What is "black culture"? (Atlanta: buying, living, eat)

[PalpatineJones]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

Ever since the corporate power structure became aware of the rap/hip hop genre(s), it's been steadily going down the tubes. Now it seems that the culture of "gangsta rap" has taken on a life of its own. Maybe it speaks to the issue that there are a significant group of people who needs to belong to something, people who needs some sort of affirmation that they matter, at least to each other. Indians have their Hinduism and assorting practices & the Irish have their St Patrick's day...

So what do us black folks have? What unique cultural practices outside of rap & pigfeet affirms our identity & binds us closely together? Because it seems like we are missing something...

Well we do have the angriest women on the planet in our race, I guess we all could be proud of that.

[PalpatineJones]

Originally Posted by mdiggs1

4. Coolness - black people do everything cool. The way we dress, wear our hair, drink lemonade, clip our toenails, pay taxes. No other people have as much flavor as black Americans. We have a culture of being cool, or tying to be cool.

5

That applies to blacks born before 1980....the new blacks have to be hard. Being hard is the new cool. Sad times.

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by Merin

Growing up we spent a week in Marthas Vineyard every summer and stayed in Oak Bluffs. Hows that?

O.k. Hillary Banks!!LOL

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by PalpatineJones

Well we do have the angriest women on the planet in our race, I guess we all could be proud of that.

OMG!!You did it now!!LOL!!Watch out their gonna eat you alive!!LOL.What next ,you gonna talk about "weave"?LOL!

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

I'll have to check with the African American culture Gods but you seem to be authentic in my book!

My motivation for asking this question about what passes for African American culture was based off the the real-life events like the murder of Dolla, the election of Barack Obama, black male/black female relations and other things that are too numerous to name. I just wondered what exactly it is that binds us black folks together and why those bindings don't seem to be holding a lot of us together as of late, at least not to my satisfaction.

But nevertheless, I am grateful for the responses I have gotten so far, and if my response is the last one, so be it. I just hope that there are others like myself who are just as concern about where our culture seems to be taking us.

I hear you but if you think about it,American culture comes largely from black people.However the negative things seem to always be associated with us more than the positive.

[StPaulEastSider]

Acidsnake:

Since this conversation is going nowhere fast... how about checking out the article for "African American Culture" @ Wikipedia ?

African American culture

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
_________________________________________________

CONTENTS

• 1 History
  • 1.1 Oral tradition
  • 1.2 Harlem Renaissance
  • 1.3 African American cultural movement
• 2 Music
• 3 Dance
• 4 Art
• 5 Literature
• 6 Museums
• 7 Language
• 8 Fashion and aesthetics
  • 8.1 Attire
  • 8.2 Hair
  • 8.3 Body image
• 9 Religion
  • 9.1 Christianity
  • 9.2 Islam
  • 9.3 Judaism
  • 9.4 Other religions
• 10 Life events
• 11 Cuisine
• 12 Holidays and observances
• 13 Names
• 14 Family
• 15 Politics and social issues
• 16 Neighborhoods
• 17 See also
• 18 References
• 19 External links

[equinox63]

Originally Posted by mdiggs1

Gangsta rap is NOT black culture, that is American culture. A lot of Americans like to hear violent rap lyrics, along with violent movies, violent books & magazines, Soap Operas, UFC & boxing, Flavor of Luv, the local news, etc. Americans like violence & drama; that is what sells. (Plus, there aren't enough black youth to help 50 Cent sell 12 million copies).

That's what gangsta rap does, it sells records, and these big record companies and their other media counterparts exploit that. That's why they flood the market with it, and that is what people are exposed to the most. If you only watch BET, MTV, and VH1 you begin to think that gangsta rap is what hip hop is all about, because that is all you see. They don't let other subgenres of hip hop in the door.

As real hip hop lovers know, the most respectable artists are underground artist that don't have major deals, and don't have their record being played every hour on the radio.

Record companies don't care about substance in music, they care about money.

And too many people trust their kids to television. You are not witnessing a culture of gangsta rap, but a culture of puppetry. Everything the gangsta rappers on television do, the kids (& some grown folks) emulate. If Lil Wayne, T.I., and Plies started wearing pink dresses, guess what? Pink dresses are now Gangsta.

I know some people may say "that would never happen." If you wore tight pants a few years ago, they'd call you a *** or lame. Thanks to Lil Wayne, look at the young hip hop kids in your community today.

http://cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/95...0.399x600.jpeg

True indeed and Well said. Well said...

Now if only our youth could recognize this. A colleague of mine told me how a popular black radio personality (from 107.9) told them that on "off peak" hours, the DJ has the freedom to play a variety of hip-hop ranging from Mos Def, to Common, to Lupe, to Kanye, to Nas, Jill Scott, Badu, etc... (whether they do is up to them and what people request).

But during peak hours (after school on weekdays and weekend nights), they are forced to play the most gangsta, pro crack-selling, women- abusing, violent, mind-numbing, sexual/money-oriented songs out (usually by wayward local artists). He said that they are mandated by their bosses (who are mandated by their non-black bosses) not to deviate from the selected "pistol-popping, ***** mongering, killa crack slangin'" rotation during peak hours or they would be seriously reprimanded.

Also, how can kids request the good stuff, if they don't even know it exists? This is why many are abandoning rap altogether and getting more into rock, etc. Most of today's young don't even know who the Dungeon Family is...

What do you think we can do about this series of events?

[AcidSnake]

Originally Posted by equinox63

True indeed and Well said. Well said...

Now if only our youth could recognize this. A colleague of mine told me how a popular black radio personality (from 107.9) told them that on "off peak" hours, the DJ has the freedom to play a variety of hip-hop ranging from Mos Def, to Common, to Lupe, to Kanye, to Nas, Jill Scott, Badu, etc... (whether they do is up to them and what people request).

But during peak hours (after school on weekdays and weekend nights), they are forced to play the most gangsta, pro crack-selling, women- abusing, violent, mind-numbing, sexual/money-oriented songs out (usually by wayward local artists). He said that they are mandated by their bosses (who are mandated by their non-black bosses) not to deviate from the selected "pistol-popping, ***** mongering, killa crack slangin'" rotation during peak hours or they would be seriously reprimanded.

Also, how can kids request the good stuff, if they don't even know it exists? This is why many are abandoning rap altogether and getting more into rock, etc. Most of today's young don't even know who the Dungeon Family is...

What do you think we can do about this series of events?

YIKES! I knew there something about the "Corporate machine" that I just didn't like.

So these guys are purposely force-feeding "gangsta" rap down our throats? This why these "Conservative" types will have a hard time convincing me about the merits of unregulated, unfettered "free markets". Because ultimately, someone has to win & that "winner" will use the power of monopoly & oligachy to force what he feels is the right vision over everybody else, regardless of the damage stemming from that "vision".

Removing the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 by the FCC & the liberalizing of the radio market that started with Ronald Reagan that allowed for this heavy consolidation of media markets contributed to this societal fall in morality. Yet these "Conservatives" that talk out of one side of their mouths about society's moral decay will on the other side extoll the love of money which in my opinion contributes to this fall in morality.

I can't even enjoy some relatively low cost radio anymore. Mega Corporations SUCK!!!

[AcidSnake]

Originally Posted by afonega1

OMG!!You did it now!!LOL!!Watch out their gonna eat you alive!!LOL.What next ,you gonna talk about "weave"?LOL!

It's interesting that the "weave" was brought up. I would also throw in colored eye contacts & blond wigs. So many of the sistas that I've had conversations with insist that because black men going to white women in droves(which I DO NOT see, and JET magazine proves that on a weekly basis) that they are forced to TRY to look like white women.

Yet, I do not know of anyone who has married a black woman just because they wore these heavy weaves, colored contacts & blond wigs. Usually it's because of simple things like cheeriness, good nature, great homekeeping, and all the other things that make life worth living. But then again it is just my experience. Does anybody else have something to add?

And by add, I mean in a constructive, none-insulting way WITHOUT the ad hominem personal attacks. Am I asking for too much?

[mdiggs1]

Originally Posted by equinox63

True indeed and Well said. Well said...

Now if only our youth could recognize this. A colleague of mine told me how a popular black radio personality (from 107.9) told them that on "off peak" hours, the DJ has the freedom to play a variety of hip-hop ranging from Mos Def, to Common, to Lupe, to Kanye, to Nas, Jill Scott, Badu, etc... (whether they do is up to them and what people request).

But during peak hours (after school on weekdays and weekend nights), they are forced to play the most gangsta, pro crack-selling, women- abusing, violent, mind-numbing, sexual/money-oriented songs out (usually by wayward local artists). He said that they are mandated by their bosses (who are mandated by their non-black bosses) not to deviate from the selected "pistol-popping, ***** mongering, killa crack slangin'" rotation during peak hours or they would be seriously reprimanded.

Also, how can kids request the good stuff, if they don't even know it exists? This is why many are abandoning rap altogether and getting more into rock, etc. Most of today's young don't even know who the Dungeon Family is...

What do you think we can do about this series of events?

What we can do about it is stop trusting television and other media to our kids. A lot of people let media teach their kids about who they are and how they need to be. They don't spend enough time with their kids or don't have enough positive activities for their children to be into.

-Media teaches our kids (I mean all kids) that if they are still virgins at 14 years old, they are worthless

-It teaches young black women the lighter you are the better you are, and your hair in its natural state is ugly. Beyonce is not a quality role model of black women because real black women don't look like her. Heck, she isn't even a quality role model for a white woman in my opinion.

-It teaches our kids that their value is based off the car they drive, the house they live in, the vacations they go on every year, the clothes & shoes they wear, etc. That's why our society is so materialistic.

-I know kids that have sold drugs because of this music on the radio and videos. Not just ghetto kids, but suburban kids. It makes them look "cool"; and you have suburban parents that have no idea or won't even believe you if you told them their children were drug dealers.

And the media perpetuates this drug culture.

I can write a book on this, LOL. This is getting a little too long. That's just a few points. I'll let somebody else come up with some more.