User:Malb2017/sandbox


 * 1) In “Dialectically Down with the Critical Program, ” bell hooks discusses ways in which black people can change the patriarchal, capitalist, and racist society in which we live. She argues that through the decolonization of our thoughts and behaviors, we can not only transform this hegemonic socio-political structure, but also ourselves (50).
 * 2) In "The Accusatory Space" Jacquie Jones argues that in films, Black women are deliberately casted and portrayed as either "the bitch" or "the 'ho" (96) . She contends that this is in an attempt to perpetuate gendered ideas of the supposed roles of Black women in relation to Black men in society.
 * 3) Moreover, she believes that only by denigrating and relegating Black women into these roles, have Black men been able to maintain their status in Black films (97).
 * 4) In "The Accusatory Space" Jacquie Jones also holds that the news media was instrumental for the Black film industry (96). The images of Black men and women in urban settings (in a period where drugs and violence pervaded urban cities) which the news media firstly and consistently broadcasted were later reproduced for the purposes of Black films.

Defining Blackness:

** Please note, citation #3 is all out of sorts. I need help citing properly****

In "Race, Identity, and Political Culture, " Manning Marable discusses what he defines as "two very different types of Blackness" (295). While one type refers to the physical, racial component of the term black, which he contends was developed by Europeans and imposed on people of color for purposes of domination, the other type of Blackness is cultural. The cultural type of Blackness encompasses the values, norms, and traditions of African American people, which they reproduce in their music, art, and literature, among other things. Marable argues that when African Americans think about Blackness, they are referring to a convergence of these two different types. However, there are people who fall victim to thinking about these in isolation. For instance, as Marable details, many who supported Clarence Thomas' supreme court nomination did so for the simple fact that he is black. That is, despite all that he stands for, many deemed him representative of blacks because of the color of his skin. This phenomenon often leads to “symbolic representation” in politics and other areas, as Marable argues.

In “Seizing the Moving Image: Reflections of a Black Independent Producer,” Ada Gay Griffin writes that “Black films, videos, and Black media are those productions directed by Black artists on subjects and forms that reference the Black experience and imagination. They are productions in which the artistic visions is controlled by a person of African descent. They are not productions by Asians, of that diaspora, who identify themselves as politically Black, nor are they productions by white directors based on adaptations of Black plays, Black novels, or even scripts written by people of African descent” (231). A paraphrase of this would suit our definition of the Black in black popular culture. For instance, we could combine Griffin's definition with Marable's: Black popular culture is that which encapsulates the values, norms, and traditions of African American people, which they reproduce in their music, art, and literature, among other things. It is the artistic visions and work of individuals of African American descent for individuals of African American descent, although for several decades now, it is largely produced by white directors (in the film industry, for instance) and consumed by individuals from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

In “Unleash the Queen,” Marlon T. Riggs expands on Stuart Hall’s definition of popular culture, namely its performative characteristic (32), through his representation of Miss Girl/Miss Thing, a drag queen. Structurally, his retelling of Miss Thing’s “theatrical performance” is a testament to the idea that black popular culture, specifically, and popular culture, generally, are performative, as Stuart Hall argues.

However, in addition to being performative, Black popular culture, as Tricia Rose details in “Black Texts/Black Contexts” is also, at its core, not only a depiction of “Black aesthetics, style and articulation,” but representative of “the historical context of creation, dissemination, and reception of Black popular forms” (223), ideas which could be tied back to Griffin’s definition of black popular culture.

Representation of women in black popular culture:

A number of authors in Michele Wallace’s book have discussed and analyzed the ways in which Black women are depicted in Black popular culture. In “Boyz N the Hood and Jungle Fever,” Wallace, herself, for instance, considers the strengths and weaknesses of Boyz N the Hood and Jungle Fever. She argues that Flipper is worried that his daughter will turn out like Vivian, the crack-addict in the Jungle Fever. That is, Vivian’s (hyper) sexuality, and more specifically, black female sexuality as Wallace argues, is not only depicted as problematic in the film, but it is demonized. In addition, Jacquie Jones in “The Accusatory Space” argues that black women are usually depicted as either a “‘ho” or a “bitch” in films (96). In “Black Texts/Black Contexts” Tricia rose also considers the depiction of Black women in music, particularly rap. She argue that the misogyny and sexism found in rap lyrics is characteristic of and can be attributed to the larger structural system in which music, among other things, are produced. In other words, in a society where misogyny and sexism are prevalent, it would be simple minded to fully blame Black artists for all of the offensive things about women which they say. While this does not justify their behavior, it speaks to the real challenge which we must tackle, namely, misogyny and sexism in our society.