links for 2007-11-01

Comments

  1. Irna wrote:

    Growing up in New Orleans, one of my favorite traditions is the jazz funeral procession. The first time I saw one, I was sitting in class, a high school freshman. The music was so vibrant, many of us starting dancing in our seats. We had no real clue about what was going on. Then our teacher explained the honor and tribute that was being paid to someone in that moment we celebrated. The music moved our bodies, our hips. But the musicians were pouring out their hearts for a dear friend, sending them home in style.

    To know that this tradition is being hampered and hindered by people who call it in as a noise complaint bothers me in a way I can hardly qualify. Anyone who really cares about the heart that beats in the city would never, ever want the beauty of that music, wishing loved ones a sweet journey into eternity, to be quieted. I really hope that the bands continue to play on…

  2. funambulator wrote:

    The comments on the Reser Blackface article are just sad.

  3. Oranguteena wrote:

    Re: the Oregon State Univ. article, I have to say that the body painting doesn’t strike me as racist - painting yourself your school colors is fairly standard sports-enthusiast behavior, and it doesn’t have anything to do with racial mockery just because one of their school colors is black. The addition of “afro wigs” is problematic, on the other hand, because it means that some students were actually regarding their body painting as a nod to minstrelsy or generalized racist foolishness. So it seemed to me that the article was misguided in focusing on the body paint rather than the wigs, or not addressing more directly the difference between body decoration and racist caricaturing.

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared.