You Have to Eat the Peas Too

 When was the last time an aspect of your culture became cool? A dance, a hairstyle, traditional clothing, or any other aspect is not safe from possibly being appropriated for the dominant culture's enjoyment.

 That one thing you were raised doing and enjoying could possibly be taken and commercialized to the point where you don't recognize it anymore. From "Hip-Hop Abs" to Kylie Jenner's "Bold Braids," we are watching cultures become commodities before our eyes.

 Before Hip-Hop was "cool" its community was shunned. It was not respected as an art form until it first became accepted by the white masses. Then we saw cartoony, watered-down versions of this art form. Vanilla Ice and Macklemore are just two names who embody this idea.

 When the white masses find something they enjoy in another culture, they don't appreciate it, they appropriate it. This means that instead of giving the culture the respect it deserves they extract one piece from it, make it their own and throw the rest of the culture away.

 Give a picky kid a plate full of different foods and watch them eat what they enjoy and treat what they don't like with disgust. Maybe you try to explain that green peas are nutritious and essential to the rest of the meal, but no matter how much explanation you give, the kid will treat the peas with the same disgust. This is the same basic idea behind cultural appropriation.

 Twerking is taken because it is entertaining and edgy to watch Miley Cyrus "twerk" around on stage. Dreads are taken because it is a new look for Kylie Jenner to try on the red carpet. Bindis are taken to enhance Selena Gomez and Iggy Azalea's music videos. The problem is not that they are using these parts of different cultures but it is the only part of the culture they enjoy. The use of these cultural pieces does not mean the white masses like those particular cultures.

 Think about it, when Bindis fall "out of style" they are still a part of a culture. Dreads are not just a fad for a group of people but instead an important aspect of their culture. The problem with cultural appropriation is that parts of many cultures are being used as the "hot new thing" to sell in commercials and on the cover of magazines.

 Why is it that when a white woman twerk it is acceptable but African-American women are looked down upon to say the least when doing the same thing, if not doing it better? Why do dreads apparently look better on white people when they have been apart of black culture for an insurmountable time?

 What do you think about cultural appropriation? Has something from your culture been taken and sold to the masses while the rest of your culture is "thrown away?" Leave a comment below and discuss your thoughts about the idea.

W-W-What!?

 As a child I watched World Wrestling Entertainment pretty religiously. Every Monday and Friday I tuned in to see which superstars were beating each other to a pulp. My personal favorite was a beast named Goldberg, but we aren't here for that conversation. One thing I never noticed about the show until recently is how extreme the racist portrayals are.

 There was always one wrestler whose identity just never felt correct: Eddie Guerrero. This mexican wrestler was a known cheater. At every opportunity he would poke his opponent in the eyes, go for a shot below the belt, and a slue of other shameless winning tactics. Even his entrance music and video was degrading. The chant we constantly hear is about lying, cheating and stealing. He is always shown with a lowrider with hydraulics. This character type is a shockingly obvious form of stereotype reinforcement that flew over my head as a kid. This is what scares me about the rest of the WWE.

 Even Hulk Hogan's original entrance music seemed a little condescending. Others claim to be "Americans" but Hulk Hogan is a "Real American." Complete with guitar riffs, star-spangled tights and hair almost as white as his skin. This was the image of what a real American was and his music was making sure you knew it.

 You do not have to look very far in the past or deep in the roster of obscure wrestlers to find more blatantly racist portrayals. Papa Shango, Muhammad Hasan and Jimmy Snuka are just a few names that send chilling waves of racism coursing through fans.

 Any wrestler with a noticeable ethnicity (or even one slightly resembling another) was doomed to play to the extremities of their ethnicity's stereotype. Mexicans riding lawn mowers, white men acting as trailer trash, and black men being thugs/rappers are all so common that it doesn't seem out of the ordinary in the world of Vince McMahon.

 I admit to loving this source of entertainment for a majority of my childhood but now that I look back, it is difficult to finalize a list of stereotyping characters in the industry as I am almost always able to think of at least one more person to add to that list. 

 Did you watch WWE? What do you think about the characters that you remember? Comment below and tell me which ones you thought were the worst portrayals.

Fresh Prints in Bel-Air

 Can you recite the opening theme song of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Well if not, let me tell you about the main character's story. A young Will Smith was growing up with his mother in West-Philadelphia, born and raised. He spent most of his time on the playground with his friends relaxing, playing ball and other teenage activities. Of course, the good times came to an end when an altercation began with some local hoodlums. Will's mom wanted to shield him from further trouble and sent him to live with her sister's family in Bel-Air. The well-off and seemingly Republican household accepts Will with his wild antics and hilarity ensues.

 Most people would end the story here, but I believe there is a bit more to analyze. Considering the lack of realistic representation of low socioeconomic life, this show may also give outside viewers a skewed perception of what those situations entail. I know you're probably thinking, "Give me a break, it's a sitcom." But whether or not a show is created with the intent of humor or drama, you cannot deny that the representation is still there.

 The portrait that I think this show paints for those watching is that there is an escape for poor troubled youth when that is not always the case. For more privileged families there may be the option of sending a problem child off to live with a better off family member to keep them away from the irresponsible temptations of their own neighborhood, but for most families of low socioeconomic status, that is simply not an option. This is a problem because when we begin to believe that there is always a way out of a predicament, we also begin to see those stuck in a certain situation as people who are not utilizing their options.

 Some situations force a family to make changes in the household and sometimes that includes living with someone else. However, that someone else may not be a rich uncle, in most cases it is a lateral movement just to take that person out of that environment. In the show, Will gets the opportunity to live in a safer neighborhood, get better education and overall, he gets access to more fruitful opportunities. As I said before, to a person who is not afflicted by the problems Will faced prior to moving, the show seems like the obvious solution to his problems. It can make someone wonder why more people haven't handled their situations in the same manner. 

 All I want to point out is that we can enjoy the humor that sitcoms provide, but we should not be ignorant to the representations we are shown. I don't want to spoil any shows for you but I guarantee that if you look close enough, you will find an inaccurate representation of some minority group. Don't let your entertainment stop you from learning.  

Colorful Frames

 In terms of art, framework is important. A frame borders the painting, giving a context for the painting to be considered. A painting without a frame is basically a poster. In terms of journalism, framing refers to the information chosen to represent a story.

 For example, during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina there were different perspectives about the scavenging of food. In certain cases, people were reported as "finding resources" while others were depicted as "looting" the same goods. The purpose of framing is to convey a certain message about a situation without giving the full context of said situation. Framing is an important aspect of the news we receive, yet is not considered with the importance necessary to understand the messages we are being delivered.

 A recent instance of framing can be seen in the recent coverage of the Oscars in which Giuliana Rancic commented about actress/singer Zendaya's faux dread-loc hairstyle. In her critique during "Fashion Police," Giuliana stated that she got the feeling that because of Zendaya's hairstyle, she must smell like patchouli or marijuana. On the other hand, when Kylie Jenner appeared with her hair in locs, she was described as being edgy.