Cultural Commodification

Everything that enters the mainstream culture in America essentially gets watered down into a more palatable form of entertainment or advertising that targets the white population. It seems that every time the mainstream white culture takes from a different culture or sub-culture it waters the culture down by picking and choosing what it takes from it and adds its own plainness to it.

In bell hooks’ article “Eating the Other”, she touches on this subject with clear reference to the black community and how black culture has become a commodity in certain aspects. Hooks’ refers to an example of sexual intercourse among white and black people, to illustrate how white people often commodify black people and other races. In her essay, hooks’ refers to how white men seek to have sexual encounters with “the Others” (people of different culture or race) to have a certain experience that makes them feel more in touch with the world they live in or to just have an unusual sexual experience. This is clearly represented in the film Road Trip, where a white male, who is nerdy and inexperienced sexually, has sex with a black woman and is then transformed into a “cool”, easy-going guy.

Another point hooks makes is that commodification “the other” is happening in mainstream media. This means that certain aspects of the black culture are being turned into things that can be bought or sold. In the current cultural climate, black men are seen as smooth and cool who are often better lovers. This can be seen in mediums such as television and music, and they suggest that if one can talk, act, or dress like black people this will give them a more thrilling lifestyle that suggests they will have more fun and possibly be more attractive to the opposite sex. 

This type of commodification can be seen in artists such as Justin Timberlake, who is now an R&B artist, or Miley Cyrus’ twerking. The objective of these artists is to “spice up” their previously dominant white product into something that has more “flavor”, because the aspects of white culture are too mundane to add to their product.

The problem with this commodification is it waters down the culture it steals from and turns it into something that is not appreciated on a deeper level. Sure it may glorify that particular culture but it turns it into something that is shallowly represented and something that can be bought or sold by any person of any culture thus removing its credibility as a cultural aspect.

Cultural Tolerance

This week I will continue to talk about race and class along with religion and interpret how they are represented on television in various sitcoms. The reason sitcoms are important to study is because they tell quite a bit about our society and how we look at race, class, and religion.

Since 9/11, and even before that, Muslims have been portrayed on television as villains or terrorists. Television tends to clump all Muslims into one category of being from a Middle Eastern country with a darker complexion and there is usually a narrative that is us versus them. This type of television promotes religious tolerance, where we just tolerate people of certain religions and color. The concept of religious tolerance does not really allow religious freedom that our society supposedly guarantees.

The reason this is in our television shows is because these shows tend to tell the public what to think about when it comes to national issues and debates. While we strive for religious freedom, certain schema we have that activate when we see something like this prevent our society from being truly religiously free. We should want to understand these people a little more instead of portraying them in these ways.

Enlightened Racism

Racism’s face has changed over the many years it has been around. What used to be recognizable, is now hidden in the seams of our society and culture. A man named Sut Jhally studied the sitcom “The Cosby Show”, and found that in contained a new form of racism not recognizable to many. “Enlightened racism”, as Jhally describes it, promotes the myth that blacks that have not been successful in society have only themselves to blame. The reason why blacks are portrayed on television as usually upper class or middle class citizens is because it makes the show more palatable to a wider variety of audience, extending through racial and class barriers.

In years before, black television sitcoms were made for a black audience. The public found shows like “Good Times” and “Sanford and Son” to be for more of a black audience. However, as time went on and our society strived for a “post-racial” state, more and more ethnic characters were being used to target a wider range of cultural audiences.

These television shows often minimize the concerns of race and class by addressing these issues in a passive way and not weaving them into the plot, like many shows have tried to do. While these shows are not intentionally being racist to a specific crowd, they do affect certain schemas that allow us to think in a way that Jhally suggests.

While it may seem relatively innocent, the concept of enlightened racism does not have the greatest effect on the viewers. It hides and distorts the actual reality of how most black people live in society. Enlightened racism also relieves the viewer of any responsibility for the inequalities that are present, but not always noticeable.