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Post Colonial Deconstruction. Who and what is valued in society? Where does this idea come from? How has it affected us?. Concept: Binary opposites. Dual words that have opposite meanings The way that we perceive things are usually in a binary opposite. Words and their meanings.
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Post Colonial Deconstruction Who and what is valued in society? Where does this idea come from? How has it affected us?
Concept: Binary opposites • Dual words that have opposite meanings • The way that we perceive things are usually in a binary opposite
Words and their meanings • Think about what thoughts you associate with the word “White” • Pure • Angelic • Nice • Clean • Now, think about what thoughts you associate with the word black. • Not so positive huh?
Why is that? • It is how we have been taught in a variety of ways • Culture • Religion • Family • Media
Complications? • Assumptions about a group or people • Birth of Stereotype • Reinforcement of Stereotype • Bias, Racism and Discrimination • Legitimization of Behaviour • Case of Slavery and Colonialism
The Legitimization of Slavery • Africans thought to be uncivilized, barbaric • Having to be “saved” (God and taught European cultural norms) • The colour black associated with negativity started before this time, existing in holy books from around the world
The Truth of the matter is… • African settlements had a system of religion, government and their own ideas of power and slavery that worked within the framework of their country • Europeans asserted power and flexed muscle through weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION=== I mean guns • No match for what tech. the African peoples had at that time
The Power Structure develops • Karl Marx talks about power– the dominating group vs. the powerless group • Power– Europeans, Wealth and Strength (Military and Weapons) and to some extent Religion of Christianity • Powerless- Africans, poor, weak minded (not smart) and no “organized” religion Then we get…. The hierarchy of power
How are these continued today? What images does a criminal conjure in your mind?
How does this happen? • Opinion formed, action done to reinforce opinion as true • Opinion becomes shared and stereotype (over-generalization of people) is formed and spread (Family, friends, media ) • Then, the people who the stereotype surrounds begin to actually believe the opinion to be true---- they begin to live it…. • It become a “Self fulfilling prophesy” • “You thought it, you kept seeing it, you became it”
It then has a name for this…. Mental Slavery • We internalize stereotypes and myths about our worth and ability to progress • We BECOME what images and expectations are embedded in our society specific to ideas around race, culture, gender and sex. orientation. • As D’bi Young states, “we have been feed a legacy that has degraded us our whole lives.” • If we are portrayed a certain way even in the media we begin to think that what we see is what we should become, we in essence hold ourselves back by these ideas of what other people have constructed for us… we live by expectation rather than carving our own destiny.
The Legacy Of Bob Marley and BujUBanton Political and Cultural Resistance--- A Discussion • Marley and Banton both use their creative outlet to “comment” in the wrong doing against (marginalized) people • The poor • The unfairly treated • Those who experience corruption from authority • Let’s listen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb-0Eo0Yk0o
Why did they use music? • It is against the law (Jamaica) to speak ill of the government • It is a punishable offence • By being lyrically smart, diverse and entertaining they could reach mass audiences and support how the regular people were feeling • They used their music as a sign of protest---political and cultural commentary
