Blog Post 5

There are several apparent parallels between bell hooks' analysis of black culture and the introduction segment to Black Popular Culture written by Gina Dent. Both hooks and Dent discuss different facets of black culture in an attempt to decode its essence, popularity, and importance. The similarities between the two coverages of black culture are most obvious in the feminist leaning analysis and architecture of both women's dissertations and their discussion of film as a particularly important aspect of black culture.

Dent and hooks are both known for having written many feminist essays and books so it comes as no surprise that both of the women take this focus when they assay black culture. Dent makes it clear early in her essay that black culture cannot simply be looked at racially. It is necessary to not only look at black people as a homogeneous group but to be aware of the differences that exist in culture, class, etc. Hooks has a similar point when she discusses black culture. She focuses on the role of women in black culture and their depictions in media such as film and music videos and what this says about black culture and American culture as a whole. Hooks goes on to warn viewers not to allow race and black culture/white culture distinctions to muddle situations that require the analysis of other issues. The example she gives is that of the OJ Simpson trial that became a media circus and contained much coverage of racially focused issues while the actual issue at hand was domestic violence and violence perpetrated by a man against a woman. Both women want to ensure the reader or listener that black culture contains important internal distinctions. A passage from the Dent essay serves as an excellent segue into the next issue that both women hold in common: "It has become increasingly clear that black criticism will have to begin to make use of the more sophisticated cultural analyses that depend on understanding the complexities of video imaging, the dynamics of reception and reception theory." (Dent 6).

Films are central theme in both pieces. Dent discusses several "black films" including Boyz in the Hood, Jungle Fever, and Tongues Untied. Dent wants the reader to focus on what these films say about black culture and specifically black gay culture and black joy. Dent recognizes the importance of films to black culture and how these films impact American culture as a whole. Hooks takes this a step further in her analysis of the idea of the "black film." Hooks brings up in her segment on Spike Lee on the idea of black films as a money making tool in predominantly white Hollywood and the fact that, in many cases, they are not at all indicative of black culture. The dichotomy that Hooks is particularly focused on is that of Spike Lee's films being regarded as failures by some and the success of other "black films" like Waiting to Exhale. Spike Lee's films made moderate profits but more importantly conveyed a genuine message of black culture while Waiting to Exhale conveyed an image manipulated by white studio executives in what was more of a parody black culture than a realistic portrayal of life as a black person or an important issue facing black Americans. Both Dent and hooks pay particular attention to film because it is one of the most important aspects of any culture and serves to modify racial, gender, and class stereotypes.

Hooks and Dent's are similar in the way they approach their discussions of black culture. While Dent focuses particularly on the idea of black joy and what link it has to black culture, hooks takes a head on approach to the idea of black culture; however, both women approach the subject with a feminist bent. Dent's essay and hooks short documentary on black culture show that both women want to convey to their readers and viewers that black culture is a multi-layered entity that deserves analysis from several different perspectives with particular focus on black films and what they say about black people and black culture to America and pop culture as a whole.