I saw the Urban Cheerleader thing as well and I can say that I had mixed feelings about it. On one hand you see that there are black girls who are trying to compete in an arena dominated by whites and are doing well dispite the disadvantages that they have. Yet on the other end we do see the stereotypical things that may be present in our community as well. One telling point is when KaRhonda talks about how they can compete with the white squads. She says that the white squads can tumble better than them, but that they can dance better by being more "vulgar" with the dance steps. She actually uses the term vulgar when describing their own dance style and then equates the vulgarity with having more soul or being "black". "Vulgar" may not be the word that she meant (she is only 16 I believe) but that is the word that she used. I think this is where the debate between Cleo, honeykiss, and lovelyivy and others is stemming from- that negativity and "authentic" blackness are equated in mainstream culture.
The debate about suburban living and two parent households being 'white' shows us what happens in a white supremacist society. Even the blacks begin to believe in white supremacy. This means that some even think that to be "pathological" is to be black. So we see how Cleopatra starts criticizing her suburban lifestyle as being "white" because success, in white supremacy means white. We also see how KaRhonda describes "vulgar" dancing as being black. One critical question we as blacks have to ask is what is success? Is it economic prosperity (read suburban lifestyle) or is it love of self (a true self, not a culturally manufactured one)? Because if it is about economics, then we must get ours at all costs, even our own souls, but if it is love of self, we have to do a lot of deconstructing of images to find the true self and love it.
Am I offended by negative/stereotypical images in mainstream media, yes, not because they aren't true representations of SOME black people, but because the serve in the on going project of white supremacy by essentializing "authentic blackness" and equating it with pathology.
Blackwatch!!!
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