For my material artifact, I chose a cheaply made watch, which I bought last year. It is a counterfeit designer watch of some sort, with a gigantic face and fake diamonds; it is the definition of "bling-bling." But it's "bling-blinginess" really has nothing to do with why i chose it. The reason I picked the watch is becuase I bought it -after an intense haggleing bought with the street vender- in China-town, NYC. China-town is an unparalleled example of how other races and their cultures have become integrated into things as American as The Big Apple. It's very centralized and, aside from all of the usesless gift shops, the closest thing to china you can get in America.



This is yet another example of cultural integration, only this time, the medium is music. That's the cover of my guitar teachers band's second latest album. I would post an mp3, but I should probably get permission first. I'll try and do that later. Back on topic though, Brazil and Beyond is a Detroit-area based Brazilain band. The album is a Beatles Tribute album, however in accordance with the band's genra, all the songs are aranged in traditional Brazilian form. In other words, they use ethnic instruments -some of which have names I cannot pernounce- to play Beatles songs with an added South American flavor. Perhaps it's only in America (or maybe only in Detroit) that you will find 5 white guys playing Brazilian renditions of Brittish pop songs.

P.s. Ken would be disheartened if I failed to extend the courtesy of using his band's images without plugging them too, so if you're interested feel free to check out www.brazilandbeyond.com .

The above picture is a screen-shot from Britain's first medical drama, entitled Emergency- Ward 10*. It shows the on-screen love affair between a black surgeon, Joan Hooley, and a whit doctor, Giles Farmer. Taken from a 1964 episode of the series, the picture shows the first ever on-screen interracial kiss. Ironically, it came during a time when America was trying hard to break the wall of segregation. The reason I chose this picture is because it symbolizes the epitome of racial harmony; that is, romantic love that connects the barrier of race.

For my material artifact, I chose my yin-yang twins CD. The album artwork is riddled with racial stereotypes -from the picture of the "custom grill" shop to the To D-Roc and Kaine driving the old school Chevy on the cover, the album, when taken as a whole, is almost an archetype of main stream stereotypes being associated with "ghetto".














*ed: for credibility sake, this series might have been called Calling Nurse Roberts; I had a bit of trouble figuring out which name is the correct one, given that both are mentioned in the article

This image shows a boat full of immigrants awaiting their arival on American soil (courtesy of Schoener, AllonEd. 1967. The Lower East Side: Portal to American Life (1870-1925), 2nd Edition. New York: The Jewish Museum ). Reguardless of what "ghetto" specificly means to each one of us, the general consensus on the general meaning of the word seems to, more often than not, fall somewhere in the area of low income families whom utilize low income housing in a specific area of a city. Immigration represents just that: optomistic entrepreneurs from different countries coming to America with little money hoping to someday find themselves with big money. In fact, immigration had a major roll in the very existance of what we like to call "ghettos." The first "ghettos" were low cost, low quality tenements, populated mainly by immigrant families working low income jobs to afford clothes, food, and shelter. I use all of the former terms loosely, of course. Perhaps, one of the reasons minoritys are a staple for whatever you want to call a "ghetto", is that they have become so ingrained in the history of the "ghetto" that the lable has become a quite difficult one to strip from their heritage.

For my material artifact, I have a 20 shilling note from Kenya. I think it's a refreshing change from the way minoritys are portrayed. When you see the president (excuse me for not knowing who it is) gazing deeply and powerfuly at the outside world, in the same context as the presidents on our money, they're almost put on the same level. The Kenyan president sits with authority and presteige that generally isn't associated with the black community.

I'm still baffled by the fact that I have a blogger account.