Racism is still a common occurrence in everyday life for all, whether through small day-to-day racist encounters or through larger messages displayed publically within media sources, easily available to everyone. In her persuasive, mind opening novel, Citizen: An American Lyric, Claudia Rankine unpacks the racism that she witnesses both on a private and public level through moving poetic style words and images. The strong experiences shared within her words, enables people who may have never personally experienced racism, feel what it might be like to be on the other side; strongly persuading readers to be in the fight to end racism. Through Citizen, Claudia Rankine depicts that various forms of media ignite racist thought through the stereotypical
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For example, a video from the popular YouTube artist, Hennessy Youngman’s Art Thoughtz, addresses “how to become a successful black artist, wryly suggesting black people’s anger is marketable. He advises black artists to cultivate ‘an angry nigger exterior’” (Rankine 23). This readily available advice is very demeaning, suggesting that black anger is profitable and it should be used for people’s monetary and popularity advantage. Although the video is very satirical in nature, stereotypical ideas of black anger prevail, living on consciously or subconsciously in the minds of all his viewers. Claudia Rankine describes an uncomfortable memory she had where “a friend tells you he has seen a photograph of you on the Internet and he wants to know why you look so angry” (46). It later explains that this photo was the one that the photographer and her agreed she looks the most relaxed in, and when a friend makes such a comment, it is very hurtful. Living through a such a small, insignificant seeming, experience such as this shows ideas of black anger are circulating, and may easily be spread through videos like Hennessy Youngman’s, suggesting that these insignificant quick moments do really matter. In one section of this book, there is a photo of five black women basketball athletes; all sitting with relaxed, resting faces (41). Rankine may have placed this here to imply that when exposed to multiple instances of portraying black anger, one might tend to think these women look very
For example, a video from the popular YouTube artist, Hennessy Youngman’s Art Thoughtz, addresses “how to become a successful black artist, wryly suggesting black people’s anger is marketable. He advises black artists to cultivate ‘an angry nigger exterior’” (Rankine 23). This readily available advice is very demeaning, suggesting that black anger is profitable and it should be used for people’s monetary and popularity advantage. Although the video is very satirical in nature, stereotypical ideas of black anger prevail, living on consciously or subconsciously in the minds of all his viewers. Claudia Rankine describes an uncomfortable memory she had where “a friend tells you he has seen a photograph of you on the Internet and he wants to know why you look so angry” (46). It later explains that this photo was the one that the photographer and her agreed she looks the most relaxed in, and when a friend makes such a comment, it is very hurtful. Living through a such a small, insignificant seeming, experience such as this shows ideas of black anger are circulating, and may easily be spread through videos like Hennessy Youngman’s, suggesting that these insignificant quick moments do really matter. In one section of this book, there is a photo of five black women basketball athletes; all sitting with relaxed, resting faces (41). Rankine may have placed this here to imply that when exposed to multiple instances of portraying black anger, one might tend to think these women look very