Hierarchies manifest themselves in everything we do. The classroom, the workplace, the home, the online messageboard – everything has its own hierarchy. My online community, while notably rich in knowledge and thorough in discussion, is conspicuously elitist. The topics discussed on this discussion board have a short but deeply detailed history, and a solid grasp on this history is of absolute importance to hip-hop purists. In most discussions, having a wide and deep bed of knowledge is a clear advantage, which earns respect from fellow members immediately. However, the dependency on being an "elder statesman" has resulted in a seemingly intentional disconnect in some discussions.
In discussing newer acts and their legitimacy, influence, importance, or even general worth, while most of the forum is able to complete discussion with few hitches, the community of older members who began listening to hip-hop music in the early 90s – by far the minority, despite their vocality – often enter the discussion simply to state their unfamiliarity: some acts simply can't matter as much because they either haven't floated into their realm of music consumption, or because they don't have the makings of what is considered a "classic" artist. A conservative approach to anything, while it disagrees with my personal taste, is by all means respectable. There is absolutely no reason why many of these members should be forced to change their tastes to remain in accordance with the general hype. The problem of this elitist, or purist, attitude is that it can sometimes dominate the discussion. These elitists sit atop the hierarchy on one of the Internet's most dominant, active, influential, populous hip-hop forums; they can serve as tastemakers for many. With this distinction, many hard-working, respectable artists are denied fair due because they are cast aside. Across the Internet and around the country, a new rap collective can be making waves, playing shows, releasing albums, and gaining notoriety on the basis of their own merits and not as a result of a major label promotional kick – but such a rap collective is treated with pure condescension and nonchalance by these high-ranking okayplayer. members.
The hierarchy is well established, and almost impossible to penetrate (the ability to move up in this hierarchy is a topic on its own), and as a result, it's highly influential. The implications of the hierarchy are often positive: if you want to find out the hip-hop climate at a particular moment in the genre – when The Notorious B.I.G. first became popular, when Dr. Dre owned the genre, when Jay-Z stepped up from being a minor player to a rap mogul – these purists and historians are invaluable. But if you want to marvel at how far Kanye West has come in just half a decade, or the importance of rap blogs in reaching a new rap audience, or how well put-together an up-and-coming artist's mixtape is, their presence can be suffocating.
Elitism is, like you said, incredibly prevalent in our society. It seems like nearly every element of entertainment - film, television, art, video games, etc. - has dozens of different groups of so-called elites and purists who attempt to form an official canon for their particular hobby.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting about this phenomenon is the fact that many of the self-proclaimed elites are just as amateur as the majority of fans. As we saw in Jenkins' book, amateurs are coming to dominate the discourse in the entertainment world. So, while there may be a group of true elites - those who have official or professional experience with the media they critique, and are respected for their opinions - there are also hordes of amateurs proclaiming themselves elite for various reasons (how long they've liked a band/genre, how many games they've played, etc.)
I am no stranger to the interactions between elites and amateurs, and I agree that their presence can be suffocating. It is just interesting to watch these dynamics unfold from a distance. I wonder how exactly the elite critics became elite, whether that's a title bestowed upon them by other fans or one they claim for themselves.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteElitism is a difficult idea to navigate because once the rules for elitism have been established in a space, they are very difficult to change and are very difficult to penetrate. I like how you say the hiearchy an elitism's ability to defend itself against people who try to enter it creates influence.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting observation about a site where you may not expect it. If you asked people, I bet many of them would be surprised that rap music buffs could be such elitists. This sounds like something that should be left to those who love opera or jazz or some other genre that draws music snobs, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about it though, I think we're all this way to a degree if we're big fans of a certain kind of music. I listen to a lot of music: rap, pop, and hip-hop are among those that I often listen to (and annoy my parents -- surely we've all been there). But my dad and I have one music genre of which we're both fans -- Oldies Country. Where I'm going with all this: when I hear new country music, I get all snotty about it. If you made me listen to a mainstream country radio station, you'd likely hear me remark, "This isn't really country music," "Ugh, why does this even come on the radio," or "This is why I don't listen to new country." The point? I can totally understand this elitism. I think the people on the site are likely trying to educate people like myself on the "good old days" of rap music or the real reason that certain artists are so good. Though it can be "suffocating", as you say, I doubt these music elitists are intentionally malicious.