The art world is all topsy turvy right now. Artists are creating new ways of dissecting the world, debating about it, vetting it with friends and their sphere of influence, and putting their content out into the world. Then the creatives await for the fame and fortune. That’s how it happened for Alice Walker, Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Rosetta Tharpe, Chuck Berry, et al., at least, that’s what I heard. Once your art goes into the world all bets are off.
The Internet has made it easier for artists to get their art out into the world. While individuals have become more empowered, traditional institutions like newspapers, magazines, television stations, radio stations, etc. may be getting pinched. Secondly, content creators may feel empowered and the number of ways to distribute content – Twitter, Tik Tok, Youtube, personal blogs – may have grown, yet resources and the lion’s share of power remains concentrated. Once the content is created it become a question of, “How do you commodify it?” It can become a game who can be the first to take that content and collaborate with those who control the resources.
Trump And The GE recently got “Bad And Boujee” where we discussed the firestorm over the book, Bad And Boujee: Toward a Trap Feminist Theology. When the Shock Exchange thinks of “trap” he thinks of the Migos and “trap music” has become synonymous with African Americans, particular in the South. “Trapping” connotes getting it how you live. The problem is that the person who wrote the book, Jennifer Buck, was white. The person – Sesali Bowen – who coined the phrase, “trap feminist” or “trap feminism,” was black. The book created such a negative reaction from the public that it was pulled by the publisher.
Cultural appropriation is as American as apple pie. It also creates a visceral reaction because stealing content from Blacks has been going on since we came to this country. Obviously, it will never stop. Too bad the lady who created the concept of trap feminism has never gotten her full credit. It begs another question, what happens when the thief is Black? Do women or the public get its dander up then?
At the 44 minute mark of the following video we point out how Coates copied content from Trump and the GE and professor Lance Brofman verbatim, and pretended like he did not know us. Coates simply confirmed what we always knew. Trump and the GE is the top platform for issues related to politics, economics, and Black culture. How long with Gayle King, CBS, Trevor Noah, the New York Times or the continue to ignore us?
Trump And The GE discusses how the president’s policies impact the community and the economy. It is the top podcast/platform that discusses politics, economics, Black culture, et al., yet we are also the most-hated. People hate us because we are so good. They love us also. That’s why they steal our content and attempt to mimic us. Ta-Nehisi Coates – the so-called top Black intellectual in the country – has apparently, been copying us for years. He and others have played a game of (1) copying content from Trump and the GE, (2) taking it to CBS, Gayle King, or Trevor Noah of Comedy Central, and (3) sitting back while Gayle King, CBS, the New York Times or Trevor Noah praise him for his brilliance and deep research.
