I'm writing an article in which I want to touch very briefly on the idea that black people are more status driven than other ethnic groups. I don't think this is a crazy idea considering things like bling-bling, hydraulic cars, or the idea that a particular rapper has more credibility if he's from a rough neighbourhood or has been involved with gangs, et cetera. Or conversely, that starting at a lower position on the ladder all those years ago, they've been forced to achieve status in different ways.

Obviously, I'm aware that not all people with black skin subscribe to the hip-hop type of culture or act like this, but it is one aspect. Now, for the sake of getting my points across without offending people, I don't want to appear racist. Does anyone know of any credible academic sources that cover this kind of thing? I've done all the obvious google and google book searches and turned up very little. Usually I would visit a library, but being that I don't speak the language here, that's a little hard for me these days.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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I don't think that's true at all.

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Originally posted by SYSTEM-J Levels is...decent...damn better than a lot of the shite dominating the charts at the moment. It sounds absolutely nothing like...a billion and one similar tracks in this big-room style. I always had a soft spot.

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Originally posted by Adam420 I don't think that's true at all.

And that's one of the reasons why I'm looking for academic sources. I don't want to make claims without having evidence.

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21 pages


i think there's a racist presumption to the whole thing, that is that black people should have any different attitudes about status in the first place, that the question posed is seen as legitimate. so i think you've already done a good job appearing racist. it's not clear yet if you are being discriminatory or supremacist, but definitely racist.

and i think your objective is pretty vague.

first of all you have to define 'status' in a way that is meaningful across many disparate groups of people.

and you also need to prove that the a black rapper who brag about his 'status' change is somehow more meaningful than a non black person who posts a photo of their child's college graduation on their mcdonalds cash register.



i think you should change your focus from 'black people' to 'hip hop culture'

otherwise it's incredibly racist, ignorant, and academically clumsy.

Last edited by nefardec on Feb-06-2011 at 20:23

Oh, boy.

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black ppl just have more obvious indicators of status.
white ppl are status driven too: "i'm on a boat"
asian people: "my daughter go ucla. study be doctor"

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Originally posted by LAdazeNYnights black ppl just have more obvious indicators of status. white ppl are status driven too: "i'm on a boat" asian people: "my daughter go ucla. study be doctor"

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Or conversely, that starting at a lower position on the ladder all those years ago, they've been forced to achieve status in different ways.

I don't really care if you agree with the idea, anyway. I'm more interested in reading up on the subject so I can prove or disprove the vague assertion to myself.

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I don't have any specific sources for you, but - providing it doesn't wander too far from the topic you are addressing - I might recommend you delve into the theory of the linear time phenomenon, and how the process of perception of event sequence explores cultural differentiation regarding geocentric lineage. That is, people with genealogies more closely derivative from the Earth's equator exhibit behaviours more reactive and improvisational than those farther north or south of it do, from a variety of contributing factors and folkways pertaining to the transmission of communication and its relegatory devices; Namely, mating rituals that broadcast in the most viral manner possible.

http://www.boostmobile.com/?cid=da_..._boost%20mobile

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Originally posted by nefardec i think you should change your focus from 'black people' to 'hip hop culture' otherwise it's incredibly racist, ignorant, and academically clumsy.

No, it's not, if it can be proven. If he can prove that this undesirable characteristic is more prevalent in black families than others, should he refrain from writing the paper? Are we going to bar research that may lead to findings that are of interest to racists? I find that more offensive than the aforementioned claims, even if false.

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lol @ Hal

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Originally posted by shaw No, it's not, if it can be proven. If he can prove that this undesirable characteristic is more prevalent in black families than others, should he refrain from writing the paper? Are we going to bar research that may lead to findings that are of interest to racists? I find that more offensive than the aforementioned claims, even if false.

i think 'black people' is far too heterogeneous and vaguely defined a collection of people to study, which makes the premise inherently racist.

with such a broad group of different people, there could be any number of other circumstances or factors that account for differences in perception of status change.


there is nothing different here than the premise of writing a paper about trying to prove that 'black people like fried chicken' more than other groups of people.

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Originally posted by nefardec i think there's a racist presumption to the whole thing, that is that black people should have any different attitudes about status in the first place, that the question posed is seen as legitimate. so i think you've already done a good job appearing racist. it's not clear yet if you are being discriminatory or supremacist, but definitely racist.

I didn't see this edit until just then. The presumption isn't racist, because there's no element of discrimination or superiority here. Rather, the issue is rooted in historical and socio-economic circumstances, having nothing to do with skin colour or genetics. Pointing out such differences is entirely different from a bigoted "niggers are dumb, huh?"

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Originally posted by nefardec and i think your objective is pretty vague.

Yes, it will be a tangent to the main points of the article. It is a vague idea at the moment, and I want to examine whether it has any weight.

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Originally posted by nefardec first of all you have to define 'status' in a way that is meaningful across many disparate groups of people.

Which is why I made the point about people seeking status in different ways.

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Originally posted by nefardec and you also need to prove that the a black rapper who brag about his 'status' change is somehow more meaningful than a non black person who posts a photo of their child's college graduation on their mcdonalds cash register.

ditto.

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Originally posted by nefardec i think you should change your focus from 'black people' to 'hip hop culture'

That's a horrible way to do things, because it inherently makes readers think that you're hiding latent racism by mentioning a subculture so heavily related to the black community, rather than actually coming out and saying what you mean. I want to be clearer than that.

Also, hip-hop was created by, and continues to be dominated by black artists. Thus, it's a reasonable assumption that hip-hop culture reflects some aspect of how the wider "black community" thinks and feels.

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Last edited by Domesticated on Feb-06-2011 at 20:54