Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Digital Dialectic of Harlem Shake?

I thought that this video was fascinating considering the popularity of "Harlem Shake" videos on youtube. Any thoughts?


Okay so this dialectic really sat in my craw...For a longer post, see my post on my personal/professional blog

3 comments:

  1. This whole "Harlem Shake" viral video recreating is getting a little ridiculous. I am posting this video to my social media websites ASAP. This is video is absolutely rich in not only digital rhetoric but how digital rhetoric (as information being accepted as communication) becomes intertwined in cultural issues and how different people, different perspectives are affected. Thank you so so much for sharing! (does this also relate to accessibility amongst race? a lil Nakamura, maybe some one else..but their name is stuck at the tip of my tongue!)

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    Replies
    1. ...just read more of your response on your blog, got the names now!

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  2. I've seen this video going around and people talking about the culture appropriation and underlying racism of the harlem shake movement. I've also seen several prominent African Americans tweeting about it (I'll have to see some other examples). One I do remember off the top of my head was along the lines of 'hey black people the dances you are doing now will be loved by white people in 2020'. I think the point of the tweet - the point a lot of these commentators are trying to make - is that it seems like a part of this whole harlem shake idea is to take something that black people did, separate it from them, and then twist them till it's either funny or almost mocking.

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