Introductory Presentation on Power Point

By Terry P.

Objective

• This presentation is a summary of a brief article I’ve read in Montreal’s Voir.

• The name of the article is “Les blancs et la culture noire.”

• The presentation consists of 5 slides.

• Hope you enjoy.

• The cover of Voir for the week of April 27th to May 3rd 2000 showed a white youth in blackface.

• The picture itself is sensationalist and certainly attracts attention.

• Nicolas Berube’s article discusses the White mainstream’s appropriation of Black hip-hop culture.

• The caption “cet echange n’est pas que positif” translates as “this exchange (of cultures) can only be positive.”

• A closer reading of the article reveals that it is an interview with Susan Gubar from University of Indiana. And her quote was “cet echange n’est pas forcement positif,” which makes a world of difference: “this exchange is not necessarily positive.”

• Gubar states that media facilitates the commercialisation and thus the White mainstream appropriation of Black hip-hop culture.

• Many young White people appropriate Black ways of dressing and music as a way to be cool or to rebel against the conservative mainstream.

• Gunbar’s conclusion is that everyone needs to be critical about what is put out in the mainstream and its media.

• She basically sees White people interacting more with the stereotypes of Blacks in the media, than Black peoples themselves.

• For her, this type of cultural exchange is superficial and serves no real purpose in making real social and political connections.