatt is a white guy that has found peace in comparing his life constantly with rap music and the culture of being black. As he gets older though, it gets harder to make a living or be involved in being a social chameleon of being black. The fact that younger white people act this way and are the majority of the rapper's product, angers Elliott Wilson, a black man. Although he went to a "white school" growing up, he became very interested and felt acceptance in the rap world. Wimsatt stated that he felt rap brought different races together, however, Wilson stated that rap was no longer an equalizer because white kids would idolize rappers and then grow up... Wimsatt gives speeches at colleges about race and Wilson is an editor for XXL magazine and is part of Ego Trip. Both people are quite opposites in where they stand in this debate.
Did we not choose integration over segregation somewhere in our past? Was its intent not to place everyone on the same playing field with the same opportunities? If only a black can teach African dance, or produce hip-hop, or the blues, or that only rural Americans should do the two-step, then only Asians should teach Asian Studies, the Hispanics Spanish 101, and only a Native American Indian…well you get my picture. Equal opportunity means that any of us, if properly educated, can successfully perform the above tasks. I suggest that an African performing an African dance would certainly stimulate in the viewer or the participant a perceived intimacy of the origin of the dance. It’s like the difference in seeing a photo of the Eiffel Tower and actually standing next to it.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the question if hip-hop (rap) brings races together or apart, although music is a personal experience, it is also a universal one. Music sales extend cross international borders, and for at least a few minutes, the listening population of many races, share the same culture. This could be interpreted as bringing races together. Are there any anthropological or socio studies that tract music sales and the demographics? This information might show trends in black-white relationships, at least in music.