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.