Lamieux felt that the video was also very problematic on every level. She "it is a prodigy in how desensitize a lot of people are when it comes to history, because our culture is so use to casual disrespect of black woman." She thought the line of disrespect was clearly crossed by portraying Tubman in the manner that was done. On the other hand Hip-hop icon, Russel Simmons, from my perception, did not see any wrong in the video and the message it was trying to imply, that "162 years later, there is still tremendous injustice." Simultaneously, he understands how others took the video negatively and took it down with the statement "I would never condone violence against women in any form" followed by an apology for whoever he may have offended. Jeff Johnson's reaction to video was, that he felt like it was directly our fault for there being multiple generations of our people not having any historical context. And that is the only logically explanation for why someone would feel comfortable with making that video.
2.) British ship's doctor, William Dunlop, discovered Sarah Baartman in Cape Town and decided to bring her over to Europe to display her as a "freak", a "scientific curiosity" and to make money from these display shows. It is not known what made her travel with him, but he offered to give her a sharing of what he made off of her. Baartman was given the nickname "Hottentot Venus", where "hottentot" took on derogatory connotations and "Venus" being a cruel reference to Baartman being "a reference to Baartman an object of admiration and adoration instead of the object of leering and abuse that she became." After her death a plaster cast of her body was made. Then came the removal of her skeleton and, after removing her brain and genitals, they were displayed in bottles at theMusee de l’Hommein Paris. Some years later, President Nelson Mandela requested that her remains be sent back home.
3.) The uproar came about when the Minister of Culture of Sweden was photographed cutting into a cake resembling an naked African Women, which also had blood-red sponge. According to Lena Liljeroth the cake was designed to highlight the issue of female genital mutilation and degrading stereotypes of black people through history.
4.) The similar tie between 2Chainz video and the Sweden controversy, is that they both involved a cake representing a woman of an African descent and that neither one of the parties were intentionally trying to be derogatory towards black women. This should not be a factor in what makes one or the other acceptable and unacceptable, but because 2Chainz displayed this image through the hip hop culture, we have taken the matter very lightly, opposed to how we would if another ethnicity did the same. The Minister of Culture of Sweden issue is a perfect example of how things are so quickly taken negatively and disrespectful when another ethnicity icons are women. This lady had to resign from her job for even being associated with cutting the cake, but 2chainz was rewarded in multiple ways for his ignorance.
Great commentary! Thanks!
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