Todd Boyd is not your quintessential public intellectual. At times his mannerisms, dress, vernacular, and subject of expertise would lead many to question whether Boyd is in fact, an intellectual. However, these initial judgments are rooted in an anti-intellectual hostility and elitist critique towards the study of humanities and art. It is important to note, as Professor Stephen Mack has in his essay “The Decline of Public Intellectuals?,” “what is sometimes identified as anti-intellectualism is in fact intellectual – that is, a well articulated family of ideas and arguments that privilege the practical, active side of life (e.g. work) over the passive and purely reflect operations of the mind in a vacuum.” In addition to Mack’s claim, the oppression of blacks for centuries has certainly led to new standards (or the abolishment of standards) for the African American public intellectual.
On his web site, author William Cook discusses the historic implications of white dominance over blacks and the effect this has had on African American intellectualism. Cook makes that claim that because Africans were forcibly brought to America, they are the only ethnic group that does not owe anything to anyone and are not subject to the established “American ideals of artistic and intellectual development because they inhibit the group’s progress.” It is truly hypocritical for white academics to set the standards for African American intellectuals, as they have been making false, discriminatory claims on African Americans for centuries. In the 1980 (summer) “Journal of American Culture,” author M. Fabre states: “It is clear that the scoundrel, the ape, the beast, the Black man are near equivalents…” And we thought now was the era of anti-intellectual thought. More recent remarks of degradation were articulated by Canadian Professor Philippe Rush in a 2001 article in Insight magazine: “What I've found is that in brain size, intelligence, temperament, sexual behavior, fertility, growth rate, life span, crime, and family stability, Orientals fall at one end of the spectrum, blacks fall at the other end and whites fall in between. On average, Orientals are slower to mature, less fertile, and less sexually active, and have larger brains and higher IQ scores. Blacks are at the opposite end in each of these areas. Whites fall in the middle, often close to Orientals.” The psychological implications from such statements have had detrimental effects on the psyche of African Americans, especially adolescents. As studies depict a direct correlation between self-esteem and academic achievement, African American public intellectuals must take on additional responsibilities.
As Mack points out, the concept of a public intellectual needs to begin with a shift from “categories and class” to “function.” Professor Todd Boyd is a clear illustration of an intellectual whose primary goal is that of function, both to inform and energize his listeners. Dr. Boyd is the Katherine and Frank Price Endowed Chair for the Study of Race and Popular Culture and is a Professor of Critical Studies in the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He earned his PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa in 1991. Following graduation he taught briefly at the University of Utah before entering the Cinematic Arts department at the University of Southern California in 1992. Dr. Boyd has published six books, and has written numerous articles and essays for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, among many other publications. In addition, Dr. Boyd co-wrote the Paramount Picture film The Wood and his made numerous television appearances on programs such as ABC World News Tonight, Biography, and the Today Show. He is currently a columnist for the ESPN.com column Page 2, under the pseudonym “The Notorious Ph.D.”
Dr. Boyd’s controversial views have resulted in heated debates between other prominent African American intellectuals. Specifically, his recent book, (which Scott Smith critiques) suggests that hip hop has replaced the Civil Rights movement and is a more accurate representation of the Black Power movement. In contrast, author bell hooks believes that hip hop reflects "imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy.” Boyd disagrees and in an article with NPR, Boyd notes that hip hop reflects the current social problems of the African American community. "Hip hop is inherently political, the language is political," Boyd says. "It uses language as a weapon — not a weapon to violate or not a weapon to offend, but a weapon that pushes the envelope that provokes people, makes people think." Many African American public officials agree with Boyd. In an interview with Kam Williams, California Assemblywoman Maxine Waters states that one of her aims is “to get the hip-hop community more involved with public policy makers, so that they could begin to influence the thinking of older and mainstream people.” Ultimately, Hip hop serves as a forum for those that would otherwise go unheard. Like hip hop, Boyd gives an educated voice to his community while at the same time posing controversial views that further “boil the pot” in regards to culture and race. In addition, he has shown understanding of our commercially controlled media driven society and instead of fighting it, he uses it as a platform.
Both Boyd’s word choice and syntax reflect his innate ability to first engage an audience before discussing the main point of his argument. While some may argue that this cheapens Boyd’s work and status as an intellectual, I disagree. Boyd will use phrases such as “playa hater” to describe individuals who harbor jealous and animosity towards someone else’s success and popularity giving both Hank Aaron and John McCain as examples. Boyd is surely aware of his grammatical errors, yet his aim is to first attract individuals at all intellectual levels in order to engage in a more educated dialogue. While his approach may contribute to the anti-intellectual argument, his style is influential and contributes to further public discourse.
Todd Boyd further uses his role as a public intellectual to counter ignorance affecting African American culture. This past summer, police chief in Flint, Michigan, David Dicks, began instructing officers to start arresting individuals with sagging jeans. Those arrested would face jail time and hefty fines because Dicks believes the fad is an “immoral self expression.” In the third most dangerous city in America, according to Congressional Quarterly, Boyd’s first response in a Newsweek interview was: “Clearly there are more important things going on in Flint.” Boyd then goes on to discuss the historical fashion trend of sagging jeans noting that before labels such as Sean Jean and Rocawear, jeans were made too narrow for the black male body. In addition, many African American males were not able to afford new jeans and were required to wear hand-me-downs from older siblings, which attributed to the bagginess. While this issue may seem trivial, I would be furious if I received a fine for unfit clothes and like myself, I know these young individuals could not afford such a ridiculous expense. Todd Boyd was quick to address this economic concern facing the many African American intellectuals in Flint, MI. Were Noam Chomsky, or Fareed Zakaria going to publish an article in regards to this unreasonable law: Probably not.
It is unfair to compare the works of black and white public intellectuals, as their goals may be entirely different. While Christopher Hitchen’s seeks to engage a foreign policy conversation with the Slate magazine article “South Ossetia Isn't Kosovo,” Todd Boyd aims to educate the African American youth about culture awareness with a book titled “Am I Black Enough For You?: Popular Culture from the 'Hood and Beyond.” Is one cause more admirable, more intellectual than the other? Some still say yes, but I think it is a mistake to use the phrase “anti-intellectual” in reference to works of differing cultural concerns and will only result in additional strained race relations. And wasn’t it this pretentious attitude that created all the problems in the first place?
No comments:
Post a Comment