A little something to expand your art horizons and to coincide with the ‘Halloween theme’, as per Wikipedia, American Gothic is a painting by Grant Wood from 1930. Its inspiration came from a cottage designed in the Gothic Revival style with a distinctive upper window and a decision to paint the house along with “the kind of people I fancied should live in that house.” The painting shows a farmer standing beside a woman whose identity remains ambiguous; she may either be his spinster daughter, as explained by the artist’s sister, or the farmer’s wife. The figures were modeled by the artist’s dentist and sister. The woman is dressed in a colonial print apron mimicking 19th century Americana and the couple are in the traditional roles of men and women, the man’s pitchfork symbolizing hard labor, and the flowers over the woman’s right shoulder suggesting domesticity.
It is one of the most familiar images in 20th century American art and one of the most parodied artworks within American popular
How we interpret events really depends on our perception; which is developed over time through experiences. When we feel that we are ‘wronged’ or we are suffering some sort of injustice from our neighbors, ‘the man’, teachers, other authority figures – sometimes the only conclusion that we can arrive at to explain why people are treating us in a certain way can only be explained by ‘hatred’. This ‘hatred’ though is ambiguous as it may be colored through ‘racist’ or ‘asshole’ goggles. Ok, your probably not following, so let me paint this with examples:
The guy in this video is clearly an asshole, it is quite evident. Now, if you were the doctor, and you were black, some may interpret this as the guy not being an ‘asshole’ but a ‘racist’ – to explain why he is behaving so badly. Essentially, you would have no choice to come to a conclusion such as that – this is why ‘context’ is so important and can lead to so many implications.
Many Cry
Thus many of the cries I hear from people in their attempt to describe authority figures like Cops, Teachers, bosses, etc. may be a mis-diagnosis — they are probably just assholes more so than racists. To be an asshole usually suggests that one is not happy with themselves, and they take out their frustration on any and everything out there. These people are rude, abrasive, and very self-centered – also mix in some condescending behavior and sarcasm, and you have an ambiguous person that can either be labelled a ‘racist’ or an ‘asshole’, depending on the context of the situation.
I guess if you find yourself dealing with an individual that you think may be an ‘asshole’ or a ‘racist’ … in the end it may not really matter how you label him; it just matters that you deal with the situation accordingly – if that means walking away or addressing it directly. Just don’t let a false ‘labeling’ of such behavior fuel your anger to make you do/say something that you may regret – because then you may end up as an asshole yourself.
Check out the Asshole song by Denis Leary (90’s) here
Just getting caught up on Jasiri X as he is capturing the essence of how this thing called hip-hop got started; that is by reporting on the issues that affect the black/urban community via rap. Apparently he has weekly music videos that are a summation of the weekly events, this week in particular focuses on the re-emergence of ‘Blackface’ entertainment; as featured on CNN and YouTube.
Check out his YouTube channel here at http://www.youtube.com/user/jasirix
How an inflated ego opened the door for a new jack MC in ‘88 called Masta Ace
Rappers must have the biggest ego problem of all entertainers, yes many of your favorite actors/actresses are known to be major pricks and bitches, but I would think that rappers take the cake in the a-hole department. With the self-boasting, self-accolade, heavy bravado lyrics, rappers really believe that they are that ’sh*t’; and treat others like they are their minions and peasants.
Anyhow, this story just goes to show how one’s ego can have a heavy cost.
MC Shan
Masta Ace
Though, MC Shan fell off in the 90’s, and Masta Ace remained relevant in the underground scene, both MC’s remain respectable rappers in hip-hop.
Dot City is the group, 187 is the freestyle track, and Just Feelings is the movement – more on the movement later. But my part in this particular video is the Directing and editing – thanks to Rhoda of www.Soul360tv.com for the help with the camera. Using a bit of Premiere Pro and After Effects, I was able to capture the raw & grittiness of this potent freestyle track.
Song Credits:
Vocals: Mr. P & Streets
Group: Dot City
Director & Editor: Desmond Blackman
Sometimes funny, often condescending, but always real from the heart, Life in B Major is my expression of emotions & thoughts through the lens of the Nerban - the Techie Nerd with some Urban Swag and Hip-Hop Culture. Meaning, I know the lyrical differences between a Lil Wayne & Jay-Z, and I also know how to setup a dual boot OS with Vista & Linux. That's fly.
Anyhow, I got a mounting task as I manage to bounce back from a failed business partnership, dealing with WACK people, re-igniting my techie hustle, loving hip-hop music, but having an opinion on the turds and the system that tries to mess it up, AND lifting up and helping others to realize their own potential - while also refining and crafting my own.
.:: LiBM::.
