[Marxism] Re: Ali G - missing the point

[Ben C]

> From: "David Quarter" <davidquarter at sympatico.ca>
> 
> >  In arguing that Ali G. is trying to "represent black people"



In arguing that Ali G. is trying to "represent black people" comrades 
here have mostly got it wrong even though Einde and others have pointed 
out:

Ali G is sending up white kids who adopt "black" language and dress and 
so on that they pick up from watching imbeciles like 2 Live Crew, Chris 
Rock, Puff Daddy etc etc etc. Ali G is sending up, for example, Eminem 
albeit less so than some of the young twits who I meet. An example, my 
younger brother (who is or at least was an Eminem fan) used to think it 
funny to refer to his (all white) friends as "my niggers". (nb I think 
he may have wised up a bit now). In a similar vein, the UK band "the 
Prodigy" did an appalling song called "slap my bitch up" (which my 
brother also found funny in the same way).

One criticism of Ali G is that although I (and a fair few reviewers) are 
convinced that he is satirising this idiocy by over-acting the 
stereotype in a kind of _reductio ad absurdum_, too many people don't 
get it and think that he's just being funny like those "crazy" black 
rappers who are also so funny when they go on about all their guns, 
ho's, bitches, niggaz and all the rest of the shit.

My main beef with Ali G however is that his use of sexism is only 
ancillary to his main targets of ridicule (which is people who adopt the 
"black gangsta rapper" image, and those twits in the establishment who 
take him as a serious expression of youth culture). Hence the sexism is 
criticised little and at best only in an implied way - when it's not 
positively *used*. That's my take anyway. All those who find him funny 
regardless, please keep watching -- don't let me spoil your fun!

Ben C
Melbourne Australia