And another thinggg....

As I was writing my blog on feminism is pop culture studies, I realized that there is something noticeably lacking withing the text assigned in the class: a postcolonialist analysis of pop culture.

Perhaps post-colonialist is an outdated term. This is generation Y, and we don't give a fuck. Therefore, I dub it: race studies. I think this a movement beyond the standard Frantz Fanon or Eward Said reading of culture. These are probably obvious. And the test comes really close, I have to admit. There is a part that focuses on Americanization that seems to almost come close, which is a concept developed Richard Hoggart about his growing pessimism about American culture infringing on the working-class British culture. Here, Hoggart tends to see American culture is overriding the native culture, and when the British culture attempts to create its own culture it is derided, which tends to hypocritically echo the argument of Fanon, in his post-colonial study, in which a country attempting to establish its independence from its imperialist force is praised for either mimicing the imperialist force, or attempting to replicate an older, native, and since-destroyed culture. But when this independent country attempts to create something unique, it is criticizes and derided, such as Jazz, and Jamaican reggae, and so on. But Strinati has yet to make this leap.

I am wondering if this is perhaps because race is kind of a unique relationship in American. We had that slavery and all, plus all of the plague-infested blankets, and the internment camps for the Japanese, and the stealing of Mexico from the Mexicans, and the who screwing over of the natives overall. Perhaps, as an American, I am more sensitive to these type of things, particularly in light of the span of affirmative action movements within this country, which might lack in Britain (of course, I assume Strinati is British, due to several spelling differences, such as "Americanization," versus "Americanisation." Yeah, totally British). Yet, Britain is definitely more imperialist that America ever was, in light of African slavery and native genocide (I mean, those were technically cause by the British anyway).

Why is a race-analysis needed? Well, perhaps because it is so prevalent within pop-culture. Who can deny that Maria Carey just outsold Elvis in record sales? And that Elvis was merely mimicing the style of the black minority of the time to make his way to the top? Who can deny the influence of rap culture within our society, and how it has effectively permeated throughout all art froms, such as graffiti-art and slam poetry? Minority influence has definitely influenced pop-culture in a variety of ways. Perhaps this has been only contained within the urban areas, while the rural areas of America and other countries still cling onto folk forms, such as Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks. Yet, this is an era in which Kanye West is consistently on the charts, well above any country or (sadly) folk songs.

So where is this analysis in "An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture?" Absent in my addition. Is this a case of denial? Perhaps the British aren't able to acknowledge the affect of minorities on pop culture? Perhaps the schism of race wasn't as prevalent in their own native British land as it was on America, where slavery was prominent, and lowly jobs are still relegated to Hispanic minorities? Perhaps the British are less prejudice, and more color-conscious of race than Americans?

If this is the case, it is still something that remains precocious. Why have all the major influencing factors in pop culture been predominately minorities? Why hasn't the Anglo culture been more prevalent, given the majority of the population has been populated by the whites? Many of these questions could yield peculiar answers. Perhaps being white and middle class doens't move one to create art, or anything from the soul. Perhaps being repressed forces more creativity.

In Salt Lake, we have a similar situation as the one presented by Strinati: the ignorance of race-analysis in pop culture. Recently, I heard a popular local conservative talk show usually hosted by Doug Wright. On this particular day, the host was a stand-in, and the topic of interest was the upcoming election. This host was worried about how much race would be an issue in the the election. He said that race should not have a factor in Utah because as he grew up, he had never really experienced racism in Utah. He had never actually encountered an instance of racism. Obviously this man was raised in the utmost level of the Salt Lake Temple. Of course, this man had apparently forgotten his Utah history classes, or else he would have remembered a place called Topaz, and Mountain Meadows. He might have remembered the English-only law Utah passed in 2000. He might have recalled the thousands of undocumented workers that take on menial jobs for menial pay that keep himself financially sound. But he had failed to recognize any racism within Utah.

This is troubling, because a failure to recognize blatant racism might also lead to a failure to recognize the obvious advancements and accomplishments that minorities have made in pop culture, and their definite influence on popular culture as we know it. What I see from above is a lack of acknowledgement of any sort of race. This allowed the talk show host to proudly proclaim that race was not a determinate factor in his world, where is definitely was. My perception, from Salt Lake, is otherwise, that pop culture has had the most influence from minority culture, and the failure to acknowledge race is a failure to give credit where it is due, which inherently lulls individuals into a silent, passive racism.