Citizen: an American lyric: Rankine’s understanding of human interactions.

In one of my previous blogs, I explored the relationship between race and media representations. I explained how Surya Bolany’s experience as a black athlete was significant in understanding the media’s ability to shape black identity.Now, I would like to further explore how media representations are influencing our understanding of race. However, before I embark on this venture, it is significant to remember that the viewer does not passively consume message from the media (as discussed by Stuart Hall). The individual uses their own experiences to decode the meaning behind the message. Consequently, an individual of colour watching Serena William’s angry “outburst” may feel a shared sense of frustration. Since their daily interactions with the other race may invoke similar reactions. This is something a viewer who has never experienced racism may not be able to appreciate or understand. Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric recognises this, and attempts to highlight the state of mind of the many people subjected to racist remarks.

Citizen: An American Lyric delves into the inner psyche of the racialized other. She explores the troubles, self-doubt and feelings of paranoia suffered by African Americans (note:her discourse is not solely confined to this racial group). This is refreshing, as most conversations surrounding race try to explain why or understand how. Rankine seeks to reveal to the reader the emotional conflict and turmoil experienced by black people. She achieves this by demonstrating a link between words and the effect they have on the receiver. More specifically, the effects of being either invisible or hypervisible in a white world. Rankine refers to the “quotidian struggles against dehumanization every black or brown person” faces. The term “quotidian” indicates that this struggle occurs daily and is therefore experienced in everyday life. The multiple vignettes recreate the recurrent problems encountered by individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds.She argues that emotions such as anger are believed to be linked solely to the performance of blackness, rather than the actual emotional state of the individual.

Tracie Hunt (in the podcast for Radiolab)  attempts to understand the feelings of paranoia black people may experience, as a result of racism. She proclaimes:

“I can’t imagine what it must be like, well I can imagine what it must be like, well, on that scale. To be the only one. And there is this, I think, for, you know, a friend of mine once told me that racism can make black people crazy. Which is a very broad way of looking at it. In the sense that you kind of almost never know why people are reacting to you the way they do. […] It can make you feel a little paranoid, a little crazy”.

The root causes of these feelings of paranoia are explained by Rankine through various real-life interactions between both races. For instance, she describes a hypothetical conversation between two colleagues:

“Despite the fact that you have a sabbatical schedule as everyone else, he says, you are always on a sabbatical. you are friends so you respond, easy

what do you mean?

Exactly, what do you mean?”

From this conversation it can be deduced that the imagined individual is somewhat troubled by their friend’s remark. Therefore, he/she assumes that the words may have been censured, anticipating a meaning that has not been fully articulated or hidden. This elicits the response easy, as if expecting a confrontation. The individual (presumably black) does not fully understand why they have responded in this manner, but knows this is not the first time a comment like this has been made towards her/him.

Similar assumptions were made by Serena Williams when she was foot faulted on a crucial point. She believed that she was being “robbed” from the opportunity to win her match. Importantly, this is the first presumption she makes, despite the fact that other reasons may have forced the line judge to intervene.Rankine suggests that Serena’s reaction was not caused by losing a point unfairly. Instead, this moment has embedded in it multiple moments of frustration. In other words, her anger is a response to an accumulation of similar occurrences. Rankine opens up this moment to scrutinise it’s significance, and demonstrating the weight of history attached to it. Serena could be likened to a tortured caged animal, subjecting its owner to the suffering it endured. Her comment: “‘If I could, I’d take this ball and shove it down your throat”, was interpreted by the line judge as “I am going to kill you”. Serena was left defending herself extensively, denying those words ever came out of her mouth. William’s comment could be interpreted as a form of  displacement. Freud would argue that Serena in that moment expressed a desire to silence people that have subjected her to racism. Just like they have tried to silence her over the years.

Despite all the fame and success she has achieved Williams still has episodes of paranoia were she warns the umpire or line judge not to start on her, even though they are simply informing her that the ball was indeed out.

Citizen: An American lyric as a book defies the conventions of literature. It can be described as poetry, criticism, or even a political essay. Rankine constant use of art can be interpreted as a method of illuminating the words on the page. An attempt to extent the meaning prescribed to every word she uses beyond the page. Arguably within any work of art the creator’s personal and cultural experiences are hidden. Therefore by including artists’ works in her book, Rankine adds their personal struggles and experiences to that of her own. Their is a sense of universality and collectiveness to the issues of race that she explores. Race is no longer an individual problem, it is an issue perpetuated by interactions between two racial groups. Furthermore, Rankine acknowledges that racial prejudice and suffering is widespread, but is also aware that her readership will not have a common cultural experience. Zidanze outburst (head-butting Materazzi) was similar to Serena’s “antics” on the tennis court. Both of these athletes come from a distinctly separate cultural background, and are not of the same sex.  They are united nonetheless by their frustration, and sense of confinement. Both of these athletes are being trussed into a racialised discourse.

Additionally, the deliberate  use of the pronoun “you” in multiple prose narrating experiences of black people, suggests that she wants the reader to embody the pronoun, and imagine themselves in the same situation. A black reader may feel like these instances mimick his/her own experiences. Therefore, they may easily and comfortably assume this role. On the other hand, a white reader may feel out of place trying to imitate or become the other, since their experiences differ. The pronoun urges the reader to assume both roles in an imaginary encounter, and allow Rankine to demonstrate the inherent tensions that exists between being invisible and hypervisible.

Rechnology-an intertwining of race and technology.

Race as technology is a metaphor that widens the connotations of racial identification. Wendy Chun chooses to disseminate modern and historical perception of race by demonstrating the profound relationship between technology and race. Chun argues against the notion that race is “purely biological”. A biological definition of race suggests that “visible traces of the body are tied to allegedly innate invisible characteristics”. In other words, an individual’s appearance is intrinsically bound up with their inner characterisation. Chun firmly opposes this, and identifies the need to look beyond the colour of an individual’s skin, and acknowledge the differences that exist within each and every one of us.

For Chun the only way the power of racism can be undone is by denaturalizing race. More specifically, “to loosen the connection between the bodily sign of race and what it signifies”. This indicates that Chun wants race to be no longer seen as something innate, and biologically determined. She seeks to extend the definition of race allowing it to account for individual differences. Race should not be something redundant and simplistic, Chun recognises this and repeatedly complicates our understanding of the term. However, it is not enough to come to the consensus that race signifies more than the colour of one’s skin. Some critics have replaced the term biology with culture in an attempt to pragmatically redefine the noun to fit modern standards of identification. Chun suggests that race should not be understood as “purely biological” or “purely cultural”. This is because race has always been a mix of science, art, and culture.

Moreover, she incorporates historical struggles of race into her argument. Thus, mapping the evolution race through time. Chun focuses much of her discussion on significant historical events such as the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement in the US. These events demonstrates how race and technology are intertwined. The era of slavery in the USA was confounded with racial ambivalence. The term was used to group an entire population of people, and to account for the existence of a racialized other without acknowledging their humanity. Chun describes segregation as a “racial techonology” that created “stark racial differences” where none existed. According to her, this allowed for the myth of absolute racial difference to excel, and ensured that “blacks” were always seen as slaves. Segregation was a way of retaliating against the blurred social and racial lines invoked by technology itself. Chun makes use of Hale’s observation to further explain her preposition. Hale suggested that whiteness was signified by first class trains in the nineteenth century. This space was intruded by wealthy middle class blacks, who entered the “semi-public sphere” wearing smart attire. The public isolation of these two opposing racial divisions diminished, and this in turn incited confusion. Consequently, segregation was used to prevent technology from allowing people of colour to escape their history. To state it plainly segregation was used to produce and cultivate difference.

The music video Many Moons by Janelle Monae can be seen as a modern attempt to redefine racial standards. It can especially be interpreted as an effort to use technology as a method of renegotiation. Janelle takes an image that has been circulating for many years (slave auctioning) and utilises it to problematise the representation of race. This video juxtaposes runway modelling with auction bidding in an attempt to re-enact slave auctioning in the US. Monae embodies multiple personas, one of them being Cindy Mayweahter, the performer. Whilst numerous incarnations of Monae walk the runway in various attires, white bourgeoisie clients bid for these commodities on display. This process is conducted in a futuristic setting with Monae’s characters resembling human robots. Monae is using the platform of music to recreate history, and challenge modern perceptions of race. She is not only inserting herself into a moment in history that has been used by racist technology repeatedly to spread false ideologies, she is also dictating as an artist how this moment is redefined in a contemporary setting. Additionally, racial struggle is being transformed into a form of art that is accessible to many, and which has been created from the view point of the subjugated individual.

The striking scene at the end of the video of Mayweather being electrocuted may be Monae’s way of capturing the pain and torture her ancestors have suffered as colonial subjects and slaves. This imagery also reinforces the notion that the black body was for so long synonymous with aggression, suffering and degradation. The African body is presented to the viewer as a site of struggle. By allowing an historical event to take place in the future, Monae could be asking the viewer to question whether freedom has actually been attained post-civil rights movement, and opens up this discourse to viewers of all colour.

Furthermore, this music video arguably also anticipates a return of racial conflict. This is significant as this work of art was released in 2008. The year in which America elected its first ever black president (Barack Obama). For many this event marked a new era in American political history, however Monae could be reminding the public of the impact slavery has had on the American conceptualisation of race.

The media and race representations: can we truly escape stereotypical ideologies?

I was enthralled by the podcast entitled ‘On the Edge’ (by Radiolab). The topic of discussion was the story of Surya Bonaly. The rebellious Figure Skater. The tumbling star gone rogue. Her story captures the predicament that many women of colour still face today. Her talents were undermined simply because of the colour of her skin. Surya was born in Nice, and from African descent. She always dreamed of being a successful figure skater. She worked hard, and finally made it onto the world stage. However, her arrival was marred with hostility and negativity.

At first, the commentators and general public were drawn to her, because she was different from all the other female skaters. She challenged the conventional image of a sport which was defined by elegance, artistry and beauty. On the surface, this sudden rise to notoriety could be perceived as something positive. However, the attention Surya was receiving (at that time) was not in any way due to her unique unorthodox talents. Even though, she was a naturally athletic and gifted skater. The world was captivated by  “the contrast of her skin on the ice”. A politer way of saying: OMG, she is black. All the other skaters were white “beautiful” girls, and this turned Surya into (what Simone de Beavioure would term) the Other.  The world’s reaction reinforced this. She seemed as absurd to them as Victor’s creation, Frankenstein. Soon ignorant and ridiculous rumours started to spread about her. For instance, it was believed that she was adopted from a coconut farm in Africa. Her diet consisted solely of bird seeds, and she never cut her hair.

.

In other words, she was seen by many as an alien. Nothing more than a spectacle. As laughable as this may seem, this was the reaction of the media at the time. Surya’s team perpetuated these rumours, explaining that the world wanted to believe this narrative. More specifically, these were ideas already circulating, and her team endeavored to solidify these misconceptions by repeatedly sending the same messages to the public. This suggests that a truth can be constructed through repetition. However, does this mean as viewers or receivers we are more likely to consume messages without decoding, if the message is constantly repeated?

An influential sport critique explained that the problem with Surya was that she was not “artistic” in her style. In an interview, she proclaimed “everything about skating is built on circles”. Therefore, her problem with Surya was that she skated on a “straight line”. Her style was not only unorthodox, but she also sounded uncanny on the ice. The main critique she received was that she was not “graceful” like the other female skaters. This narrative was continuously repeated, and used to distract the viewers from the actual problem. Her race. The term “athletic” was used over and over again to diminish her natural ability. This adjective became her identity. The phrase “too muscular” defined her aesthetically. Does this narrative not remind you of the current predicament facing sports women like Simone Biles, Serena William and Venus Williams?  Can they not be seen as the modern equivalents of Surya? The real issue is that black women will never be seen as “normal”. Many talented, beautiful and gifted black women are caged by racist, demeaning and insulting labels.

Memes such as these found readily on the web epitomize the dominant attitude towards black women. The term “masculine” is thrown at athletic black women, and their femininity is undermined. Barbaric associations made with their physical features, and this has a negative impact on the way black people view themselves.

All these women are unable to escape the constrains of their race. Surya’s actions are seen as deviant, even though her intentions are to solely express herself. for instance, the infamous “back flip”  was described by many as “a middle finger to the establishment”. However, for Surya the meaning of this acrobatic gesture was a claim of ownership. The media’s ability to create “good” and “bad” images is prevalent and evident in the representation of Surya. Writer and social activist Bell Hook discusses the concept of constructing images, and how this influences perception.

“For some time now the critical challenge for black folks has been to expand the discussion of race and representation beyond debates about good and bad imagery. Often what is thought to be good is merely a reaction against representations created by white that were blatantly stereotypical”.  -Bell Hooks

According to Hook, the issue is no longer about turning bad images into positive ones, because even the “good” images are polluted with stereotypical colonial ideas. These images are reactionary, and do not resist popular representation. Consequently, in order to expand racial discussions beyond the restrains of good and bad, one must actively challenge and transform images created on the basis of colonial ideology. Hook presents the media as a site of struggle between positive and negative images, and seeks to end this ancient and tiresome battle. It is time to challenge images such as “the angry black woman”, which is still used to undermine black people’s emotions. Even Michelle Obama has expressed a sense of exhaustion in regards to this matter, after she was subjected to media criticism for her “angry resting face”.

We are not passive consumers of Popular-Culture or Literature, thank you very much.

Stuart Hall in Notes on Deconstructing the Popular[1] discusses how media messages are produced, circulated and consumed. Hall suggests that the act of consuming popular culture is not passively conducted. He refutes the view that the masses consume mindlessly. I believe he accurately describes the modern process of viewing. Think about it like this, when we are watching our favourite television series, we don’t just sit there blankly staring at the screen. As viewers, we respond to the messages being transmitted on the TV screen. Hall refer to this process as “decoding”, and argues that an individual’s response is influenced by their social and cultural background. For instance, some of us may simply decide to cry in a corner, and morn our favourite character’s death. While, others may turn to social media to express their outrage, or directly contest the original content by creating an elaborate piece of fan-fiction. This piece of fan-fiction may circulate around the web, and begin a mass movement. This is what happened after viewers of The Walking Dead noticed a “connection” between Rick and Michonne. Fan-fictions started to be produced, one of which the AMC producers must have read. Since, “Richonne” is no longer living in the imaginary realm. That’s right, they are now official, and I could not be happier.

I would like to argue that this same process of “decoding” is used when analysing literature. As a student of English Literature, I am constantly critically examining texts, and responding to the original text by writing essays on my findings. I am not passively reading numerous pages of writing (in other words, I am not a robot). I see myself as a decoder of literature. I also believe that contemporary pop-culture can be analysed in order to gain a critical understanding of the social conventions, practices and beliefs it claims to depict. Similarly, one can scrutinise a novel to obtain an insightful understanding of the same concepts. I will come back to this point later in my post.

For now, I want to discuss another observation that many of you may have already made as individuals living in the 21^st century. Our lives are saturated with content denoting popular-culture. To prove this, I will make use of a short narrative relaying the events that may occur on a hypothetical Saturday morning.

You wake up in the morning, and flex your muscles in attempt to shake off the worries of yesterday. While doing this, your phone vibrates informing you of new: Facebook, Instagram or Twitter notifications. A quick smile spreads across your face, and you strictly tell yourself: I am only going to quickly check my notification, no more than 10 minutes. Two hours later, the sound of your stomach churning distracts you. To combat the hunger demons, you rush into the kitchen and pick up a box of cereal. As you are eating, you cannot help but notice the striking promotional offer (half-price cinema tickets) on the box. This initiates a day-dream involving you going to see the new Tom Cruise movie: Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. After satisfying your morning craving, you pick up the television remote, and turn on the TV. This is a habitual thing, an instantaneous action. The first channel you tune into is advertising a re-run of Friends on another channel from the same network. Can anybody resist watching Friends? You find the channel only to be stalled from watching an episode by advertisements. One of them being the trailer of Jack Reacher 2.

 

I hope by intertwining popular culture and literature, I have convincingly made my point. It is everywhere.  So, is it not acceptable to argue that modern day conversations reflect this? The language we use to communicate is already filled with clichés. Now, we cannot refrain from making references to popular culture in our everyday speech, since we are surrounded by signs and symbols representing various mediums of entertainment. In the last couple of days how many times have you asked any of the following questions to a friend or relative: so, have you watched any good shows recently?/ did you watch the latest episode of_? This may explain why novelists are including pop-culture references in their work. I am an avid reader of contemporary realist novels, and I have noticed countless references to movies, TV shows and celebrities. This is permissible since a realist novel is “a type of novel that places a strong emphasis on the truthful representation of the actual in fiction. […] The materials [the writer] elects to describe are the common, the average, the everyday.”[2] Therefore, the conversations that occur between characters mirror those that occur in real life.

The excerpt above is taken from Dana Spoitta’s novel Innocent and Others. When I first read it, I felt like I was eavesdropping on an actual conversation. Therefore, novelists may decide to include references to popular culture in their work to truthfully recreate reality in their fiction.

[1] Hugh Hollman, A Handbook to Literature.

[2] Stuart Hall, Encoding/Decoding.