Feb Blog: What's your damage?

Ron Price

Blog #2

Christina Ivey

02/28/2017

“What’s your damage?”

Eighties icon John Oates once said “My mustache has become this weird iconic representation of a certain era.” Other representations of 80s iconic images include (but are not limited to) Madonna’s white dress from her infamous “Like a Virgin” performance, Michael Jackson’s red jacket from “Thriller” (and other videos) or Tom Cruise rockin’ aviators in “Top Gun.”  Each of these material items symbolized different aspects of specific narratives found in the American consciousness; liberation/women's sexuality, the universal appeal of music, and the role of masculinity in the male psyche. One concept that helps explore the meanings of symbolic representations or emblems is the study of rhetoric. As defined by the textbook, “Rhetoric is the study of symbolic action, it studies not only symbols and their meaning, but also their consequences . . .Symbolic action is expressive human action, the rhetorical mobilization of symbols to act in the world.” What this means is that the words we use have meaning and real world implications. Through various applications of verbal and nonverbal symbols, the “real world” is continuously shaped and reshaped to reflect the narratives that make up our social fabric.  The text continues, “Social reality is reality as understood through the symbols humans use to represent it.”  As alluded to earlier, there are various methodologies, artifacts, and narratives that help construct, form and understand the world around us.

Much like how Eminem galvanized angry white men in the late 1990s’, civil rights activist Audre Lorde utilized anger as one method to combat misogyny and racism. Unlike Eminem, Lorde’s interpretation addresses inequalities not easily solved by simply being angry and crying white male fragility. As outlined in the essay “Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism”, Lorde states “Anger is a grief of distortions between peers, and its object is change. Anger is an appropriate reaction to racist attitudes, as is fury when the actions arising from those attitudes do not change.” Lorde’s interpretation allows for anger to be used as a positive force for social change and justice. Example manifestations of the anger model for can be found in social justice movements like Black Lives Matter  and S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting Up Men). The long term impacts of #BLM are still up for observation. Similar to the #NoDAPL movement, the “verdict” is still out on whether or not these movements will be viewed akin to angels or to devils. The public perception of  S.C.U.M., however, equates this particular radical group to feminazism and is viewed as one extreme interpretation of feminist theory.

Whether it be the 1800’s, the 1900’s or the 2000’s, addressing societal inequalities and injustices will be a battle that current and future generations must take up and resolve if humanity is to progress as a race. Symbolic action does not happen in a vacuum and serves to illuminate “problems” within a dominant power structure. Acting from a standpoint of positionality, our individual stories serve as a counterpoint to the reproduction of prevailing narratives that saturate mass media and culture. The unique perspectives that we each bring to the tapestry of American culture reflects our history, our accomplishments, and our struggles. As Americans, we take great pride in our individuality and sense of self.  However, as Lorde eloquently states “ I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” We must remember where we come from if we are to have a clear picture of where we are going.