Anonymity and Mainstream Music Representations.
There were several points that I didn't get to make (First of all because we were on a tight time limit, and second of all because I always manage to forget some points when I am presenting out loud-have mercy!).
Our research paper will consist of two case studies. While Zeba will focus on rap artists and their lyrics, I will be analyzing the aspect of online anonymity and racism. Specifically, I will introduce the case study on the racist comments that were present when The Hunger Games cast was introduced. This was due to the fact that many "fans" were raged to find out that an important character in the first novel was played by an African-American actress.
I will also discuss other instances where racism was present in online spaces such as the crowing of Nina Davuluri as Miss America in September. Comments ranged from "She's not even American!" to "Miss America? More like Miss Al Qaeda."
As opposed to some of the covert racism that we have discussed throughout the semester (both structured and institutionalized, which have been present in color-blind racism and Laisssez Faire), I propose the idea that online spaces have created a place where overt racism can now be expressed. Unlike color-blind racism, where these feelings are sugar-coated, the not-so-subtle racism (overt) is more explicit.
So why should our research matter, you ask?
Despite the notion that we are a post-racial America because our president is African-American, evidence shows that this is far from the truth.
I want to be able to run for Miss America without being told that I should have run for Miss Mexico instead (not that I would ever run in a pageant).
Not to mention that when you cry over the death of a child in a book that you are reading, and then come to find out that this same character will be played by an African-American on screen, and all of a sudden the death isn't so sad anymore, then you know there is a big problem.
That comment is appalling!!! I know that people feel that they can disclose more information through social media platforms, but come on. I find that this type of overt racism in these online spaces and for the most part covert in face-to-face is astounding and is definitely worth analyzing. In the communication research class I did my study on why people feel they can self-disclose more information in text messages instead of face-to-face and the findings were very interesting. I think this is similar in the aspect of people hiding behind their computers using it as a type of shield as some people do with their cell phones. Good luck and great topic!
ReplyDeleteI remember when The Hunger Games came out how some people/insane critics that were familiar with the novel were upset at the "change" of Rue's race for the film. However, from what I can remember from reading the book (which was long ago) and from what I've read online from multiple sources, Rue was actually black in the book like in the movie. Regardless, it shouldn't matter and I think this makes for great research, Marlene. It just shows how little progress society has made over the years.
ReplyDeleteThank you guys!
ReplyDeleteCaroline, I am sure that your research findings were interesting because people do indeed self-disclose certain information online or through texts that they normally wouldn't say face-to-face.
Needless to say, due to a lot of negative criticism that he received that user of the picture I posted had to deactivate his account.
And to answer your question Matt, the book describes Rue as having “dark brown skin and eyes,” (p. 55) with no other implications, besides that she resembled the narrator’s sister (who is described as a blond girl with pale skin, and fragile body)—not because of her looks, but because of her size and innocence. In an interview, the author herself revealed that in her mind, Rue was African-American.
Yet people defended themselves as saying they expected to see a tanned white girl. Never in a million years did they imagine an African American. What it comes down to is that what they cared for was the image of Rue that they created in their minds—a white “innocent” girl—not a black girl.