Sunday, July 31, 2011

The Entire Concept Leaves Me Utterly...Bamboozled.

   One of the movies that rocked my sheltered, suburban world almost a year ago was "Bamboozled". It was released in 2000 by Spike Lee, and features an all-star cast, with names such as Savion Glover, Damon Wayans, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tommy Davidson, Michael Rapaport, Mos Def - and many more. Before I go further about how it affected my way of thinking, watch first this clip from episode one of "The Boondocks":



   Here, Huey imagines telling "the truth" to white people, and the damaging affect it could have on their fragile world. In his imagination, everyone at the garden party that heard the truth immediately broke down and began a violent riot - women screamed, chairs were thrown, random ninjas attacked, and a man was lit on fire. Later in the episode, Huey's "dream" does come true - he attends a garden party full of the Caucasian bourgeoisie, and attempts to tell the "the truth" - but instead of rioting, or even becoming upset, they applaud Huey's eloquent manor of speech. 

   This basic idea - that when the truth is heard, one that would turn our worlds upside-down, we will not listen - is the central theme to Spike Lee's "Bamboozled". I will not give a dissertation of its full plot - if you haven't watched it, it's a must-see. If you already have, you may have shared in my experiences, or at least shook your head at the absolute "Coon"-ism which was revealed in our society. 

   Still on the topic of "Coon"-ism, in my earlier post, I attempted to relate the theory that our current image of "Swag" is, in fact, "Coon"-ism. While delving into other issues (which I will address in due time), "Bamboozled" has it's own ideas about what "swag" actually is. At first glance, you'd want to laugh. But when watched closely and listened to, can you not hear a hint of "the truth" behind it all? Here's a clip from a "commercial" from the film:






   There are almost too many areas to address with this commercial. So-called "urban" retailers owned and created by Caucasians - and then replicated by African American-owned retailers, thus refreshing the cycle and stereotype of "swag", while not erasing any of the original consequences of buying into it. Another issue would be the term "ghetto" and what it, today, means. Yet another would be the lack of censorship on television - the images of success American media tattoos onto our brains from an early age: that it comes from what you buy, not what you do. 

   I will only touch on that last issue by saying somehow, I would not be surprised if I saw a commercial like this on BET someday - "Black Entertainment Television", as owned and outputted by Caucasians. What do you think we could do to stop this cycle? What CAN we do, besides create a coup in the largest of media corporations to take back what airwaves reach our homes? I already applaud such up-coming apparel companies like Coup d'etat Brooklyn, and dNBe Apparel - who are struggling (and becoming quite successful) at creating more than just a clothing line, but also, a movement. But a movement is only as great as its supporters. Pioneers cannot create a new world if no one follows suit, which is the problem for so many of the various organizations gearing towards the betterment of our race as a whole. 

   The entire concept leaves me utterly Bamboozled.

P.S. - If you know of any other such companies, why not list them here? I will edit this post in a few days to include your suggestions. 

1 comment:

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