POST COLONIAL DECONSTRUCTI

ONWho and what is valued in society?

Where does this idea come from?How has it affected us?

CONCEPT: BINARY OPPOSITES Dual words that have opposite

meanings

The way that we perceive things are usually in a binary opposite

WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS Think about what thoughts you

associate with the word “White”PureAngelicNiceClean

Now, think about what thoughts you associate with the word black. Not so positive huh?

WHY IS THAT? It is how we have been taught in a

variety of waysCultureReligionFamilyMedia

COMPLICATIONS? Assumptions about a group or people Birth of Stereotype Reinforcement of Stereotype Bias, Racism and Discrimination Legitimization of Behaviour

Case of Slavery and Colonialism

THE LEGITIMIZATION OF SLAVERY

Africans thought to be uncivilized, barbaric

Having to be “saved” (God and taught European cultural norms)

The colour black associated with negativity started before this time, existing in holy books from around the world

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS… African settlements had a system of

religion, government and their own ideas of power and slavery that worked within the framework of their country

Europeans asserted power and flexed muscle through weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION=== I mean gunsNo match for what tech. the African peoples

had at that time

THE POWER STRUCTURE DEVELOPS

Karl Marx talks about power– the dominating group vs. the powerless group

Power– Europeans, Wealth and Strength (Military and Weapons) and to some extent Religion of Christianity

Powerless- Africans, poor, weak minded (not smart) and no “organized” religion

Then we get…. The hierarchy of power

HOW ARE THESE CONTINUED TODAY?What images does a criminal conjure in your mind?

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? Opinion formed, action done to reinforce

opinion as true Opinion becomes shared and stereotype

(over-generalization of people) is formed and spread (Family, friends, media )

Then, the people who the stereotype surrounds begin to actually believe the opinion to be true---- they begin to live it…. It become a “Self fulfilling prophesy”“You thought it, you kept seeing it, you

became it”

IT THEN HAS A NAME FOR THIS….Mental Slavery We internalize stereotypes and myths about our worth

and ability to progress We BECOME what images and expectations are

embedded in our society specific to ideas around race, culture, gender and sex. orientation.

As D’bi Young states, “we have been feed a legacy that has degraded us our whole lives.”

If we are portrayed a certain way even in the media we begin to think that what we see is what we should become, we in essence hold ourselves back by these ideas of what other people have constructed for us… we live by expectation rather than carving our own destiny.

THE LEGACY OF BOB MARLEY AND BUJU BANTONPolitical and Cultural Resistance---A Discussion

Marley and Banton both use their creative outlet to “comment” in the wrong doing against (marginalized) peopleThe poorThe unfairly treatedThose who experience corruption

from authority

Let’s listenhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb-0Eo0Yk0o

WHY DID THEY USE MUSIC? It is against the law (Jamaica) to speak

ill of the government It is a punishable offence By being lyrically smart, diverse and

entertaining they could reach mass audiences and support how the regular people were feeling

They used their music as a sign of protest---political and cultural commentary