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17 Jun 2008 05:30 pm

Obama vs Bling?, Ctd

Ta-Nehisi Coates reacts to Mary Battiata:

The "racial resentment" in her statement is like level 12 on the "Arrogance of Whiteness" scale. I could almost hear the Pat Boone rocking in the background. Battiata then launches into a predictable argument that hip-hop fashion is the real problem in the black community, and that Obama's aspect may create some sort cultural transition in which black kids think it's cool to walk around in business suits, because everyone knows hip-hop fashion doesn't can be summed up in gold teeth, wife-beaters and gaudy jewels. No one in hip-hop wears suits.

Listen man, I don't busy myself perusing the fashions of teenage white boys, but I'm quite certain if I did, I could find some pretty objectionable outfits (ones not ripped off from black people). But black people are the stand-in for poor people in this era, and poor people are always held to a higher moral standard. Batttiata seems completely ignorant of the fact that hip-hop's sales have been tumbling for a few years now, that part of that tumbling is the disgust that black youth themselves have expressed with the music. A few key-strokes of google or, heaven forbid, some actual reporting with real live black kids would have given Battiata some grounding.

Jesse Taylorn adds:

...we all know where black teenage males in the hood get their inspiration from - famous middle-aged people.  I’ll never forget when I was a kid and everyone was in those Cosby sweaters...man, that was a hot ass summer.

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