Pinder- Biraciality

The increasingly blurry lines of multicultural and racial relations presents an interesting and unsure future for American standards of race, but also the world.

Despite a perceived improvement in the racial relations in America, there are complications on how this should be achieved. The idea that all races will eventually mix and blend together remains controversial. Mainly because despite there being significant ace-blending, the social issues of the country remain the same. Historical examples of miscenegation provide a glimpse of the future; however, each of the stories has their own significant complications and political implications.

Waegner-

The complex relationhip between African-American and Asians has led to a hybridity of cultures blending to be reproduced in film, music, and art. 

Golden: This piece challenges the very vision of black men in contemporary media and art; the contradictory beliefs and opinions of black males fail to address their complexities and their role as a scapegoat in society.

Mercer- Fani Kayode’s work addresses the identity politics that confronts most artists that belong to traditional oppressed groups; He expands on the complexities by expressing other factors of marginalization for black men, not belonging in regards to sexuality, upbringing, and his navigation of the art world.

Looking for Langston- The film provides an in-depth look at the struggle ; however the film is unique in the absence of a direct narrative.

Golden- The exhibit has an interesting view of the struggle of complete humanity for black males in America. Black men are the scapegoats of society; simultaneously pitied and hated, which reflects the insecurities of whites more than the reality of black men’s identity. The representations of black men in art/media have been presented and mainly consumed by white audiences, who are invested in the fetishization of their identity. This fetishization became commercialized through film & art, notably with the popularity of blaxploitation films like Sweetback. These films provided an opportunity to present an exaggerated form of black culture, which was appreciated and consumed by black and white audiences. Other events have contributed to the images of black men in contemporary art. The era of Black Power & the ascendance of hip-hop tell the story of the struggle of black males, mainly from poverty-stricken areas, and their ability to defy the norm of white American culture. These events contribute to the exaggerated image of black males; however they each were initiatives in respond to the oppressive nature of American culture.

African bodies have traditionally been depicted as both oversexualized and desirable. The tale of their sexuality chronicles a racist history of exploitation and exaggerated imagery. Their bodies are not their own, they belong to the viewer(power structure), the white heterosexual male. Fear and desire simultensously play in the psyches of Western viewers.  The sexuality of black women has experienced a narrative of exploitation that aligns with the colonization and exoticizing. Colonization remains the largest force behind the racists notions of black sexuality, and these notions prevail in the current perception of beauty. The legacy of colonization is aligned with the ideological values it brought; the ideas of beauty and how black women fall in and outside these standards.  Art has become the most important counteract to these ideologies

Pariah: The film explores the internal and external perceptions of black female beauty; Western culture’s perceptions of beauty clash with Alikes’ and create a confusing atmosphere that combats her growth.

Taylor: Document 11 examines the increasing globalization of art and the influence on cultural identity.

Thompson: This piece discusses how black womanhood has entered cycles of discovery and repression, particularly in regard to historical events like colonization.

The Iranian socia movements towards LGBTQ people reflect Western ideals of a more integrated and democratic society. New tools like the internet provide a platform for discussion on intolerance in societies, however they can also be manipulated to advance the political aims on individuals & organizations. As the debate over inclusion heats up across Iran, there is a question over how change should occur. Should it be through social movements or public policy? Although the social movements have seemingly had more success, has it really changed attitudes within the society? The movements direction towards Western influence reflect sentiments of more developed nations as being more accepting. However is this true? Although the internet has been a useful tools, western ideals about the direction of the movement can conflict with the sentiment of local, Iranian organizations.