Response to Hip-hop Feminism

Response to Hip-hop Feminism Let Me Blow Your Mind: Response to Hip-hop Feminism In Let Me Blow Your Mind: Hip Hop Feminist Futures in Theory and Praxis, Lindsey explores the origins of hip-hop feminism, its relation to Black feminism(s), and its application to urban education. She also challenges the centralization of the African American male perspective in hip-hop by focusing on the Black and Brown girls and womens, transgender people of colors, and queer people of colors lived experiences. In this essay, I will examine the social context of the writer, how she describes current realities, how she analysis these realities, her vision and strategy for the future, and how the historical contacts affects this theory. I will end by sharing how this theory has relevance to my own life. Dr. Treva Lindsey is currently a professor at the Ohio State University in the Womens, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College and her Masters and Ph.D. from Duke University. She specializes in Black feminist theory, womens history, and popular culture studies along with work in critical race and gender theory, sexual politics, and African diaspora studies (Treva Lindsey). Lindsey is a self-described diva feminist, which she describes as being audacious, vibrant, passionate, and fierce in [her] dedication to eradicating racism, poverty, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, and other forms of socio-historical, political, and cultural oppression and exploitation (Lindsey), who is informed by Black feminist theory, hip-hop feminism, and her position as an African American woman in academia. In her publication, Lindsey states that women and girls not only play an integral role in the formation and sustaining of hip-hop culture(s) but also provide distinct standpoints, perspectives, and interventions into one of the most powerful cultural movements of late-20th and early-21st centuries (Lindsey 53). This idea is the base of hip-hop feminism that argues these contributions and perspectives are ignored or exploited by hip-hop culture. Lindsey describes several key theoretical interventions of hip-hop feminismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦including bringing wreck, kinetic orality, sonic pleasure, percussive resistance, and Black girl standpoint theory (Lindsey 55) to challenge the devaluation of womens and girls engagement with hip-hop (Lindsey 53). This devaluation benefits the African American male perspective in hip-hop which, as hip-hop feminism has argued against, has led to pervasive sexism and misogynyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in rap music (Lindsey 62). Lindsey starts her analysis of this reality by first exploring the relationship, and the differences, between Black feminism(s) and hip-hop feminism. She explains that there are material and discursive differencesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦between second-wave Black feminists and women of the hip-hop generation (Lindsey 56). While both feminisms address sexism and the patriarchy, Black feminists do not believe it is possible to base a feminist epistemology in a movement where sexism and misogyny thrive. Hip-hop feminism argues for a feminism that considers the messiness and lived contradictions of human experience (Lindsey 56), such as the women who participate in a culture such as hip-hop, to better understand the reality of women and girls. Lindsey describes this argument perfectly stating if we do not take seriously the pleasure girls and women derive from music, even misogynistic and sexist music, we miss an opportunity to theorize the complexities of women and girls pleasure and enjoyment (L indsey 63). The analysis continues with her challenging the African American male as the subject of hip-hop. As stated, she used the theoretical interventions of bringing wreck, kinetic orality, sonic pleasure, percussive resistance, and Black girl standpoint theory to argue Black and brown womens and girls roles in creating and sustaining hip-hop culture. Activities such as hand-games, Double-Dutch, and childhood chants are ways girls learn to preform race and gender, while constructing a musical Blackness, that then becomes a pivotal part of hip-hop (Lindsey). However, this musical Blackness is also vilified in the hip-hop community as shown by Lindseys twerking example. The co-optation of twerking coupled with its decontextualized deployments in mass media also mirrors histories of cultural appropriation, hyper-sexualization of Black women and girls, and the demonization and devaluation of Black cultural forms and social practices performed by Black people (Lindsey 60). While Lindsey never explicitly states her vision, it is clear that she wants hip-hop to move away from the misogyny and sexism it is known for and for women and girls to both develop new music and to think critically about the music they listen to. She discusses hip-hop education as a possible strategy to address these concerns. Its been shown that the problematic lyrics and images of rap music were secondary to the beat of the music for the girls, even as the girls critiqued the music for its derogatory content (Love 91). This means that teaching women and girls media literacy will help them recognize the misogyny and sexism in music but not stop them from enjoying the genre; which may lead to more of these women and girls to either move towards music, in the same genre, that is less or not misogynistic or to create music that does not have these themes of misogyny. Creation of new music in the hip-hop genre is where hip-hop education can play an important role. Brown argues that we do not hear Black girls or their truths because their sound is at best misunderstood, and at worst, framed as problematic. According to Brown, the tonality of Black girls is the core of their expressivity, but often receives admonishment because of its juxtaposition to acceptable performances of girlhood' (Lindsey 61). Some hip-hop education organizations, such as Saving Our Lives Hear Our Truths (SOLHOT), demand that grown-ups not tell Black girls to quiet downà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to experience Black girls unique voices and articulations (Lindsey 62). Giving space for these girls to think critically about the messages around them and to develop their own voice and sound will enable them to influence the world and music around them in ways they could not before. Hip-hop feminism has its roots in the hip-hop movement of the late 20th century and Black feminism(s). In 1999, when cultural critic and journalist Joan Morgan coined the term hip-hop feminist, she did not imagine how instrumental her framing of her standpoint as someone simultaneously rooted in both hip-hop and Black feminism(s) would be for the emergence of the scholarly subfield, women in hip-hop (Lindsey 55). Lindsey uses hip-hop feminism to analyze women and girls contributions to the hip-hop genre, to challenge the centering of the African American male perspective in hip-hop, and to suggest possible ways to change the misogyny and sexism in the genre. Hip-hop feminism was created when women of the hip-hop generation felt Black feminism(s) did not apply to their lives because it did not view them as both empowering and problematic. This context created what Morgan called a functional feminism that focused on the unique lives and experiences of the women of the hip-hop generatio n. Unfortunately, I could not discuss every topic Lindsey addressed in this response. I chose to focus on Lindseys descriptions of musical Blackness and hip-hop education because those ideas have the most relevance to my current time and location. As a science educator, I am passionate about minority representation in and access to the sciences. I want the content I teach to be accessible to anyone who walks into my classroom but that is only possible if I ensure my classroom environment is safe for everyone. There are several aspects of hip-hop education that I could bring into my classroom, such as experience Black girls unique voices and articulations (Lindsey 62) as it applies to scientific discovery and inquiry, that would make the space more welcoming to students. By applying hip-hop feminist pedagogy to my classroom, I could help students see themselves as scientists. Lindsey uses hip-hop feminism to challenge the idea that the subject of hip hop is the African American male and to inform educational techniques to empower girls of color. While the theory itself does not have much relevance to my life, its application in the classroom could help me introduce the world of science to students in a way that is enjoyable. Hip-hop feminism may be generationally specific with a focus on critical race theory but it is applicable to many situations as Lindsey showed by applying it to both the hip-hop community, the classroom, and violence against transgender and queer individuals. Work Cited Lindsey, Treva. Blog post. A Diva Feminist. Blogger.com, 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 4 Mar. 2017. . Lindsey, Treva. Let Me Blow Your Mind: Hip Hop Feminist Futures in Theory and Praxis. Urban Education. 50.1 (2015): 52-77. Web. Love, Bettina. Hip hops lil sistas speak: Negotiating hip hop identities and politics  in the New South. Peter Lang. 2012. Treva Lindsey. Womens Gender and Sexuality Studies. N.p., 5 Feb. 2015. Web. 4 Mar. 2017. .

Formal Letter

Poor Maintenance of Taman JayadiriI am writing this letter on behalf of the residents of Taman Jayadiri to complain about the dismal conditions we have been putting up with for the past three months. 2. One of the main grouses of the residents concerns uncollected rubbish (point 1). Initially, rubbish was collected three times a week. However, since June this year the garbage collectors have only been coming once a week. Our litter bins are always filled to the brim and we have no choice but to leave our bags of rubbish next to the bins. The rotting waste causes a terrible stench (point 2). Worse still, stray cats and dogs scatter the rubbish (point 3) while looking for food. This is not only unpleasant but also unhealthy.3. Most of the drains in Taman Jayadiri are clogged (point 4) with rubbish resulting in the water becoming stagnant. It is not uncommon to see plastic bags, bottles and dry leaves in these drains. There is an urgent need to clear these drains as the stagnant water i s an idealbreeding ground for mosquitoes (point 5). The residents are worried as there has been a sharp increase in dengue cases (point 6) in the last two months.4. The street lights along several roads are also not working (point 7). This has caused several accidents at night (point 8), mostly involving motorcyclists as they are unable to see in the dark. Unfortunately, the dark streets have also led to another problem – an increase in crime (point 9). Several residents, especially women, have fallen victim to snatch thieves. 5. The one and only playground in our area is also not well-maintained (point 10). The grass is  overgrown (point 11) as it has not been cut for almost three months. Besides, the playground equipment is damaged (point 12). Many of the see-saws and swings have been spoiled by vandals. I hope the council will look into our complaints and take prompt action to solve our problems. Thank you.Yours faithfully,Raisya Zahraa Binti Hairul Hisyam Suggestions On the Changes Need To Be Done To The LibraryMy intention of writing this letter is to inform you that our school library needs changesto attract more students to visit it. In relation to that, I would like to offer my suggestionson the changes need to be done to the library. 2. The number of novels should be increased as the fiction section lacks books. Manystudents feel disappointed because they cannot find their favourite novels in the library.Besides, the library needs to have dictionaries of the latest edition since the present dictionaries are not up to date and they are not really helpful to students in completing the English assignment 3. The shelves and furniture should be rearranged because the positions are notconducive to reading.During peak hours many students have to sit on the floor and between shelves and this hinder them from reading comfortably. The wall need to berepainted as well for the reason that the dull wall colour kills the students’ inter est inspending their free time in the library. Some said the colour encourages them to sleep while reading. 4. Apart from that, the library needs more fans or be air-conditioned due to   poor ventilation. Many students cannot stand the heat especially during the afternoon hours.Moreover, more librarians should be placed at the counter because of the long queue during recess.A few will miss their meals and might lose concentration later in class due to hunger. 5. It is my hope that you will view my suggestions and comments constructively anddo something to upgrade the conditions of the library in order to create a conducive reading environment. Thank you.Yours faithfully, Raisya (RAISYA ZAHRAA BT HAIRUL HISYAM)Letter of ComplaintRaju a/l Lingam, 123 A, Lorong Bahagia, Taman Sentosa, 07231 Bandar Baru Sentol, KelantanThe President, Bandar Baru Sentol Council, Kompleks Utama, 07200 Bandar Baru Sentol 16 JUNE 2011Dear Sir, Uncollected Rubbish and Clogged DrainsI am writing this letter is to attract your attention to the above title. As the representative of the community, I am calling to tell you that the 300 odd residents living in Taman Sentosa are extremely unhappy about the lackadaisical attitude of the local town council towards the uncollected  rubbish and clogged drains in our area.2. The rubbish in our area has not been collected for more than a week. The rubbish is supposed to be collected on alternate days but this has not been the case. The town council workers collect the rubbish according to their own whims and fancies. The uncollected garbage has attracted not only flies and mosquitoes but also wild dogs which had attacked the residents on several occasions. These stray animals also scatter the rubbish and make the roads dirty and smelly. As a result, residents have to bear the discomfort of stench from the garbage and risk their health.3. We are also disappointed with the town council workers for not clearing the clogged drains which are filled with rubbish. The drains would usually overflow when there is heavy rain and the rubbish would then flow into the compounds of our houses. Besides, putting up with the unbearable stench emitted from them, the residents have to spend hours cleaning their compounds of rotten vegetables, food leftovers and other rubbish.4. Due to dengue outbreak recently, we are really concerned about the residents’ health especially the children. Fogging service also was not done accordingly to the schedule. The fogging authority only did their job whenever a case of dengue aroused. They even fogging the neighbourhood late at night that caused us to leave the residents. They need to consider the residents who have babies and also to those who need to wake up early in the morning for work. The fogging also caused the people to have breathing problem when we were not told the exact time of fogging.5. We have made numerous appeals to the Municipal Council to look into our complaints but to no avai l. We have been putting up with this predicament for more than a week. We hope the health authorities would do something to check these health hazards.Thank you.Yours faithfully,

Fashion Sexuality And Fashion Pornography - 1830 Words

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The Power and Importance of Treasure, in Beowulf - 882 Words

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