"Everything old is new again"
Peter Allen
The above quote can most certainly be applied to hip hop culture because it has moved backwards in the last two decades. I will now dissect the modern comparisons that were once used by bigots to denigrate blacks from the 19th century to the Civil Rights Movement.
Here are the four most common stereotypes being replicated today:
1. Blackface. Racists don't need to lampoon black people when rappers are experts at doing it. Countless songs and videos feature these artists cooning it up. Flavor Flav's VH-1 show was just the tip of the iceberg.
2. Sambo. Portrayals of lazy, irresponsible, and carefree people are very common on songs and in videos.
3. Mandingo Negro. Rappers endlessly brag about how many women that they have slept with, exhibit sexual bravado in the form of being a "player," and love using phallic (about themselves) or gluteal (about their conquests) descriptions.
4. Sapphire. Online videos on YouTube and websites like World Star Hip Hop show loud-mouthed women cutting men down to size.
My response: What is the black community going to do to combat these horrible stereotypes?
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