The power and seduction of stereotyping

In Ingrid Monson’s “The Problem with White Hipness” she quotes James Baldwin’s argument that admiration and the reinforcement of stereotype are often not far apart.  Admiration, although a word mostly used with positive connotations, has a way of distancing the subject and the object.  Both admirers and “stereotypers” have difficultly looking with objectivity as they have committed themselves to an opinion, and have even more reluctance to accept contrary information about already formed opinions the more they share them with others.  On page 403, Monson continues by quoting Andrew Ross’s turn of phrase “a romantic version of racism,” which alludes to the hidden dangers of admiration. 

The stereotypes that we can decipher enough to drag to the conscious forefront are often the most interesting indicators of our culture’s ills.  What is really meant by the “white obsession with the ..African American male as walking phallic symbol” (Monson, 404) and what place does it have in jazz music’s history or popularity?  My guess is that primitivism is closely linked with Africa and its people.  Really, to anything “foreign” which as a typified rule break Eurocentric cultural norms and praise dominant sexual expression.   Although a suffocating stereotype for black male musicians, this “admiration” of the black male has also kept women performers in limbo.  As they are not able to NOT make a statement, anything they do or wear is a statement about their femininity and sexuality, just because they are playing so heavily against the stereotype of jazz musician.

I do believe wholeheartedly that stereotyping is a cause of laziness in empathy and analysis.  But utterly avoiding stereotyping is impossible and impractical, as generalizations offer tools.  Stereotypes help us build our conception of the world and make meaningful statements.  If we did not generalize, let’s say, European musical tradition as well as African, we would lose much distinction between the two and would learn less about each.  A good role for stereotyping is realizing that we must be very flexible, able to accept individuals that don’t support our stereotypes.  Also, even those with the best intentions can be support this “romanticized racism” through what seems to be harmless admiration, look at Mezz Mezzrow.  Stereotypes incite change, because the sensitive defy these stereotypes and create the new normal, and then someone will rebel from that.  That’s why we always have a new conception of convention.  Look at jazz aesthetic today:  retro is a new vogue, the innovative new tool, where modern music is the norm. 

I would like to talk a bit more about feminine image in jazz, tying it to Monson’s treatment of the white hipsters imitating black artists.  Monson says early on in her treatise that subversive whites bought into this hipster vibe, chose to make a statement about their beliefs by associating themselves with black culture.  However, the black musicians didn’t have a choice; they were always seen as Other or actively trying to refute that image.  In the same vein as the hipsters, I think men sometimes play up their image, add sex appeal to an album cover, but they can chose to be neutral in terms of sex appeal.  A woman is never neutral, her image is either playing into gender roles or defying them, but can’t just Be.  That’s the freedom that stereotypes denies:  the ability to just Be.

posted by Urban Diction