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September 23, 2006 9:06 PM
SEMI-DIVERSITY U: My First Day of College by Maia Lazar
As millions of students enter college for the first time, some find that higher education has a few low points already built into the curriculum. By Maia Lazar My first day of class went pretty well. I loved my playwriting and Russian class but the third one, Non-Western Art, was tediously p.c. Our professor will mark us down if we use the words “tribal” or “primitive” to describe African art. She tried to make us feel guilty for being part of the capitalist world, and said that we labelled Africa primitive because they were inferior and full of black people with disease. I did not feel guilty. For one thing, “black” and “African” are totally different. When I think of a black person, I think of an “African-American” or an American black. I have a Nigerian friend, and when she met American black girls they all swarmed to her like she had the secret power of blackness — of African ancestral power or something. She got irritated when they called her African-American, because she’s not American (yet), but, unlike American blacks who call themselves African-American, she is African. She comes from a completely different culture. I often see blacks stick together like I see Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indians, Persians, Armenians, and Jews stick together. I am not generalizing. It is quite common. In my old (public) L.A. high school, there didn’t even need to be a MEChA because, well, about 80% of the school was Hispanic — a pretty broad term anyway. It politically means Spanish speaking people from Latin America, but then you’re lumping together all these Mexicans, Colombians, Nicaraguans, Cubans, Salvadorans etc. in one group. The truth is they want to divide themselves into smaller groups. One of my old high-school classmates was so proud to be Nicaraguan — which I learned has a similar Spanish accent to Mexican Spanish (helpful if you want to illegally cross the border). He often went around in a shirt with special slang words meaning “100% Nicaraguan.” And when someone said they were Salvadoran, you’d hear lots of whooping and cheering for El Salvador. Blacks are dissimilar. Historically, the American slave trade got them from the same regions of Africa. I noticed here at UC San Diego mostly everyone is white, Jewish, or Asian. Latinos make up 12% and blacks… maybe 1%. I met one boy I thought was black but he turned out to be Jewish. I don’t want to seem obnoxious, but in the past few weeks, I’ve become a bit overly interested in race. I’ve counted 12 black people on campus walking about. Asians? Lost count. “Hispanics”? Several, including suitemates who are super cool. But other than my old high-school friends I haven’t seen many here. There are tons of Russians in my Russian class, but I’ve only seen around three Armenians — much less than back home in L.A. So we’re a sort-of-diverse campus. But back to the professor saying we are not allowed to call African tribes primitive. That just seems insane. Remember that scene in the movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy” where they end up worshipping the Coke bottle? That is primitive. But I’m beginning to wonder, would we get marked down for saying that? The professor seemed a bit nuts on the topic. Or maybe she is just feeling white guilt. Maia Lazar is a first year Russian/Soviet-studies major at UC San Diego’s Eleanor Roosevelt College. She blogs @ Sky Watching My World ——— Comments (45)Sissy Willis :RKV :Maia, Just a hint - if you think your Non-western Art class is going to get any better - it won't. No matter how much you like the material, a psycho prof cannot be overcome. Time to find another class. Phillep :I'd think that "tribal" would just mean it follows specific cultural conventions, so the teacher is full of beans there. "Primitive", though, that's a bit different. Much of the art by people who could be considered primitive is highly sophisticated within it's conventions. You want "primitive", go take a look at the trash put out by "Modern" artists. Art is supposed to speak to the emotion. Too many have striven to create the emotion of "esthetic revulsion" in the viewer, and have had to settle for the emotions of "incredulous bewilderment" and "contempt for lack of talent or skill". Don Meaker :You need to review the "G-ds must be Crazy" movie. They didn't worship the coke bottle, they used it to smash things, or as a roller. As a tool. I recommend the one with the extra features that show the real culture of the kalihari bushmen. They herd culture, and aside from being very poor, and their fastinating language (with clicks) have a culture to other rural areas of South Africa. Kimiti Wang'oo :Have you considered that the prof might be trying to broaden your worldview, allow you to share the basic humanity offered by the creators of the 'primitive' art? By using negative labels you have distanced yourself from them, diminished your own ability to empathize and hence any chance to understand the 'other'. BTW, I am a 'tribal' person. Thank you. Andi :Refusing to acknowledge that cultures differ in their relative sophistication is a primitive point of view dating from the backward and drug-induced nineteen-sixties. Sean Gleeson :Nobody worshipped the Coke bottle in "The Gods Must Be Crazy." Xixo thought the bottle was a gift from the gods, because it had fallen from the sky (dropped from an aircraft). But when it caused strife and discord, he decided to give it back to the gods. Robert Speirs :This is ridiculous. "Primitive" is a word with a meaning. It means less developed, technologically. That is true of Africa. To say otherwise is not "compassionate". It's called a lie. "Black" is a word with a meaning. It means "of a dark hue". That is true of Africans, in general, compared to Europeans. To say otherwise is a lie. Prevalence of disease is a matter of fact. It is true of Africa that diseases of a number of kinds are more prevalent than in Europe. To say otherwise is a lie. So the professor is teaching his students to lie. With their money. Rev. Carter LeBlanc :Just a quick note of explanation on the topic of using the words "tribal" and "primitive". (Your teacher may have brushed past this without making her reasons clear, or she may not understand the reasons, and simply acts out of a p.c. kneejerk reaction) The word "tribal" doesn't really mean anything, in an artistic context. Part of taking a college level art class involves learning proper terminology. I find it irksome when someone describes the spikey black tattoo on their bicep as being "tribal work". Ask them "what tribe?", and they stare blankly at you. Just because it's black and spikey doesn't mean that it would appeal to the asthetics of, say, a maori tribesman. Sociology and anthropology use the term "tribe" (as well as the terms "band", "chiefdom", and "state") to describe specific types of sociopolitical organization. Much of the art that you refer to as "tribal" is done by band and chiefdom societies. In fact, the !kung bushmen featured in "The Gods Must be Crazy!" are not a tribe-level society, but rather a band-level society. As far as the issue of the term "primitive", that's a bit more subjective, but it is avoided by most people in academia for good reason... During the late 19th and early 20th century the term primitive was widely used to describe the indigenous people of many undeveloped countries. They were not using the word to indicate the absence of sophisticated technology or modern political organization. They were using it in a biological sense to describe the africans and native americans as being less-evolved. The assumption was that the art, technology, and social structure were primitive because the people were biologically primitive. The use of the term "primitive" was increasingly discouraged in the social sciences as the notion of "primitive races" was increasing disproven by genetics and modern biology. Use it if you will, but it is avoided for a reason. Anon :Kimiti Wang'oo, You say "By using negative labels..." and that then presumes “tribal” or “primitive” are negative labels. Why can't someone use them simply as "labels" to better describe a culture? Pretty soon, we will not be able to use any adjectives under the rationales of the PC police. If I took your view, I'd have to object to your use of the word "basic" to describe humanity in your response. So, have you distanced yourself from yourself? Sorry to call you this, but through your own words you've proven yourself to be a hypocrite. Grade Grubber :Just a word to the wise - give your PC professors what they want, in spades (oops, can't say spades) if you don't want to be punished by bad grades. "Academic freedom" means freedom by academics, not by students. Toe the party line or be prepared to be sent to the academic gulag. Don't fight the power. Remember they don't own your thoughts, but on paper give them exactly what they want. Look up the writings of Ward Churchill or Noam Chomsky and mimic some of their jargon. Wildly praise the crudest carvings as being the sacred embodiment of a sophisticated and ancient culture that no Westerner can even begin to comprehend. Don't dare to say that the emperor has no clothes. No professor will mark you down for being too PC or too leftist in your analysis. John :If "Xixo thought the bottle was a gift from the gods", than that's worshipping. Laika's Last Woof :"Tribal" is only negative because your teacher associates with it her own vile prejudice against tribes. She is the racist, not you. She is the guilty party. There is nothing inherently bad about belonging to a tribe, yet her belief that there is stands as an all-too-clear indictment of her narrow-minded hate-filled smug self-superior anti-tribalist worldview. She should be ashamed, but she is probably too arrogant to feel shame. Tell her that and see what kind of grade you get. Make sure you pound your fist on the nearest podium as you do so. (j/k. Don't do it. You'll get an "F".) Mike O :I spent a few weeks in Uganda and have supported relief efforts there for years. I found my title of 'Mzungu!' (white person, presumed rich.) being shouted or called out everywhere I went. One of my more liberal colleagues considered it an insult, but I found it amusing. We were uncommon, considered easy marks, and generally thought to be odd (to them, we assuredly are). None of which only offends you if you let it. As for their art (several pieces which I have at home), it is 'primitive'; and extremely well done. 'Primitive' also- to me- describes a fair amount of modern sculpture (much of which is NOT well done). The Chinese excel at 'primitive', but extremely beautiful calligraphy. It just depends on how you apply the word. None of it is the Cistine Chapel. The teacher assumes it as an insult; that's her hypersensitivity, and her problem. Sigivald :I fail to see why one must not call a culture "primitive" to have "any chance" to understand it. Would calling it "sophisticated" (a non-negative label and thus implicitly allowable, by the criteria given) somehow make it more understandable, even if "sophisticated" is no more (or perhaps actually less) accurate a label? Labels can prevent understanding, yes. But so can refusal to allow them. Better to argue as to which are correct or not, and why, than to summarily disallow them. The former might change minds, or at least make people defend their prejudices (in either direction); the latter merely enforces a political viewpoint. ed :Hmmm. Frankly the only African art worth anything at all are the fabulous coffins made in Ghana. Personally I'm still divided between cremation or burial but if I do end up deciding on burial it'll be with a coffin from Ghana. Very interesting. Google it. BTW most "tribal" and "primitive" art is utter garbage made for tourists or for sale to people overly influenced by art freaks who can't stand to see art produced by anyone with either skill or talent. Catch22 :Funny--I've heard much art described as primitive and not as a pejorative. Especially products of the "arts and crafts" movement of the early 20th century, and "cowboy" art, as well as Appalacian art. Would your teacher be offended by that? AtSchool :I believe critics labelled Basquiat as a primitive, and he painted in the 1980s in NYC. I think primitive has to do with style and not where the artist lives. Nathan :I hate to say this, but RKV is right - it will not get better, and you will not learn much of any value. Cut and run before you lose too much more time. College is a great time, and after you leave you will wish you had taken so many more interesting and enlightening classes. The 'classics' will open your mind more than 10 of the more 'progressive' classes that have sprung up in the last 20 years - and it unfortunately sounds like this one is of the latter. Just think about your classes like you would as a consumer with a really critical eye. Would you buy clothing from somewhere if it was damaged or didn't fit right? Would you buy food that seemed to have spoiled? If you don't like what is offered by this guy, then fire him and find something more interesting. You won't know it's truly good until you are nearly done, but you can identify something spoiled pretty early on. Primitive? I used to collect primitive American antiques (the rough handmade stuff). I don't think anyone has an issue with THAT label. Best of luck with your years of school. Choose your classes AND professors well, and you'll have a great time there - and a lifetime of knowledge. Mark Gunderson :You seem to be miles ahead of your classmates, if they are like mine were when I was a freshman. Don't be afraid to challenge your instructors if they seem to lack common sense, or if their notion of "thinking critically" merely means thinking like them. As for the diversity of your campus--don't dwell on that too much. It's better to have students who are where they want to be than to have artificially varied demographics. gazzer :In only 7 comments, we already have two that seem to back up the nutty professor. isildur :Having taken a number of classes much like the art class you're describing, I can tell you that you will, if you stick with them, learn a strange kind of double-speak. You'll think 'primitive' but you'll say 'pre-industrial'. You'll think 'native' but say 'indigenous'. You'll think 'jungle' but say 'tropical rain-forest'. Did you know that 'jungle' is a bad word? Neither did I, until I took a class on African history from a similarly nutjob professor. I did, in fact, learn all kinds of nifty stuff from my classes in African and Latin American history. Were they worth the PC nonsense? Maybe. But they were, at least, less frothy-insane than the American history classes I took. Kat :Kimiti Wang'oo said: Oh, yes, broaden a person's viewpoint by punishing them. Stifle debate instead of openly discuss what do the words "tribal" and "primitive" mean in relation to art? For that matter, why not have an open discussion of *all* the terms used? That is what I would say would be a worthy use of class time, not the "you will see this my way or else" that it seems to be now. WTrev :Can I have you as a student? Please? I'm so tired of PC-indoctrinated Long Island nitwits..... Please transfer to SUNY Evan Thomas :Maia, not to scare you but a quick look through the cases at thefire.org will show you that your colligate career is going to face some up hill battles as long as your continue to think for yourself. Somehow it will become "known" that you are outside the mainstream of pc thought and your proffs and some students will take it out on you. Beware, be strong, be advised. Alex Reed :A couple of words to the wise: Bail, Babe! If you think this professor is "tediously p.c." now, imagine 18 or 20 classes worth of her nonsense -- a complete waste of your time and money. You have four years. It's up to you whether you spend them trying to appease nut-job professors, or learning how to think for yourself (though you seem to have a pretty good start on this already) aided by inspiring professors. Gulag of ideas, or freedom to think and explore - your choice. cougar :I have to agree with Rev. Carter LeBlanc - both words are misused as generalities quite a bit, and art is all about being specific and seeing things for what they are. As to whether or not that's what your prof was going for, I can't say. What I can tell you is that if you're talking about anything, you're usually better off being more specific anyway. Which says more - "tribal artwork," or "Hopi carvings made circa the 12th century?" Similarly, which says more, "blue" or "azure?" Which is more descriptive, saying you "eat food" or that you "feast on fresh and succulent corn?" I'd imagine I could go for quite some time without using either of the offending words (and I have - I can't remember the last time I used either) - not because any authority figure threatened me, but because I want to communicate clearly and efficiently. Generalities like "tribal" and "primitive" are pretty much fluff. JFP :I suggest asking your prof who won the last African Nations Cup. If she is so broad-minded about other cultures, then she should know. But if she's like most professors in America (especially the older ones), then she hates or is indifferent to soccer. Exposing her prejudices may make her shut up about other people's. Kevin :I had a theology teacher at Notre Dame who would drop us a letter grade each time we called god "he". I did miserably in that class, got an F. the lowlight of my mediocre college career. Raider51 :Well, hell you go to Eleanor Roosevelt College. This seems mild in PC terms. GW Crawford :Words to the wise: Learn to parrot their nonsense I had a university prof who believed that everyone in prison is a political prisoner of the capitalist state and should be freed. Since, at that time, I had enough credits to graduate, I dug in my heels and refused to acquiesce. Boy, did I fail that course! Adrianne Truett :I'm with the others, pointing out that "primitive" is a technical term for a type of art, and implies no moral or other judgment of the artist. Nor does "cubist" imply, say, that the artist can't think outside the box! If your professor isn't aware of that, then... time to change classes for more than one reason! :) RPD :Maia said "I often see blacks stick together like I see Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indians, Persians, Armenians, and Jews stick together. I am not generalizing. It is quite common." I think you'll find this is common with generally. When I was in the navy, at meals and such everone would self segregate, first by race, then by job class. One table would be all sonar, another all radar and so on. Jim :The Museum of Primitive Art and Culture is located just a couple of miles from my house. Hmmm, I suppose your art prof would have them change their name. (Their slogan is "Two million years of world culture...and more!") http://www.primitiveartmuseum.org/ If you need good grades (because of plans to attend grad school or whatever), then you should regurgitate your prof's PC BS. You will find that many faculty members are extremely narrow-minded and will punish with poor grades any student who exhibits genuine intellectual curiosity. Just tell them what they want to hear. (Please note that not all of these well be on the left; you may find a few intellectual bullies on the right and even -- amazingly -- firmly in the middle as well. A narrow conformist mind is a narrow conformist mind, just the decorations vary.) If you are lucky, you will also find intelligent, caring, challenging professors. Cherish and seek out their classes. Good luck! stockman1 :Idle question: how do You notice someone is Jewish, as opposed to black, Asian, etc.? Please let us know what you see as distinguishing traits of the Jew. Is it the kippa? T'fillin? Fashion accessories? Beth :Using "The Gods Must be Crazy" for support doesn't make sense. That's a fictional view of "primitive" people, and will of course show them doing primitive things. You might as well use a minstrel show to prove some point about actual African- Beth :Using "The Gods Must be Crazy" for support doesn't make sense. That's a fictional view of "primitive" people, and will of course show them doing primitive things. You might as well use a minstrel show to prove some point about actual African- Banjo :Pretend you agree with whatever the professor says. Everybody else will, so you'll be left behind if you don't. And don't let any trace of irony appear as you give vigorous, head-nodding assent. They're looking for that and grade down when it is detected. By the time you graduate, you'll be a pretty good liar and ready for the corporate world. F15C :Interesting. In this thread and many others, I see a rising tide of those who are recommending that students effectively patronize PC professors with mock assent to their PC screeds and world-views. Until the academic PC brainwashing machine is dismantled, allow them them the false *belief* that they are having an effect and get a good grade to boot. I love it. Of course it is criminal that it has to be done, but it is a rational and necessary defense to the insane PC thought-police that exist in much of academia. Shinobi :Just be careful that while you are in college you don't confuse "thinking for yourself" with "refusing to have an open mind." Because while you should critically evaluate your professors and your experiences, you should also try to learn what you can from them. Some profs will be full of shit, and some of them will just tell you the truth, and it may not be a truth you want to hear. carol :Oh, blah. I'm starting to miss those old fashioned racist crackers I knew in El Monte. Boinkie :One: As a mother of two (adopted) Colombian kids, I am glad that you know there are Hispanic Ethnic groups.
the !Kung in the Gods must be crazy are neolithic gatherers and indeed primitive, but the local Zulu and Swazi and other Bantu Tribes are Iron age, and in their villages live as primitive as my Irish ancestors a century ago who had pigs in the Parlor.
As for art, Primitive Art is a type of art. It can be made by someone with a PHD from Harvard, or by a tribesman from Monrovia. Maia :I saw gods must be crazy several years ago, so forgive me for forgetting a few scenes. After that first pc class though, the class is getting better. I personally love history and stories and the professor though a bit nutty tells interesting stories about the Benin dynasty in Nigeria, and I have always favored Western art but by explaining the signifance of every single detail in every single slide, I am proud to say I am learning things I would not have learned in this class. But the pcness and her screaming at the projectionist when a slide is slightly fuzzy are what irk me. Garrett O'Hara :Are you not allowed to call them primitive, or is this professor just contending that? The former is an issue of your academic freedom; the latter is just idiocy. From one college student to another, keep fighting the good fight. Rose :Maia, Comments have been archived for this page. |
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A lot of our own fellow citizens worship Noam Chomsky & Company. Now THAT'S primitive. :)
Great post! You are what I call a Cognitive dissident
Sep 24, 2006 05:16 AM