We Use Words like Mackadocious

Words like mackadocious, said by white kids, phrases like shizzle my nizzle, said by white kids is funny. But I don't think the point is to laugh, the point is to find out why the hilarity ensues when I wear extra baggy jeans with a tall-tee and attempt to ghost ride the whip. What? I'm down! The author of "We Use Words like Mackadocious" has the same concerns. The essay walks us through his life growing up seeing black people as superior to him, and his white skin. His views of black people are different than what most people experience, because I didn't attend a rich, private elementary school in Chicago I had contact with maybe one black child, and he was completely white-washed. So, if anything, my perception wasn't of superiority, it was of rarity. The author attempted to become a part of the black community, and for the large part, was accepted. But he was still "that white kid," the anomaly. That's because it's more than the color of the skin, the way they dress and the music listened to. Black culture emerges as a swagger that is a result of dealing with enormous problems that a white suburban kid could never fathom, could never imagine, and couldn't deal with. That is where the swagger comes from. So when Ezra Koenig asks if rap is hereditary I would mostly say no, it just so unfortunately happens that many African-Americans have to deal with the types of problems that create this gangster subculture that many rap stars come out.
However, the few successful white rap stars who have had to deal with these same problems are still famous, and sometimes ridiculed for being white and trying to fit in with the rap, gangster culture. Rappers like Eminem are known primarily for being the most famous white rapper, rather than just being a talented rapper.
But it also works the other way around, the high school I went to exposed me to much more diversity, and many more "gangster" folks that I assumed lived in the surrounding not so nice neighborhoods. However, I would see these kids in their baggy clothes walking around my affluent city and I would think, "what a poser." These african-american teens tried to look like they were poor by buying clothes that fit that look, but really they had more than enough money to buy clothes that would have fit them.
For them to use words like mackadocious made no sense, they didn't emerge from a culture that gave them the same swagger mentioned in the essay, and so I guess whites aren't the only ones trying to emulate this cool culture. I have a feeling the black kids I knew would be rejected just as much as I would be trying to walk around the bad parts of Chicago.

Captain America

Music is America. In all the chapters of Starr and Waterman’s book this one most clearly showed me the connection between us and the music we listen to, while also reading close to my own biography.

            Rap music reaching its peak is not a coincidence of right time and place. It was a youth movement, as many of these new genres are, and took off as the kids embraced it and its values. Rap music endeared itself to those with an “obsession with guns and violence, material wealth and status, symbols, and long standing traditions of racism, homophobia, and sexism” (435 Starr and Waterman). All of the things are prevalent in American culture and especially for impoverished black and suburban male teens. One trying to be rebellious because of the hate embodied in their living conditions, and one being rebellious because they didn’t live within the parameters of society to be so freely, so music became the answer. We still worship status symbols, Perez Hilton…, so it made sense that “bling” has erupted, this flaunting of wealth is so common nowadays, showing us “commoners” what we won’t have, and what they attained, and due to some sort of jealousy or trying to imagine yourself as this person America has become obsessed with celebrities, and in music especially there are always though that may try to resist that fame, only making them more spectacular in our eyes.

            When I think of musicians rejecting their huge celebrity status I think of two people off the top of my head, Kurt Cobain and Thom Yorke, both who have become status symbols for modern music, what it means to make intelligible and revolutionary music without selling out, but truth is both of these artists eventually signed with a major record label, allowing themselves to get sucked into this culture. And if they really weren’t looking for fame, why share their music? Why tour? Sufjan Stevens has recently rejected the idea of releasing the music because in his crazy mind there is no point anymore, the music he makes will be solely for him. If Yorke and Cobain truly didn’t care about their fame, would they release their music for the masses? Nirvana’s/Cobain’s press release seen on page 447 only further proves my point, trying to attract attention to themselves by showing people we don’t care, but really it just comes off as an attempt to be obnoxiously rebellious, not everyone needs to know you hate “rock celebrity,” Kurt.

            The genres seen in chapter 14 represent America, as well as my life growing up, put simply, I’m a cliché. Before entering middle school I would listen to the likes of my edited Limp Biscuit song as well as Smash Mouth, Backstreet Boys, N’Sync. Teenybopper stage-check. In middle school, being a suburban teen I turned to rap and rock so that in my awkward chubby stage I could objectify women, when I hated them most, and in large quantities seeing as how I had a different crush every week. I listened to emo All Time Low type bands in the first part of high school and towards senior year began listening to ‘serious’ indie rock music, which is just as stigmatized as any other genre. A genre that fulfills my need to be perceived as intelligent, to be associated with an audience it fulfills many of my needs, including the one where I want to listen to music that I love. Which continues to boggle me, because at one point I have loved all these genres of music, but many of them I scoff at and am embarrassed that I ever listened to them.

            Genres like techno fulfilled many homosexuals need to find a place to be themselves where they could use their bodies to interact with others, indie rock like Nirvana and R.E.M. let people express their emotions in an fashion that depressed male teenagers took to well. Just as I have taken to many genres over my life, hopefully sticking with this one that will last, but maybe my American dream has a couple more twists for me.

Placing Blame

Chivalry is cool, and emotions are hip. Sometimes I want to show some emotions, not be a pervert all day—it can be really exhausting!  And I’m sure women would want to try out this pervert thing once in a while, while exhausting, it can be fun. Turns out music has messed that up for everybody, and that’s not cool.  The Stones in all their glory have really messed up (or reinforced) male stereotypes.

“Numerous cock rock songs…express a deep fear of women…this fear seems pathological, which reflects the fact that the macho stance of cock rockers is as much a fantasy for men as teenybop romance is for women.” Groups like the rolling stone set up this ideal that I’m now forced to follow. TV and music have formed our ideological views of what it means to be a man and a woman.  It’s a complete misconception, but that’s what it has become.  Guys are taught that they are not supposed to feel pain, that they should rouse many women, and leave them for the next. This quotes sums up what is wrong with this stereotype, though. In a feminism class I took, we learned that women are more likely to be the cheaters, and the least happy in marriage. It seems almost that guys are more deeply positioned to be in love, but through society’s unwillingness to view men in this light we put ourselves in situation where we conform to society’s mold. Cheat on our girlfriends because that’s just what guys do. Through being hurt by women, groups like the Rolling stones have set up a fantasy for them and everyone else who can’t find a women. Because. Facing facts. Women are mostly in control, waiting for guys to approach and generally getting to pick from the lot (or at least this is true for attractive women). And with Rolling Stones and other cock-rock music music men can imagine themselves in this fantasyland as being the dominant one. They are in control, and they have grasp over women in a way never know before. Music genders us and leads us to believe things about each gender that may or may not be true. And because of the music industry being controlled by men, they created this macho man that I must live with everyday, and women pine for. Everyone wants a cliché.

Mission Accomplished?

Not to brag, but I used to work at FYE, (For Your Entertainment, a fine establishment for all your CD and DVD needs) in my hometown next to San Francisco. And it was at the time in my life that I found out who Tigres Del Norte was. Since FYE had a ticketmaster machine I’d sell many tickets to the, what seemed like monthly shows, shows that Tigres Del Norte put on (They were in San Jose so much they should have changed their name to Tigres Del Norte de California.) If it weren’t for this I would probably have never heard of them until Professor Kun brought them up in lecture last week. I bring this up because the essay Remembering Selena, Re-Membering Latinidad, the author asserts that the death of Selena brought Spanish music to the forefront of American culture, which I have to take with a grain of salt if the biggest Latino band, Tigres Del Norte, have never entered into my knowledge sphere.

            Americans still don’t take notice to the big Latino acts, not to say they necessarily should or would, because most Americans don’t speak Spanish. But I don’t understand how they sell out the Coliseum, but never even get heard of by most Americans, outside the Spanish community. Selena’s death only seemed to bring to the forefront traditionally held stereotypes of Latinos.  The grief marked their traditionally sad past, us white people had to help them out of their sorrow, darn Spanish people, always getting sad! How is being sad even a stereotype? I’ve never heard that before, but this tragedy consequently seemed to shine a light on the history of Latino culture, and what people gathered from the traditions of the grieving Latinos was not particularly different from what people had already believed. Selena’s death, instead of forming a more positive perception by outsiders, brought the Spanish community together (Unfortunately, to be ridiculed more). They came together to mourn their procession leader in their parade to equality in America that was halted by the number one fan. They had a role model, and a public figure, Latinos needed someone to look up to that people outside the community looked up to. That would bring respect for the obviously ridiculed ethnicity. Suddenly, Latinos were a market, you could brand and sell things to this emerging community, but unfortunately it was a little too early for Selena to go, because after the boom of her death it seems as if they have fallen back into marginality. As evidenced by el Tigres, the community has remained separate and the documentary we saw last Thursday shows how immigrants are reacted to in this country. Selena’s missions was cut a little short, and maybe Latinos need another tragedy to emerge out of their slandered culture, they’re sad already, right?

PS. Random Rant

People say Howard Stern is a revolutionary that he changed radio! And I don’t see it. Since when did being a misogynistic, racist become revolutionary? Oh, apparently, if you’re a racist in public then you’re a revolutionary. I’ve never heard anything as revolutionary as Howard Stern acting like we still live in the 1950’s. The past is the new future, and chivalry is so 90’s!