A&E

Staff Writer, Michaela Peterson

Image Curtsy of whiteprivilege2.com

On January 21, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released their new single “White Privilege II.  In the track, Macklemore talks about being a white man and ally in a culture that was created to allow the voices of the oppressed to speak.

 

In the media and especially online, there has been an almost violent reaction to the song. Several people have praised Macklemore for talking about his privilege, and for acknowledging its existence, including DeRay McKesson, a civil rights activist, who said in a series of three tweets “Macklemore didn’t discover white privilege, y’all. & in this song he isn’t purporting to say he did. Macklemore is not a hero, a savior, or a prophet for discussing white privilege. & he is not saying he is. & you shouldn’t either. Does it go far enough? Perhaps not. But I’ll never accept that changing minds is not disruptive.” Others say it’s hypocritical for him to call out other artists for their access to opportunity as white, but not himself.

 

When the song first came out, it didn’t really pay much attention to it. I saw posts about it on Facebook, but I didn’t pay them any mind. But, after the 17th or 18th post I saw, I wanted to know why everyone was talking about it. So I went on Youtube, and listened.

 

After checking the track out for myself,  I understood why people were talking. Macklemore is known for writing songs about social justice issues, but I think this is the most confrontational song I’ve heard from him. The majority of the songs he has written, even if the subject content was a serious one, are upbeat and sweet. This one, however, is different.

 

From the very beginning it is uncomfortable and introspective. This was the part that has resonated most, especially with the white majority of Macklemore’s audience, myself included. The first verse begins with: “Pulled into the parking lot, parked it/ Zipped up my parka, joined the procession of marchers/ In my head like, “Is this awkward?/ Should I even be here marching?”/ Thinking if they can’t, how can I breathe?/ Thinking that they chant, what do I sing?/ I want to take a stance cause we are not free/ And then I thought about it, we are not “we”.”He talks about what it’s like to be white and support the the Black Lives Matter movement, and where our place is in a fight that’s not our own.

 

There have been very mixed reactions to the song, from both the white and the black community. Many people, both white and black, are praising Macklemore for talking about this. However, that is where the unity of the two groups ends. There are, of course, white people complaining about the song, saying that white privilege doesn’t exist and that Macklemore is an idiot Social Justice Warrior, but that is always to be expected.There are also black people who are saying that this song, in and of itself, is an example of white privilege.

 

Macklemore has addressed is white privilege in the past. It is also important to note that this is a follow-up song. The first “White Privilege” was released by Macklemore in 2005, long before he had any sort of spotlight pointed at him. This first song is an answer to many critics claims that while he talks about other people’s cultural appropriation, he doesn’t talk about his own. The main point that “White Privilege” makes is that white people, himself included, are gentrifying hip-hop. While it may be a little presumptuous of Macklemore to assume that everyone who listens to “White Privilege II” will look up “White Privilege” on youtube, it is there. The song wouldn’t be call “White Privilege II” if there wasn’t a first.

 

I asked junior Kwame Johnson about the song, since it was his post online the got me to listen to the song. When I asked him about his original reaction to the song as a person on the opposite side of white privilege, he said, “I really liked it. He called out other rappers, other artists who culturally appropriate black culture like, Iggy and Elvis.” Johnson also mentioned an appreciation for Macklemore’s willingness to talk about an issue he could easily avoid.

 

I asked Johnson about the fact that Macklemore  acknowledges other people’s privilege, but not his own. Johnson was unconcerned about this.

 

“I feel like he knows he what he’s doing. He is knows he’s appropriating black culture. I’ve seen interviews with him, how he recognizes his white privilege and how he understands his place in rap,” said Johnson.

 

I did try to find a voice for the opposite side of the argument. The one that says Macklemore is a hypocrite and just wants attention before his new album drops. The thing is, I couldn’t find anyone with that opinion within SLA’s walls. I don’t know if that is because they feel outnumbered by the majority, or if they simply want to be left alone.

 

In the end, “White Privilege II” is hard to ignore. The song it’s diverges greatly from anything else Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have released together. While they have commented on some heavy topics with their music before, “Same Love” being the best example, they have never openly commented on such a politically volatile issue with their music. The song is dark and purposefully uncomfortable. While it isn’t the best song in the world, it achieves what it set out to do. It starts conversation and, in the end, gives black activist, poet, and singer Jamila Woods and the Black Lives Matter movement the last word, which is the way it should be.

Arielle Moore

Staff Writer

It’s the New Year! Along with a new set of digits in our millennium, we’re also given a bunch more new things to consume: New media, new trends, and maybe the most exciting of all, new shows! Being a week or so into 2016, we’ve been flooded with a plethora of amazing new broadcast and internet programs. The most popular genres include drama, comedy, sci-fi, and even more recently, fantasy.

One highly anticipated fantasy show, airing on  Freeform (the new name for ABC Family) is called Shadowhunters. Based off of a popular teen novel, the program is about warriors (the “shadowhunters”) that protect this world from the demon world. It includes many intricate and upbeat plotlines, such as the main character Clara Flay discovering that she is the descendant of “shadowhunters” and must  which keeps viewers engaged. Many young adults are excited for this show because of how it appeals to their audience especially well.

In the crime genre, the new series Shades of Blue has gotten top publicity. Airing on NBC starting January 14th, it’s about an NYPD officer having her loyalty tested once caught by the FBI. The lead is played by Jennifer Lopez, a single mother who must balance her career and the challenges of being a parent, as well as trying to uphold her reputation as one of the few female officers in her department. This is a huge leap for the network and for tv as a whole by choosing a woman of color to play the leading role which is already receiving positive responses from viewers despite its untraditional theme. Shades of Blue is “a gem” raves The Wrap writer Heidi Patalano. “[The series] gets better and better as it goes.” 

So far, 2016 is off to a great start in the television department. Other shows that are getting great reviews are Angie Tribeca (Fox) , Blindspot (NBC), Angel From Hell (CBS), and the Shannara Chronicles (MTV). Many highly anticipated internet-exclusive programs are The Get Down, Master of None, Daredevil, and season 4 of Netflix’s biggest hit: Orange is the New Black. Which shows are you personally looking forward to?

Staff Writer Michaela Peterson

Image Courtesy of Contently.com

#Oscarssowhite is trending again this year. For the second year in a row, no minorities have been nominated for any of the prestigious Academy Awards, despite the downright phenomenal performances by many black actors, writers, and directors this year. Between the incredible performances in movies that focused on black lives, like Straight Outta Compton and Creed, to movies that didn’t focus on black lives at all, like Star Wars and Concussion, you would think at least one black actor or director would make the cut, and yet no such luck.

 

Where does this biased nominating come from? When it comes to equality, Hollywood is a notoriously problematic town, with its roots in sexism and racism. The majority of the people who nominate and decide who wins the Oscars are white men over 60. Only about 11% of the people with nomination power are African American.

 

In response to this situation, several celebrities have announced that they will be boycotting the Oscars this year, including Director Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith. And according Oscar executives, Oscar host, Chris Rock has rewritten his opening monologue due to the controversy. Several white actors have spoken out, saying that the industry as a whole needs to change. The Academy itself is even changing the rules, making it easier for more people of color to make up the nomination board. Of course, this protest has not gone without reaction. People like Whoopi Goldberg are saying that boycotting the Oscars will do nothing. Others are saying that this isn’t the right thing to boycott and raise a fuss about.

 

So, what does public reaction look like outside of Hollywood? English teacher Matthew Kay and Junior Tianna McNair weighed in for SLA Media. Both are African American and notably passionate about racial issues. The general idea from both was the same: Yes, black people need representation and recognition in movies, but there are bigger issues to worry about.

 

“When I rank the injustices that are happening to people who look like me day-by-day, millionaire actors not getting awards does not rank very high,” Kay said. “It is important that kids get role models. It is important that kids see that artwork gets rewarded.”

 

“I’m not saying that it’s unimportant. I’m just saying it doesn’t have a high resistor for me,” he continued.

 

When I asked McNair about what her thoughts were, she said, “It’s not surprising at all. But just because they don’t get an award doesn’t take away from the fact that they had top-selling movies, like Straight Outta Compton.” She also admitted to not really caring about or watching any award shows.

 

In  many ways, the two of them are correct. How truly important are the Oscars when, according to a 2012 study, 1 in every 15 African American men is incarcerated? How important are the Oscars when racial profiling is still a real and terrible reality for so many? What is it about the Oscars that raises our emotions more than these other, much more real and prominent issues? Why do we care more about celebrities than our own peers and a people we know? What is it about celebrities that makes us care?
The most likely answer to that question is that our media is so obsessed with celebrities that their problems seem like our own. And some celebrities use that platform to speak out about real issues, however many just chose to focus their attention, and therefore the media’s attention, on the issues that directly influence them. While I’m not saying that the issue of representation in the media isn’t important, I believe, like many others, that there are far more important issue to focus on. We need to focus on getting underprivileged kids into the arts and off the streets. We need to focus on the fact that we are consistently underservice a large percentage of our population. We need to focus on the fact that black men and women are being killed in the streets and their white murders aren’t identified. Once all that changes, will the culture and the media begin to change. Only when African Americans are treated like equal citizens will the Oscars begin to change.