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The Consumption of Black Artistry and The Apathy For Black Lives

I’m fascinated by the way white people engage with black art. Not the fact that they like it, of course. In a world full of Doja Cats and Amanda Gormans and Kendrick Lamars and so on and so on, it would be a lot harder to imagine black art not being enjoyed and consumed voraciously. No, what fascinates me is the way that white audiences interact with it. At its best, it can spark social change and open eyes to the way the other half lives. At it’s worst…it’s hard to explain but I think the best way is by categorizing it in two ways: appropriation and blind consumption.

Appropriation is usually a little easier for people to grasp. Recently, the word critiques fashion trends associated with the black community like box braids or locs co-opted by non-black communities. When it comes to music, however, the conversation becomes murkier. Take, for example, Willie Mae Thorton. In 1952, she recorded her song “Hound Dog” to minimal acclaim and even less money. When Elvis Presley re-recorded the song four years later, however, it easily entered the record books as one of the most iconic rock songs written… with little to no credit given to Thorton. If you want a more recent example, try to think of the originator of the viral Tik Tok dance, the “Renegade”. Most people credit its origins to influencer Charli D’Amelio, pushing her to stardom. Very few people know the actual originator (myself included considering I had to Google her name twice before I wrote this), Jalaiah Harmon who received a fraction of that same fame. Ultimately, whether it’s fifty years ago or now, it comes down to the same idea: a willingness to interact with our products but not with us.

This of course begs the question, if that’s appropriation, then what do I mean by “blind consumption”? Glad you asked. In 2017, rapper Amine came out with the song “Carolina'' which used the n-word in the chorus and went viral. In live performances, however, he eventually began replacing the word with the phrase “If you ain’t black, don’t say it”. Five years later, I stood in front of my predominantly white high school and performed a spoken word on the dangers of white supremacy to accolades and praise from teachers and students alike, days after the school had received backlash for instituting metal detectors and heavy security presence during a basketball game against a visiting predominantly black high school. While those two instances seemingly don’t have a connection (I’m in no way implying my poetry will someday make me famous), they both highlight the same problem. It’s enjoyment of art created by black voices without critically examining your actions surrounding that enjoyment.

While these behaviors are bad enough, it ultimately shows a lack of empathy for black artists themselves. When it does come to bite back, it comes in the form of silence for the Eric Garners and the Trayvon Martins and the George Floyds and so on and so on. It speaks to how dehumanized we are that you like us when we’re entertaining you, as if in some modern-day minstrel show, but when it comes time to see us for our humanity you’re silent. In an interview, black author James Baldwin said, “I’m terrified at the moral apathy…which is happening in my country… they have become…moral monsters.” I’m terrified that what we’re dealing with is an ever-growing new generation of moral monsters. One that can bump our music in their cars while running over our bodies in the street.

Link to the Baldwin interview: https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_15-0v89g5gf5r

[pomsandpersep]

I’m sooo strong and masculine my arm doesn’t even shake when I’m holding a pot over the sink while I fill it up with water (lying)

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my bad for assuming everyone has critical thinking skills btw

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okay but like. carrie white was in the right

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baseball?? that game from twilight?

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i think we‘ve watered down the word "objectifying" a lil too much. i get when it’s jokes but when people unironically use it as a synonym for finding someone attractive it’s like... do you realize it means viewing someone as less than fully human lol

[pomsandpersep]

girl help i am running out of concepts for my escapist imaginary scenarios

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Alternate universe where I literally just to go to school forever (for free) so I can just learn about art and literature and history and languages for 100 years. No job skills. No credit requirements. No student loans. Just learning.

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Romanticizing your own loneliness and turning it into a cool girl thing only works for like a few months and then it just becomes a throbbing black hole i think. Not that ive ever experienced anything like that

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reading lolita and tearing out each page as i go so everyone on the bus knows im critical of my interests

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True love is saying "no" then being chased by Walt Whitman

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the only thing “dark” about “academia” are the thoughts i have when i see my assignments piling up

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I am literally begging, BEGGING modern media to portray healthy relationships. enough cheating. enough infidelity. enough disrespect. show me people who love each other, proper communication, and a strong mental as well as physical connection. I want plots about people who are madly in love with each other and STAY madly in love with each other. please. I am losing my mind.