Honestly, who in society gets to define what is artful and culturally relevant?
Oh, I know. White people.
Seriously, we say it (or if we don’t say it, many of us think it), but do we really think about how this all manifests itself in the way we go about appreciating culture? In particular, how we view and gauge black people’s expression of what we find artful and culturally valuable against what the rest of society has deemed worthy?
I ask this in reference to a viral video going around of a young man who licked the bottom of his brand new Jordan sneakers on camera.
His name is Paul Moses and he and his groups of friends, who all look like an updated version of Fat Albert and the Junkyard Gang, were interviewed by a local ABC affiliate in Ohio about the new Jordan 11 sneaker. In particular, the white reporter wanted to talk to Moses about the increased police presence around the Franklin Park Mall, which was the only mall in the area to carry the exclusive sneaker. Apparently, the sneaker store inside the mall, which hosted the exclusive unveiling, decided it would be a good idea to invite everybody down a couple of days early for the chance to stand in line for a ticket to purchase the new and exclusive shoe. Not surprisingly, large non-exclusive crowds showed up and when things got out of hand, the cops started macing everyone.
At any rate, Moses and the gang were eyewitnesses to the near riot and gave the news channel their version of the pandemonium around the first day of the sneaker sale. According to Moses, it wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was so bad that one of Moses’ friends bogarted his way to the microphone and told the viewing public, “My buddy got his hat shot off.” To which Moses responded, “I sure did.”
Thankfully, Moses and company survived the entire ordeal and he was able to get his hands on a pair of the coveted shoes. But before scooting back to the junkyard for an early evening Go-Go jam session, Moses and the gang also took a moment to acknowledge the local police for implementing a better crowd management plan the second time around, which didn’t involve spraying mostly Black customers like animals.
Of course, that was washed over, and instead, the reporter, confused by how consumerism works, asked the young man to explain “what makes these shoes so special?” Moses simply flipped the sneaker over, pointed out the “icy gum bottoms,” and then proceeded to lick said “icy gum bottoms.” And after he licked the soles, he offered the shoe to the reporter so that she too could experience the magic of holding the Air Jordan 11s. However, the reporter, who would decline the offer, awkwardly ended up petting the shoe into commercial break.
At the very least, the video is the comical telling of a bunch of young shoe connoisseurs overly excited about being the first – and probably only kids – in the neighborhood to own such an investment (and at the most, mocking America for mocking people waiting for sneakers). And trust, a pair of Jordan 11s is indeed an investment, one that is already going for upwards of $600 on eBay. Nope, this is not the sneaker game of the 1980s. There is big money to be made here in the resell shoe market. In fact, a couple of years ago, Boston Magazine ran a piece about the similarities in the appreciation value between limited edition sneakers and fine wines. And if these young people manage to keep those sneakers clean and fresh, in a few years, they could well be worth as much as five times what they paid for them. Not a bad trade-off for almost getting your hat blown off and being maced…
However, some of us just can’t stop and appreciate the clip for that. Some of us see bigger and deeper meanings and talk about coonin’ and losing one’s respectability, particularly in front of the white gaze. For some, the entire spectacle in the video is exactly why bad things happen to Black people. But is that really fair?
I know lots of black folks and many of them love shoes, and not just wearing them. Heaven forbid you get dirt on their new Jordans or Italian loafers. The Black shoe lovers I know own a bunch of kicks simply for the prestige of owning them. Although we are talking about my small circle of friends, black folks’ love of footwear is legendary. Nobody knows when it started. Perhaps it’s all part of our West African heritage? Anyone, who has seen the adornments of the Akan royals would understand that there is a strong possibility that “the bling” is in our blood. Or perhaps it is a new tradition started here, just like jazz, hip-hop, sweet potato pie and hair weaves. But whatever the causation, being conscious of what’s on our feet is culturally ours. And there is nothing wrong with that – other than it being in contrast to the aesthetic and particular taste of white people.
And I’m being serious about this too. Think about it: diamonds, caviar, Van Gogh paintings, french wines, etc. They’re all examples of things that have no intrinsic value other than white folks classifying them as valuable. It’s white folks who travel the globe dressed in Indiana Jones get-ups, tomb raiding and even dodging bullets (just like Moses and the gang back in Ohio) in search of these big “cultural finds.” And the discovery can be about anything. That includes paintings and sculptures; pottery and furniture; bikes and other instruments of mobility; and even clothing and shoes too. Hell, I once saw a spoon, knife and fork set on display at a museum all because of its alleged connection to a royal European family. Basically, as long as “it” aligns with their ideology – in addition to furthering the dominance of white supremacy – anything they discover can be deemed culturally significant.
Then after they find “it,” they create an entire system around the discovery to ensure that everyone thinks it is valuable and relevant too. They take “it” and house “it” inside of museums, slap some ropes around “it” for exclusivity purposes; guard “it” with armed security and tell the world that whatever “it” is, now has value. Or they write about the importance of “it” in their textbooks, and even make up phony histories to aggrandize it for the next generation in their films and on television. Every day we receive messages telling us that we should consider these kinds of discoveries (and more) as artful and tasteful, all because white people say so. And those who don’t abide by what is supposed to be culturally significant are deemed Philistines. Or worse, uncivilized savages.
Meanwhile, what becomes of our cultural tastes, particularly those that exist outside of the scope of what white people deem as artful? And what about the statements we want to make about our own aesthetic in the world? If we are lucky, white people will come along and find them valuable and assimilate them into what they find culturally relevant. Then they will slap a price tag on it so high, that what was once culturally ours, is no longer accessible. While those contributions, which are not up to white folks’ standards, are likely determined to be insignificant and worthy of mocking, even on the local 11 o’clock news.
And if you still have any doubts about the cultural significance of things, then explain to me why museums are always the first to be looted after the fall of a great empire? That was a question I posed in a piece I wrote for another publication about why black folks should invest in art. In short, expert Florcy Morisset, who used to own Philly’s only Haitian art gallery, confirmed that there is lot of power in art. It’s not only how we see and define ourselves, but art is how we shape culture. She also adds: “And if we’re not owning it, that means others are. And if we are not participating, that means we have no voice in shaping culture.”
Yes, these are only sneakers. But at the same time, they are not. For some folks, mostly young Black and brown men from distressed communities, sneakers are not only viewed as works of art, but an extension of their own individual ideologies about status and wealth. And as defined by rapper Fat Joe, who breaks down the cultural significance of licking the soles of a fresh pair of kicks, “The best thing is when you can pull out a pair of sneakers you haven’t worn for three or four years and lick the bottom of them.” In other words, I have enough money now that I can afford to preserve a pair of kicks for multiple years without wearing them once.
It’s likely true that Michael Jordan himself is probably the only black man getting paid off of a pair of Jordans, but if we are to amass some sort of cultural equality and even dominance, then we must first create the same systems, which put value and preference over our image and what we deem relevant. And not discard it, simply because of what white people will think about it.
