What’s Wrong with the World

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"The End of White America?" (continued)

I concluded my previous post with an embedded music video produced by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, and an expression of distaste thereof. This left some commenters with the impression that my subject here was the decline of popular music, or of music in general.

Well, the video in question could certainly serve such a purpose. But, in this particular case, I was aiming for another, perhaps more consequential, target. For P. Diddy is much more than just a phenomenon of commercial music: he is representative of a pervasive cultural transformation.

Over to Hua Hsu:

"...Combs is both a product and a hero of the new cultural mainstream, which prizes diversity above all else, and whose ultimate goal is some vague notion of racial transcendence...

"...his industry lies at the heart of this new mainstream. Over the past 30 years, few changes in American culture have been as significant as the rise of hip-hop...hip-hop is more than a musical genre: it's a philosophy, a political statement, a way of approaching and remaking culture. It's a lingua franca not just among kids in America, but also among young people worldwide. And its economic impact extends beyond the music industry, to fashion, advertising, and film...

"Today, hip-hop's colonization of the global imagination, from fashion runways in Europe to dance competitions in Asia, is Disney-esque. This transformation has bred an unprecedented cultural confidence in its black originators. Whiteness is no longer a threat, or an ideal: it's kitsch..."

I'm abbreviating Hua Hsu severely, here, but not, I think unfairly, to bring into close conjunction some bits and pieces that are widely separated in his essay. Let's bring them into even closer conjunction:

"...the ultimate goal [of the new cultural mainstream] is some vague notion of racial transcendence..."

"Whiteness...it's kitsch..."

I put it to you that there is nothing the least bit "vague" about the "notion of racial transcendence" that is "the ultimate goal" of "the new cultural mainstream," as exhibited in the oeuvre of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and his fellow "hero[s] of the new cultural mainstream."

I mean, c'mon - watch the video! And/or read the essay!

Part 2 of 3

Comments (32)

You're right. Watching the video helps.

[Insert musical genre] is more than a musical genre: it's a philosophy, a political statement, a way of approaching and remaking culture. It's a lingua franca not just among kids in America, but also among young people worldwide. And its economic impact extends beyond the music industry, to fashion, advertising, and film.

I can imagine the same thing being said about several late-arriving musical genres. The thing about young people is... well, they grow up. And all that Epoch-Making, Paradigm-Shifting schlock that you were just sure would change the world forever at age 15 or 20, eventually starts to look pretty much like schlock, and, worse, pretty undignified on a 45-year old with two kids and a mortgage.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that P-Diddy will make a great comeback in about 25 years (just like Led Zepplin has in the past 5 years or so)... in commercials... for investment or insurance firms... or perhaps Cadillac.

Don't get me wrong, I'm firmly convinced that the sky is falling, but hip-hop is, to the extent it is related at all, at most a symptom.

Mr. Nicoloso,

I don't think that that is what Mr. Burton is getting at, not at all. But he is being rather elliptical, I think. Perhaps part 3 of 3 will clear things up.

Steve N.,

We rarely ever saw Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley firing handguns at each other. The Beach Boys and the Lovin' Spoonful weren't engaged in gun battles because they lived on opposite coasts. You almost never heard Don McLean sing about killing his mother or cutting the breasts off of women.

And, yes, P. Diddy might make a Caddy commercial in 25 years -- if he's alive.

This may be a good time to revisit Mary Eberstadt's article praising - well, sort of - the white rapper Eminem. But I'm also looking forward to Steve's part III.

Ever heard of The Who, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones? Helluva lot more discomfitting for suburban middle classes than P-Diddy. Heck, the Rolling Stones were (once) a signal of the end of Western White Morals far more than P-Diddy. But as I said, they and their fans grew up... at least to some extent.

Steve N,
No matter what stones (Stones) you cast, no matter who (Who) you bring in to compare, no matter what (Sex) pistols you fire, the rock movements of the past did not do what hip hop does now. Between P. Diddy and Bo Diddly . . . well, you know (wink).

Cheers,
MB

More seriously, Steve N, you're quite right to insist that rock music has, from its very beginning, been edgy and more. That's simply a fact. But however edgy some of the rock groups and movements from the past were, to me they seem rather tame in comparison to hip hop. It's a long way from, say, "59th Street Bridge Song" to "8 Mile." The violence has dramatically escalated. The Who smashing guitars are a world apart from rappers killing one another with stunning regularity.

Steve,

Either I'm being particularly dense, or like Cyrus, I have to confess I don't get the point of the post. Let me clarify my own thoughts. I read someone like Hsu and I just shake my head:

"Combs is both a product and a hero of the new cultural mainstream, which prizes diversity above all else, and whose ultimate goal is some vague notion of racial transcendence"

Again, as I said in the previous post -- I don't think one can speak of a simple American cultural mainstream, much less claim that it "prizes diversity above all else". Certainly American elites have been pushing "diversity" in its racial and/or sexual manifestations in various forums over the past 30 - 40 years and many smart writing has been done to show the pernicious effect of all this nonsense (e.g. Dalrymple, Kimball). But how does the strength and popularity of country music, to use just one example, fit into Hsu's narrative? Or the growth of sports, especially the more exotic varieties like the X-Games (think skateboarding), or professional wrestling? Or the phenomenon of video games (as a quick aside...for anyone here at W4 who remembers 80s era video games fondly, you must watch the movie "King of Kong")?

The minute a writer uses a phrase like "cultural mainstream" I want data (which is basically what Alan Jacobs said in response to Frum's claim that the appreciation of literature is declining in America). I don't even think Hsu's analysis of hip hop is accurate -- only a subset of the music pushes the notion that being white is somehow passé.

Jeff,
Even if concepts like "the cultural mainstream" are fluid and sometimes difficult to apply with precision, especially at the margins, I contend that there is such a thing and that it evolves, occasionally for the better, occasionally for the worse.

Any culture where P. Diddy is arguably mainstream (that is, any culture that rewards his contribution by making him a multi-millionaire) is a culture with significant rot at the core. Any culture that puts, say, diversity rather than excellence as both the purpose and the means of education has rot at the core. Any culture that values equality over both freedom and justice has rot at the core. Any culture that cannot distinguish between freedom of religion and freedom from religion has rot at the core. Any culture that trumpets entitlements over obligations has rot at the core. The list, of course, is partial.

But I do not think for moment that our cultural mainstream is set upon transcending race. I think that view is utterly false. I think race is at the heart of the mainstream, otherwise diversity would not be a mania, and Obama would not be president. If blacks or whites vote anywhere near 90% for a national candidate of their own race, they are voting race, not issues. Voting patterns like that are not even close to transcending race; they're not even on the way to transcending race. Put succinctly, in America, race and sex trump almost everything.

For what it's worth, I think a culture that values contemporary country music more than rap has some redeeming values.

Interesting comment about voting patterns, Michael. Is it racist to observe that the majority of non-whites are racist, at least if we understand 'racist' to refer to tribal loyalties rooted in race?

Zippy,
So far as I can see, "racism" is a term at least potentially applicable to anyone, regardless of their ethnic background or race, and it is not racist to say they are so, if indeed they are.

One does not get a pass on racism simply because one comes from this or that race. Race is not a suitable excuse or justification for bigotry. One is a racist -- or not -- based upon one's views and actions, not upon one's background or skin color.

By the way, no one said that "the majority of non-whites are racist." I did say that in a national election, if voting breaks down in a way that 90% of the voters of a race vote for a candidate of their own race against a candidate of another race, that they are voting race, not issues. Call that racism if you so choose, but I did not. I said it was evidence that, in our culture, we are not anywhere near transcending race.

Michael,

You say that even though the concept of "the cultural mainstream" is "fluid and sometimes difficult to apply with precision, especially at the margins, I contend that there is such a thing and that it evolves, occasionally for the better, occasionally for the worse." I contend that the cultural mainstream, especially in America, is diverse and is more properly characterized by its many categories and manifestations. Just to give you one example, check out this article about Taylor Swift, who sold more albums than any other artist in 2008. You'll note that the article gives all the 2007/2008 sales figures for the various musical genres -- country music albums outsold rap albums by 20 million in 2007 and about 13 million in 2008 (rock music sells more than any other genre by far).

Even the much maligned P. Diddy has written a decent song or two that would be worthy of praise by (some) conservatives...again, I would echo Zippy's suggestion and read the Eberstadt article about Eminem...artists and their "art" can be complicated and deliver many different, often conflicting messages.

Which is not to say that there isn't rot in American culture, but apocalyptic articles about the "new mainstream" or "the end of whiteness" (whatever that means) just aren't convincing to me given the cultural diversity I discuss above.

Michael:

Call that racism if you so choose, but I did not.
My apologies for even seeming to impute that (or anything else which you do not hold to be true) to you. That was not my intent.

I think the subject of tribal loyalties based on race is interesting. I do not think that mere tribal loyalty based on ethnicity is racist or wrong. If I had to give a definition, I would probably say that racism is an unjust judgment made about a person with race as a motivation for that unjust judgment. Loyalties to one's own ethnicity are not in themselves unjust judgments, any moreso than loyalties to one's own family and nation, so they are not racist; at least not in this sense of 'racist'. But many modern people would consider such loyalties - in which the voting patterns you describe are rooted - as racist.

This isn't leading to some grand conclusion; it is just an observation or two about the discussion.

The Who smashing guitars are a world apart from rappers killing one another with stunning regularity.

The Who did far more than smash their guitars. They sang approvingly of anarchy, violence pursuant thereunto, (what came to be called) statutory rape, and various forms of mysogeny. They did not, AFAIK, like the Rolling Stones did, wax melodic about the virtues of boy-boy intercourse, or praise black girls for their (presumed??) insatiable sexual appetites.

Those fans who lived out the fantasies (sometimes more, sometimes less) conjured up by such music ended up dead or miserable in precise proportion to the extent they lived them out. So too with Gangsta Rap. The irony is, both humorous yet disgusting, P-diddy, or any black man who would follow in his footsteps, could only move into a wealthy suburbanite home by a) staying alive; b) staying out of jail; and c) being resonably "smart" with his money. I.e., by being all conventional, boring, "white" things at which he pokes so much fun. (And I think Sean Combs knows this quite well... it even seems to ooze out in portions of the linked video.)

Meanwhile, given black illegitimacy rates near 70%, and (not unrelated I think) black male incarceration rates of obscene proportions, I wouldn't expect a "cultural" form informed by such tragedies to really have that big of an impact on the future. After all, just as Mark Twain noted about naked people, men who are dead, incarcerated, or consider bling and/or violence a mark of true manhood rarely have much influence on society.

Steve,

Even The Who are more complicated than you let on...after all, there is a reason "National Review" picked their song "Won't Get Fooled Again" as the #1 conservative rock song.

And again, it is worth reiterating that not all hip hop is "gangsta rap".

Jeff, yes. I was well aware of The Who's well-deserved (IMO) distinction in this regard. "Won't Get Fooled Again" was a revolutionary song, and arguably, thereby, a much more serious salvo across the bow of bourgeois conventionality and tranquility than anything in Sean Combs ouevre.

Yes, not all hip-hop is not gangsta rap, nor is the remainder solely about girls shaking silicon-augmented booties in the subject's face. And to the extent that it is neither of these, I suspect it is relatively harmless, and not therefore of much interest as concerns "The End of White America" (tho' the true direction of this series of posts, as others have noted, remains somewhat elusive....)

I don't want to thread-jack, so I'll only say: Zippy, if you ever wanted to write a post about that, I would likely comment on it. I'm not certain, but I am inclined to think there's a reasonable moral distinction to be made between family and nation on one hand, and race on the other with respect to the legitimacy of loyalties.
Cheers,
Albert

Steve Nicoloso writes:

"Ever heard of The Who, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones?"

Ummm, yeah...

"Helluva lot more discomfitting for suburban middle classes than P-Diddy."

Well, arguably. So?

"Heck, the Rolling Stones were (once) a signal of the end of Western White Morals..."

You mean, they weren't?

"But...they and their fans grew up... at least to some extent."

They did?

Not so's I've noticed.

"Heck, the Rolling Stones were (once) a signal of the end of Western White Morals..."

You mean, they weren't?

"But...they and their fans grew up... at least to some extent."

They did?

Not so's I've noticed


Steve can't get no Sa-tis-faction!

Jeff Singer asks:

"...how does the strength and popularity of country music, to use just one example, fit into Hsu's narrative? Or the growth of sports, especially the more exotic varieties like the X-Games (think skateboarding), or professional wrestling? Or the phenomenon of video games...?"

I reply with a question: how does it not fit in?

P.S.: I thought *King of Kong* was kind of fun.

Prof. Bauman: I keep looking for points on which to disagree. And I keep failing.

Steve Nicoloso, again, writes:

"...given black illegitimacy rates near 70%, and (not unrelated I think) black male incarceration rates of obscene proportions, I wouldn't expect a 'cultural' form informed by such tragedies [sic] to [sic] really have that big of an impact on the future.

Well. It's not often that one is privileged to witness a *non-sequitur* of such...obscene proportions.

Steve,
I've never had a greater confirmation of your -- or my -- genius than the fact that we continually agree. But be patient. I'll make a mistake sooner or later and, when I do, you'll be there to call me out!
Best,
Mike

There must be a low bar for what passes as 'genius' around here! *wink*

Get on with the end of white america already!

Steve,

My list "country music, X-Games, etc." was designed to highlight robust forms of mainstream culture that were NOT authentically black, and could even be considered examples of white mainstream culture. In other words, not everything in mainstream culture denigrates white folk or celebrates "diversity".

I do think that Steve Sailer, not surprisingly, said it better than I: "Fish, proverbially, don’t feel wet. Likewise, the fact that we all live in a global civilization constructed over the last half millennium by, overwhelmingly, the breakthroughs of white men is so massively obvious that it’s considered very bad taste to point it out."

It's not often that one is privileged to witness a *non-sequitur* of such...obscene proportions.

Who peeed in your Cheerios, Steve?

For an observation to be a non-sequitur, there must have been some point from which it either could or could not follow... Your point as others have pointed out was (until your 3rd post on this topic) rather "elliptical".

Mr. Singer writes:

But how does the strength and popularity of country music, to use just one example, fit into Hsu's narrative?

Hsu discusses the rise of country music, NASCAR, and other red-state signifiers. S/he (which is it?) ascribes their increased popularity in no small part to white pride and resentment which dares not speak its name. Which is probably true, if rather patronizingly put.

The Sex Pistols and Ramones were awful in their own way... I'd write more, but there's only so much one can say from a work computer.

Steve N:
Forgive me, but this is off topic.

Because I'm such a strong advocate of the things written by Richard Mitchell (His The Gift of Fire is one of the finest books I've ever read.), I'm wondering what your connection to him was.

If you like, you can email me through the link provided below with my name.
Best,
MB

S/he (which is it?)

According to Wikipedia's tiny blurb, Hua Hsu is indeed male. He seems well-known enough for Wikipedia to have gotten right... My bad....

Michael, Steve - Richard Mitchell? *The Gift of Fire*?

It's off to Amazon, for me.

Not that you wouldn't want to support Mr. Mitchell's estate, but you can read it for free online beginning here.

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