Yes, there’s the “BL” so you know what I’m gonna talk about to some extent, Black shit; more specifically Black culture as a popular aesthetic. First off lemme explain that things involving Black creativity also involves Black identity. I write as I speak and “code switch” here and there because it’s something I’ve grown accustomed to. There’s the whole survival in “white spaces” thing, being exhausted having to explain what something means, and just general lack of freedom from those who have no real relations with the multitude of personalities in Black culture. What has become trendy for years (or since Black people have been free) is taking the parts they enjoy and leaving the people/history behind. You remember when “bye Felicia” became a meme? A buncha white people were running around saying it thinking it just meant to dismiss someone in a sassy way without even seeing the movie “Friday”. That’s what I want to talk about: cultural insensitivity.
Thanks to social media, people who have no real interaction with Black lives aside from someone they work with, speak to occasionally, or have their “token friend” think they have an “in” to use things inside the culture. Then when asked about it become defensive or offended as if the theft of Black creators isn’t a white past time. Let’s use hip hop/rap music as an example. SOOOO many people who you know don’t fuck with Black people are using Black artists music and art to create popular videos. Whether it be dance videos or funny reactions along to the music. What a lot of people don’t understand is that Black people who create are being themselves, and the people who are taking those works for themselves are imitating “the cool”; or what they think they have to do to sell the attitude… Which is essentially just modern minstrelsy. There is no reason for anyone to speak as if they are a rapper by doing a bunch of “yo yo, ayy wassup” nonsense. It is a clear sign of ignorance. It is putting on a cultural identity for entertainment or worse monetization. Christina Aquilera did it, Miley Cyrus did it, Bieber did it and on and on. It’s seen as “cool” to take what is popular in Black culture while dismissing the very people that made it.
Someone can create and use the works of Black people without pretending they are that person. A person can like the art without turning it into a mockery. People can appreciate the dances without changing their outfit as if they ever dressed in streetwear, but it says a lot when someone USES Black creation and doesn’t have respect for who created it or the history surrounding its creation. I’ve seen too many people who “like” Soul music but only know the hits, who dance to songs meant for reflection, who rap lyrics without caring what they are speaking on, who don’t know Nina Simone! How?! I’d say it’s mostly just great marketing, but I also think people believe they are entitled to artwork without research. Who believe they can take from a group without understanding said group. If you ain’t Black you are always a guest, even if you’ve been raised around Black people your whole life someone new you meet just might not be comfortable with how you present your accumulated knowledge to their lived experiences. This goes for any minority group really. If I tell you to take off your shoes when you come into my house I don’t want to hear about how “Token” is fine with you wearing your shoes, you get me? It’s uncomfortable using social media because a lot of people are just impatient, and I think that the progression of the short attention span is now an exploited feature where people skip the important step of learning and understanding to just lazily “We’re all human” responsibility. Hell, look no further than the fact that Black Cosplayers had to create their own space just so they wouldn’t be “Black Sailor Moon”. Then criticized and harassed for creating a space because “X characters aren’t Black”. Weird how some assume they are entitled to participate while Black people are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
Something With Nothing 