Sometimes I really do wonder what is going on, how comes I know that what I see and hear is familiar, but I honestly for the life of me cannot understand what I am seeing and hearing?
Take twerking. That is just wining up. It is a cultural expression that has been with us for centuries. Influenced by fertility dances of old, done extravagantly during and after the enslavement of our people as a subversive act against the oppressive classes as part of carnival, celebration of our triumph over their wretchedness, a big middle finger 'WE ARE STILL HERE!'.
But now it is a dirty type of dry humping that helps Miley Cyrus gain YouTube clicks that everyone shakes their heads at. It's so demonised that black people shy away from it. Honestly.
Then just last night I was at my mum's and of course Coronation Street was on. Oh mum.... Anyway, this frumpy little fuddy duddy madam, I forget her name, comes on and is talking about 'beg friend', specifically declaring that an item of clothing was too 'beg friend' (looks too desperate) so shouldn't be worn. Really?
How is it that I hear familiar words, phrases, but for the life of me I can't make sense of it and then they have to come and explain to me what it means. Yes, I have had white British people explain to me what certain phrases in patois mean.
It doesn't matter day to day, it surely does not. But how does it have the effect of making me feel like my culture is niche, and at worst make me feel like I am being locked out of my own culture? No no, at worst, it is more of a trivialising of my culture, an insidious mocking of it before it is all used up and then thrown back to me, like 'here, there you go, I'm off to live a proper grown up civilised life'.
Ugh.
Just my rant. Thanks.