Vid: Origin Stories (Must See)

[skywardprodigal]

It's Nikki Wood's fucking coat = how white feminists betray black women (poc) while fighting for the same things.

That's one reading. There are many others. But that's mine.

(Thanks, rw).

ETA: There are 'I don't like rap music' comments and, okay, I'm *fully* aware of how problematic heavily marketed mainstream gangster rap is, but hey, misogyny and gangsterism are as American as apple pie, hot cars, and highways that roll smooth like glass provided the federal funding is in and it's the interstate or a 'better' neighborhood. *cough* I've been automatically killfiling people who mention they don't like rap. I don't even know why people have to say that.

It's not like I love rap, but 'I don't like rap' codes a certain way for me in the context of that awesome vid? 'I don't like rap' translates into (like with Buffy and the Buffy-verse) black, primitive men-- who have their purposes for a girl, even if rap means power and conviction in a very specific context-- are far less palatable than vampires that literally appropriate the life blood and physical totems (power) of women of color.

How the hell did Buffy equate redeeming problematic power with putting it squarely in the hands of the epitome of young white womanhood and undying, white manhood provided it's subordinate to white womanhood?

LINKS:

Vid rec: Origin Stories by goluxexmachina

[Vid commentary] "Origin Stories" by etothey

[BtVS/AtS] VID: Origin Stories by Gianduja Kiss @ untrue_accounts

Two BtVS/AtS vid and fic recs by ticketstomyself

Comments

[maveness.livejournal.com]

Certain genres of music are so identified with a culture that when people say "I don't like ____" it feels like a slam against a people, not just the music itself. (And is often followed by a qualifier, like "But I like this song".)

Rap is the most obvious example, with country having a similar but lesser reaction. Partially because they're so popular. (Which amuses/confounds me that people will bust out "I don't like rap" or "I don't like country" in that tone of voice that implies that anyone who does is lesser to some degree, not realizing that based upon popularity, odds are the person they're talking to DOES like that music and feels like it was a personal attack on something that a vast majority of people do hold near and dear.)

The generalization of an entire musical genre that has a cultural impact and is identified with a group of people, either based on race, social status, region, creed...it feels like stereotyping. Often it IS stereotyping.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

Certain genres of music are so identified with a culture that when people say "I don't like ____" it feels like a slam against a people, not just the music itself.

Exactly. I used to have this person on my flist, nice enough. I offered them some music and they were like, "As long as it's not rap."

I would have let it slide if not for their rationale for disliking rap. "I know it's a stereotype, but" and I was like, "Buh-bye."

If someone tells me they don't like country music, I tend to titrate myself off their company. You don't get to say you don't like a certain kind of music unless you know it. Well, at least not to me and have me show up in your life for anything more than the time of day.

(Which amuses/confounds me that people will bust out "I don't like rap" or "I don't like country" in that tone of voice that implies that anyone who does is lesser to some degree, not realizing that based upon popularity, odds are the person they're talking to DOES like that music and feels like it was a personal attack on something that a vast majority of people do hold near and dear.)

Hee. It's very...silly. People can be very stupid and wrong about a variety of things, but if many people are moved by a genre of music, it's connecting with them which means something about the craft if not the artistry. But I hear that poseur virus is highly contagious and hard to shake. :)


The generalization of an entire musical genre that has a cultural impact and is identified with a group of people, either based on race, social status, region, creed...it feels like stereotyping.

Yep. I agree!

[maveness.livejournal.com]

I've heard a few good reasons for not liking rap, country, etc. But the good reasons I've heard have always been based on the music itself - they aren't fans of songs that are heavy on the beat or have steel guitar/banjo/anything twangy. And I could understand someone being a guitar person who loves rock because there's lots of guitar.

Then again, I love drums. I played drums a few years. Beat heavily influences music I'll like. And I can't get a lot of non drum lovers to understand that drums sing like other instruments. Songs heavy on the beat "sing" just like every other type of music. And like every type of music, there's a better song when a master craftsman is at the helm. (One of my favorite examples for people that don't believe that rap sings is Outkast. There's ten million times more melody in their music than any Britney Spears song.)

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

But the good reasons I've heard have always been based on the music itself - they aren't fans of songs that are heavy on the beat or have steel guitar/banjo/anything twangy.

Same here. If someone who knows music and the genre they don't like can break it down like that, it's cool by me. I can understand dislike/like of jangle, twang, heavy bass.

And I can't get a lot of non drum lovers to understand that drums sing like other instruments.

Drums make me smile (when played well). I suspect that if someone doesn't like drums though, there's something weird in their thinking. Like, fear of rhythmn and drums being akin to fear of sexuality also akin to fear of the devil and Africa. I've had people tell me not to listen to drums because drums were of Africa and that's where Satan first enslaved men.

(One of my favorite examples for people that don't believe that rap sings is Outkast. There's ten million times more melody in their music than any Britney Spears song.)

LOL. Britney is no singer but I think she's a strong vocalist and performer. She does interesting things with her body and voice when her games on, but I don't call her stuff music and yeah, I love melody. I must have melody. I think all good music has that.

[whiskeygirl8.livejournal.com]

My nephew joined the marching band and I was so happy because it meant I had a reason to go to the games and listen to the drums. When I was in basic training my favorite part of marching was when we marched with the band and they played the drum for us to keep in step (although, that was really only during graduation weekend.) The drums in the marching bands during parades are always my favorite.

In tech school when we marched we did this one cadence where at the end everyone stomped their right foot and even that was really cool to me.

[maveness.livejournal.com]

I was only in marching band for one year, but man, I can still play our cadence. (I can also still play "Wipeout".) We had it cool, because our drumline rocked. We actually got a complete drumline song during performances and competitions. (Sadly, we never got to dance. Only the cool schools got to dance. Ours was rural NC where marching was hard for some because it required rhythm of the feet.)

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

Dick Dale! Woohoo!

Too bad about your marching band. Some people can't even clap on 1 and 3 consistently. :)

[whiskeygirl8.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who has been my friend for over 20 years and she told me once that she felt people who like country music are stupid, and then qualified that with, "Except you and that befuddles me." Um, OK. She refuses to listen to country or even country artists doing a song in another genre (I once recommended she listen to a song by Montgomery Gentry that was bluesy because she likes blues, but she refused because it was by a country group. Again, Um, OK.)

I have yet to find a genre of music that I can honestly say I dislike. There are genres that don't move me much, but I'm not bothered listening to them. Most techno will usually hurt my head, but even that has songs I like. And I've even caught myself singing along to inane pop songs while in Honduras and listening to AFN. I probably couldn't have told you who sang it, though.

I've never understood not liking whole genres of music. I like songs from every genre, even if my focus is on certain genres more than others. I'm the same with books and movies. I just don't understand limiting yourself. I will admit to not knowing much about most genres, and especially newer music (outside of country, but I listen to the radio so little anymore that I'm not even familiar with a lot of country that's come out in the last year or so.)

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who has been my friend for over 20 years and she told me once that she felt people who like country music are stupid, and then qualified that with, "Except you and that befuddles me."

O.O Yuck. That was unkind of her. Ew.

[trini-naenae.livejournal.com]

Sunday night driving home I was listening to rap/hip hop on the college radio station, which was intelligent and dance worthy. I need to remember to have that station on in the evenings more often.

It's been a long time since I've consistently listened to rap/hip hop/soca/etc. My music tastes have changed over the years, changing genres.

And most of the time, it's because the people around me did not think the music I listened to was worth listening to. That someone like me shouldn't be listening to that kind of music. Sometimes I stopped listening to a type of music (or a specific artist/band) because I didn't want to be in common with people I disliked - though that's been fairly rare.

It's less so now, but it's still tempting for me to change styles according to the people around me. And I'd love to find some really good Soca that isn't so party heavy...

I need to write a post on it sometime.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

I know a woman with your coloring, but her hair is super curly. Like, the kind you like to draw. She's Bahamian, black, but strangers tend to get on her for her love of Kalik, junkanoo, soca, reggae, and very dark-skinned black men.

She goes back and forth on what she likes on how much she likes it, but it's usually North Americans that give her grief. Island folk, they figure she likes her music, so it's not comment when her phone rings and the tone's from No Doubt's 'Spiderwebs'.

I think it makes sense to adapt to the styles according to people around me depending on how much time I want to spend with them and their own flexibility. The pickier person tends to have the environment fit their tastes, maybe?

[trini-naenae.livejournal.com]

In Trinidad I was always a "crazy white gyal" anyway. So they didn't really have much expectation of what I was "supposed to do". In the US however, people get confused when all of a sudden I like things they don't expect me to like because of how I look. It's, I dunno - which is harder? Sticking out like a sore thumb but not having to really deal with expectations? Or being able to physically fit in, but if I mention the wrong thing, people don't know what to do?

I know my adaptability is a result of moving so much and meeting all kinds of people. I figure it's ok for someone to be picky about tastes as long as they don't act like an ass about it. It's when they have to inform everyone else that their tastes aren't "good enough" when it's bad.

[cognative.livejournal.com]

I used to be the moderator for the rap section of a music website. That was a taxing experience. There were some great regular posters who had interesting and varied taste. But about once a week we'd get the "I hate rap" poster. Thing is, 9 out of 10 of them were barely acquainted with it outside of knowing the hook for whatever song was popular at the time. I tried to explain to people how silly they were being by giving them an example with rock music (all rock sucks because Creed sucks). It got pretty old.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

It got pretty old.

*nods*

That wasn't even remedial diversity and inclusiveness for the proud-yet-clueless-poseur.

[del-the-psycho.livejournal.com]

It doesn't bug me when people say, "I don't like [x] music/band/genre," since everyone's entitled to their tastes in what they do and don't like to listen to, and that dislike isn't for a dumb reason. And they've actually listened to more than just one song by one artist in that given genre.

It's when people say, "Rap isn't music," I tell them to stop talking. That's such a heinous thing to say and I hear it quite a lot.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

*nodnodnod*

Music is organized noise! I like some organization schemes a lot better than others. *shrugs*

There's taste and prejudice, but I think some tastes look more like prejudice. But, hey, it's all good. :)

[del-the-psycho.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, there's no doubt that some of the folks out there who go on record of strongly disliking rap dislike it because it's 'black music'. Not all, but certainly some. I know I've had some of my suspicions talking to people about it.

"I just don't like rap."

"Well, have you listened to Jedi Mind Tricks? Or maybe Obi Trice? Those are always pretty good artists to-"

"I just don't like it!"

"...Why not? Is it the beats? Maybe the emphasis on spoken word rather than melody? The preferred instruments or samples normally used in most rap don't agree with you?"

"I just don't like it!"

"...Okaaaaay..."

[(Anonymous)]

How the hell did Buffy equate redeeming problematic power with putting it squarely in the hands of the epitome of young white womanhood and undying, white manhood provided it's subordinate to white womanhood?

That is no lie. As a woman of color, I thank you for putting your finger on exactly what's bothered me about the show for ages. There's been so much awesome commentary on "Origin Stories," even at a casual glance, so I'm editing my halfamoon post to link to your rec here. Again, thanks for your insightful thoughts.

ticketsonmyself (lj, log in!)

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!