“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.”
-Mark Twain
Personally I believe this. There are no new ideas, just manifestations and transmutations of the same nuances: artistic movements, fashion, music, and even historic events seem to demonstrate this. However, I posit, that though there may be no new ideas, there is certainly a source for them. It is my firm belief that anything interesting, cool, or trendy finds its roots in black culture. In a world where whiteness is equated to normalness, blackness (or browness of any sort) is considered as exotic and used to season or spice up the blandness of white culture. In my opinion bell hooks puts it best:
“The commodification of Otherness has been so successful because it is offered as a new delight, more intense, more satisfying than normal ways of doing and feeling. Within commodity culture, ethnicity becomes spice, seasoning that can liven up the dull dish that is mainstream white culture.”
It is the nature of consumption that bothers me the most in this situation. The greed and insatiable hunger to demean while at the same time appropriate, that is confusing and infuriating about white mainstream media. It disgusts me to see some becky walking down the street in a dashiki tshirt dress raving “it’s so tribal, I love it.” I hate seeing Katy Perry with gelled baby hair or in a tone deaf music video using Egyptian culture as her back drop. I never want to hear white people singing “I love my negro nose,” In unison with Beyonce or any person of color ever again. However, in all my anger there’s understanding (still anger but some understanding); my culture and history are coveted because it is beautiful. Most of what I have learned has come from my parents. Some of my fondest memories are of the music my parents would listen to, the conversations we had, and the food they cooked, so in honor of black music month I have curated a playlist commemorating not only my culture but the parts that my parents taught/gave to me through music:
The Supremes – STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE
Prince – MUSICOLOGY
James Brown – SAY IT LOUD, I’M BLACK AND I’M PROUD
India Arie – BROWN SKIN
Michael Jackson – HUMAN NATURE
Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington – IT DON’T MEAN A THING
Stevie Wonder – I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU
Thanks for reading! make sure to follow us on twitter and on instagram @CultureOTB for more maddening things each week!
xoxo,
Coco & Phatz
Culture out the Box 