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Author
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Topic: Learning to See Racism: Katy Perry's AMA Performance
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somethingexcellent
Knowflake Posts: 4122
From: vodka fine, I'm so divine
Registered: Nov 2012
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posted November 26, 2013 05:22 AM
  
Before I get to the main point, I want to lead with a few things. I would like you watch her performance and form an opinion on it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69N7p27eWlo Now, admittedly, it doesn't seem racist at first, right? When you think racism, you think hate towards a race, but racism is more than that. Racism is ignorance and appropriation as well, and not only that, racism is systematic and institutionalised. When watching it, you see Katy Perry wearing Japanese-esque clothes while her backup dancers prance around in more costume that look like kimono. All of the aesthetic is there! It's supposed to be Japanese inspired. But, the show itself pays no respect to Japanese culture - hell, she even has people wearing the kimono costumes up and spinning around on wires. It uses all of the aesthetic with none of the content, it's just another pop show otherwise. Can you see the racism yet? She is using a culture's aesthetics as props. You could picture it with anything, and this is easier to understand if you are a minority like myself. I am Native American, and I would be outraged if someone used costumes made to look like powwow regalia for a show then ditched it - like a prop. This paints a problem with our society, especially since various websites have caught that this is a racist performance but audiences fail to see it. People do not think it is racist, and this is where it gets even worse: the systematic and institutionalised part. People are not accustomed to spotting racism that isn't blatant and aren't aware enough to see that racism isn't always violent or hateful. They cannot identify the problem, and that makes fighting a problem so much harder. In fact, people may and will try to resist - and have, saying that they think it was a beautiful show. Maybe it was! But she was ignorant in borrowing from another culture, and this is something you must learn to see. When people say that they are being hurt, you are supposed to listen, not argue. It is no different when people say something is abuse of a culture. Open your eyes and try to see what problems exist... IP: Logged |
charmainec
Moderator Posts: 7752
From: Venus next to Randall
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted November 26, 2013 06:26 AM
Moving to Aqua Rising.We had a similar topic there about this so time ago. IP: Logged |
Kerosene
Knowflake Posts: 8372
From: Mercury
Registered: Dec 2012
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posted November 26, 2013 07:57 PM
But j-pop and k-pop artists often exploit the hell out of western pop culture even hip hop. which is often amusing to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw9CALKOvAI This like a complete rip off of Beyonce lol.
I like it though  I'm not offended by white people using indian culture.. I mean indians exploit the hell out of it too for entertainment purposes.
There was a big controversy of indian producers casting a white women to play as an indian heroine in a Bollywood movies.
That's f'ed up, they had dub her too -___-.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI1A405jBqg
Performance I don't this is offensive, I think iggy looks beautiful actually. I do think one should be careful what they exploit like sacred idols or whatever.
But kimonos...? big deal. IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 36635
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted November 27, 2013 11:09 AM
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Randall
Webmaster Posts: 36635
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted November 28, 2013 09:36 AM
Cultural insensitivity maybe, but racism???IP: Logged |
bethbabe
Knowflake Posts: 456
From: CA
Registered: Jun 2012
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posted December 18, 2013 03:18 PM
hmm.....this is a little off topic, but i am upset at the fact that "As the kimono has another name, gofuku (呉服?, literally "clothes of Wu (吳  "), the earliest kimonos were heavily influenced by traditional Han Chinese clothing, known today as hanfu (漢服?, kanfuku in Japanese), through Japanese embassies to China which resulted in extensive Chinese culture adoptions by Japan, as early as the 5th century AD."katy perry is also bashing the chinese culture :O ------------------
Love is a Universal Language IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 36635
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted December 19, 2013 02:36 PM
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juniperb
Moderator Posts: 7995
From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted January 24, 2014 11:09 AM
SE went awol?------------------
Christian, Jew, Muslim, Shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the Mystery, unique and not to be judged.
Rumi IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 36635
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted January 24, 2014 01:36 PM
Been a while, so probably so. Maybe he found Sand somewhere and is there.IP: Logged | |
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