Overview and Analysis of Hip-Hop and Blackness and Challenging the Neo-Minstrel

From how I read these two sections of the book I am not to sure I can provide an accurate overview. In the section of Hip-Hop and its Blackness it pretty much discussed how black people have been portrayed through all types of the media and how it has changed. Starting with shows like Heat of the Night, then the Jeffersons, then to Bamboozled and how they have changed the image of black people. It also covered how black image and artistry is involved in a political scene and how they are portrayed. In the section Challenging the Neo-Minstrel it focused more on how blacks are portrayed in a bad way or inaccurate way. It described more in detail of black people and the image of them being referred to as coons and why. I am struggling to understand this book but in my analysis of these two sections I would say it boils down to how all black people in general want to be portrayed based on their personal experience not from the eyes of a white man. It seems to me that they(black artist) classify the image of poverty, drugs, and violence as normal within their race and if a black person is not subject to that then they to are not worthy of having an opinion that opposes theirs. I also would say that these artist feel like the image they portray says something politically about where they stand in society and how they are mistreated. I don't know if I interpretted these sections correctly but I did read it with an open mind and I just don't understand the majority of the terminology and references they make to certain movies, songs, artist, or even historical events.

Proposal for Hip-Hop Revolution

On my paper this time I intendend to explain why hip-hop has an image. Often times this bad image is not excepted but I would like to prove a few reasons why artist feel the need to have a bad image to it's critics. With that said my target audience would be hip-hop critics such as Bill O'Reilly. My position is that most hip-hop artist have learned to use this image to make money and explain their daily encounters that they go through. I don't listen to alot of hip-hop but it seems to me that a cowboy wouldn't have a lot of credability singing about the slums or prejudice with the police. Since most hip-hop artist are black most critics cannot relate to the prejudice they have now and have had for a long time. I think that showing examples of how black people and hip-hop artist in general suffer from prejudice will be the best way to persuade my audience. I already know that black people feel prejudice from police, job opportunities, and financial status'. I also know that alot of the prejudices are based from the days of slavery. This paper should explain why this image is excepted with some people and not others as well as let the critics of hip-hop understand reasonable explanations for people to relate to hip-hop music and their image.

I didn't fully understand this chapter. As elementy as it sounds there were a lot of words that I didn't know which lead me to be unsure of some of the situation. The teenagers walked out of their Philadelphia HS because they did not want their school to be private. I believe they were attempting to make a stand for the inconsistencies in the Edison's School Inc. plan to make their school private like how the funding would brand them, how they were already in a sense branded, and things like the teachers salaries. I think the ethos that they have with each other is the sense of them being controlled as a group and not being included in important decision making issues. The residents of the Philidelphia shared an ethos of being controlled also they were not included in this decision. The parents shared the ethos of being controlled in an opinion but also being controlled about important decisions that may involve something very personal to them, their children. I'm not sure they shared to much of an ethos with the school board, media or Edison. Again, I don't fully understand this movement by the teens so it is very hard for me to determine the ethos. I don't think education is an actuall franchise it is just a system developed for children to get an education and it has worked with several modification for a very long time. I think that some people could see it as a franchise because there is always change. I think that it should have definately included the Philidelphia residents especially since it effects their children in many ways. I don't really see any way I am personally affected by any kind of franchising in school but I was there and am still here for a reason, that reason being to learn as long as I am not personally being charged for Pepsi or Coke to put a vending machine in I just don't care. I'm sure some of the money I pay goes to something that I would rather not support but it is the same way in my utility bills, credit card bills and taxes so it is hard for me to be very concerned. The government will some how find a way to always take advantage of us for some greater cause that we as individuals would find ridiculous so we don't have a lot of choice other than to vote when possible to change things or deal with it. I would only like to be consulted in a situation like this if I had a say so. If it is a situation that our opinion is not going to make an actuall difference then I might go along with the flow depending on the situation.

Project Proposal for Branded

When I sat down to write my project proposal I first had to think of the overall writing assignment. The issue I am interested in is the (APK) Annual Advertising and Promoting to Kids. The writing assignment ask us to provide an argument. My goal is to provide an opposing view from Alissa Quart’s, to the parents that are not sure how the marketers take advantage of their children. Quart offers her analysis of the fourth annual APK as an event for “celebrating marketers’ ability to take advantage of kids (page 47).”

I intend to research this event and some of the top marketers behind it and see what they provide youth in a positive way. I would like parents to see that these marketers have effect on our youth but it is up to them to personally raise their child/children as to whether they get taken advantage of.

I know so far that the book Branded has been very well researched. I also can see that in a few descriptive words we are led to form an opinion before finishing a sentence. Being an open minded person, I am also able to look at both sides and not stand firmly enough on one or the other to stand on a side outside of this classroom. I believe Quart intended for this book to make young people form an opinion that is favorable to her view which in a way is taking advantage of them herself. From what I know so far there are a lot of different views that agree or oppose to Quarts that I would like to address.