My thoughts on Oprah and her town hall meeting...
As many know I am actively engaging in dialogue about hip hop at Fuller. I am intrigued with the dialogue because the questions that are being asked are interesting but are they asking the right questions? I feel they are hitting on the right topics; misogyny, racism, oppression, systemic pain. Those are the right issues but the questions are leading to open ends, unanswered pain, and everyone is trying to be heard.
The answer to some is just to get rid of the hip hop in general. Just let it go....well that's not the right answer.
It's not a fair assumption to have it happen. What can we do with the systemic problems as well as the media cultures pushes the structure of what is happening in this space. When will we wake up and rub the sleep out of our eyes? When will we see what is REALLY happening rather than what we want to see?
Sometimes I want something to be a certain way so I will turn and twist things to make it say what i want it to say. Throughout the dialogue this is what's happening with the O. Some of these words are being twisted and turned to be something that she wants it to be.
One thing that I am impressed with is the ability to use the art to say something. That even with hip hop being only about 27 years old it makes an incredible impact within a global economy. How could the gospel spread like Hip Hop? How can love and truth be spread? How do we stop the hate? How do we help look outside of materialism and see our worth not just in our goods but how we learn, how we love, and how we care?
About Me
- amy
- I am a simple girl. I am dialoguing to the sounds and movements of my life. Sometimes it is music, movies, art, or theology. I was asked what I do to relax and I had to think about it. It wasn't the ocean or play. It wasn't something like a museum. When I really thought about it I love going to a concert, taking it all in, and having a drink.
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1 comment:
Amy,
It's good to see you on the blog-o-sphere once again. I'm not aware of any oprah led discussions, my lack of cable and well any sort of caring stops me from being "in the know" from much going ons. I can say this...people will always say things others will not like...nor want to support. Can a form of music, art or speech be outlawed? Well Guilanni has done forms of that in NY but that's another story all-together.
Recently I was coming back from Florida and I put on Ice Cube's first album. A true masterpiece. He had just broken off from NWA and had the bomb squad produce his album...which was unheard of to have a west coast rapper work with east coast producers at that time. Mr Cube was sick of the message he saw at that time...pointlessness. NWA offered nothing but making other people rich..he had something to say. And he said it. Was it popular statements? No Was it all positive? NO. To express is not always positive, it's not always comfortable.
How can love, hope, and non-material spread? That's a complicated question. Any answer would be full of questions as well. You know what I have no solution...nothing more to write. Keep writing and dwelling.
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