mjdevan-blog

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Project 562

I am Native American and African American...When I discuss my race with people of other backgrounds, I often find that they are some sort of an expert on who I am. Mostly its “tribal” knowledge that was given from forefather to generation to generation. In reading “A Savage Performance” by Diana Taylor much of the of what she says regarding the expert opinion was something that was felt by me. 

Who I am isn’t something that can be derived solely from history as the expert narrative is cast with negativity. We are savages -- hot tempered. We aren’t defined by who we really are “The colonialist discourse that produces the native as negativity or lack itself  silences the very voice it purports to make speak” (Taylor, 162).

I chose to follow the project_562 on instagram it is a curatorial of the 562 native tribes of the Americas. The accounts that these images give are stories of native life as we want it to be told...by us. 

In “A Savage Performance” onlookers were intrigued by what they thought indigenous tribal members. During the exhibit, perspective was shaped by what the those who “discovered” the tribesmen thought they should be. The plot and cast are always the same the “...white male protagonist-subject and the same brown ‘found’ object” (Taylor, 162)

Project 562 speaks to Sojourner Truth’s rewrite of the shadow they our shadow is being replaced with substance. Found on the instagram profile is imagery of college students, peaceable individuals -- people who are in love with their culture and heritage...not savages.

The accounts that these images give are stories of native life as we want it to be told…by us. Looking at how much of our accounts are given in movies or not given at all, I think that it is vital for not only natives but others to see our culture. For me I think it doubly important because this is who I am. I was something that I shied away from and felt like I should only invoke my duality or one or the other when it suited me. Coming to terms with who I am means confronting it. Prior to the advent of social media and the streamlined push of content these stories were only viewed through the index that was provided. I love the photo that I included because it is representative of someone who lives in modern culture (expressed in his shorts) and I fully aware of who he is and where he comes from. In a way I wish that I could be more like him. We aren’t found, we weren’t discovered.

[mjdevan-blog]

Remember the Titans

Remember the Titans follows the story of the T.C. Williams High School Football program of Alexandria, Virginia during the year 1971. To the dismay and uproar of many of the white citizens of Alexandria, the high school was integrated. The head coach of the football team, Bill Yoast was replaced by Herman Boone a black football coach.

One of the many stories in the film have much to do with perception that is rooted in “tradition”. When I write “tradition” I mean the way that stereotypes have been handed down from generation to generation. I reference a section in the film where an exchange occurred between Petey and Ray. Ray’s perception of what it is to be a black family is to have an absent-non-working father. Black men being cast in this light has become part of our index; non-working or uncivilized only “…controlled by force” (Mirzoefff, 116).

The photograph of “The Scourged Back” is a testament of this it shows the inferiority of the black man and this is something that Ray speaks to as he engages Petey.

Through their interaction and growth together the Titans were able to forge bonds changing the perception that was systematically etched into their psyche that separate is better. Their convergence and bond building forced the immediate conglomeration to view the irony in such divisive rhetoric.

By bringing the archive to the forefront the Titans were able to pinpoint the irony in the racist views of the with the accomplishments of a mixed team that forged relationships that last beyond the football field. In essence the Titans used “...irony to counter the archive” (Mirzoeff, 123)

[mjdevan-blog]

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air

“The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” was a comedy show that had it’s run in the 90′s and featured Will Smith as its main character. Smith was raised in Philadelphia by a single mother. After getting into a fight and feeling that Will needed a change of scenery, his mother shipped him out to Bel Air, California to live her sister and brother in-law, feeling that they may provide a better life for him. 

In her piece “Picturing Us”, Deborah Willis explores and expresses her views on what it is to see black imagery and her preference for it. I feel that The Fresh Prince advances much of what Willis expresses and theorizes in her writings and curatorial. Reflecting on the image of the “Raccoon Couple in Car”, Willis submits that the “Raccoon Couple perfectly symbolized...the celebration of black life and economic cultural achievement” (Willis, 8). 

The Fresh Prince is indicative of Willis’ sentiment regarding the “Raccoon Couple” and overall views that she expresses about imagery and what it means to people who view it. The Fresh Prince much like the “Cosby Show” depicts African Americans as much more than simply comic relief or relegated to the lower rungs of society. This imagery edits our index as it “...indexes freedom” (Mirzoeff, 117). By having the ability to see someone who looks like you have a traditional family with both the mother and father involved, educated, and well off, helps people of color grow past the “Good Times”.

The show demonstrates many of its aspects in a comical way, however, there is a serious nature to some of the topics that it takes on and lessons that it teaches, especially when it comes to racism. Being that Carlton who is Will’s cousin has been brought up in an affluent community with an English butler, he’s known nothing but bliss and wholeheartedly embraces the system of law and order without exception. Will on the other hand, understands that there are times when the system doesn’t treat people of color fairly, this was evident during a small skirmish that Will and Carlton had after they were pulled over while driving a nice car belonging to a friend of the family.