Week Five Asynchronous Discussion (150-350 words):
In defense of 2 Live Crew’s explicit content, Henry Louis Gates writes, “For centuries, African-Americans have been forced to develop coded ways of communicating to protect them from danger…This is the street tradition called ‘signifying’ or ‘playing the dozens'” (Gates, “2 Live Crew Decoded”). Kimberl Crenshaw, on the other hand, criticizes Gates’ defense of 2 Live Crew on the grounds that such practices can and, in this case, do perpetuate misogyny. She writes, “Ultimately, however, little turns on whether the ‘word play’ performed by 2 Live Crew is a postmodern challenge to racist sexual mythology or simply an internal group practice that has crossed over into mainstream America. Both versions of the defense are problematic because they each call on Black women to accept misogyny and its attendant disrespect in service of some broader group objective” (Crenshaw, “Beyond Racism and Misogyny: Black Feminism and 2 Live Crew”).
Read this week’s required readings by Henry Louis Gates and Kimberl Crenshaw:
1. Attached with this order.
2. http://bostonreview.net/archives/BR16.6/crenshaw.html
Listen to the 2 songs by 2 Live Crew found in this week’s required listenings:
2 Live Crew “Me So Horny” (Links to an external site.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhJ-7KIf6k8
2 Live Crew “Pretty Woman” (Links to an external site.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65GQ70Rf_8Y
Discuss the following:
Do you agree with Gates defense of 2 Live Crews music based off of their use of signifyin(g)? Do you agree with Crenshaws anti-racist/anti-misogynistic criticisms of the prosecution and Gates defense? Why?
Cite 2 quotes from the readings, 1 from Gates and 1 from Crenshaw.
Best,
