(ThyBlackMan.com) There is always a heated discussion when it comes to the topic of “gatekeeping”. It seems these days that everyone has an opinion about what belongs and what doesn’t, and no one has the right to say otherwise. Gatekeeping could serve a purpose, but it has become a word used solely as a weapon, and it tends to take away the rights of someone to speak to what belongs to them. Example, can you imagine someone walking if your house and dictating to you how it should be decorated? Imagine someone telling you what clothes you should wear in your home…or arguing about taking their shoes off upon entering your home.
The key word is YOUR HOME. It is beyond rude to try to gate keep what a person should do in relation to their private personal space. Yet, you have people that do such every day, and the battle regarding culture is just as bad. When something is shared that does not mean ownership is transferred, and we have no rights gatekeeping something that doesn’t belong to us. The battle got gatekeeping can lead to the discussion of entitlement, thief, and humanity. If we cannot be honest about what belongs to us, then it leaves the door open for infringing upon the rights and spaces of another. Black people in this country have to fight for the things that rightfully belong to them, and this included Black Culture.
Culture is something meant to be shared, but it is also meant to be respected. Those outside of a culture do not have the right to dictate how said culture should function. In speaking with people about gatekeeping and culture, if I lead with the previous statement…it is often agreed upon. The problem tends arise, given the perspective for this discussion, when Black people decide to gatekeep Black culture. We are constantly told not to gate keep, but others are allowed to gatekeep their culture because it is respected. This is something Black people need to come to terms with, and as a people we may want to consider being a monolithic on this topic. We need to gatekeep OUR culture because it belongs to US. Just because the culture is shared, or appreciated, doesn’t give anyone the right to dictate to us how it should function. It is important to understand, yes there are cultures within the culture that deserve the same respect. Given all the fuss about Hip Hop lately, I find it interesting that this is an art form rooted in American Black culture, yet we are rebuked for gatekeeping.
In this beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake many had something to say about what is Hip Hop verses Pop. Let me submit to the delegation that is American Blacks decide Drake is Pop…that’s what he is. This isn’t about whether Drake is Black or not…its about the fact that Hip Hop is a part AFRICAN-AMERICAN music culture and we have the right to decide what is and is not Hip Hop. This is not based on feelings it is based on who the culture belongs to. Yes, it can be shared as previously stated, but in sharing our culture we are not surrendering ownership nor its origin.
I love music in other cultures; however, you will never hear me try to define the genre beyond what they dictate because it belongs to them. Example, I’m not Korean and I have no business speaking on what is or is not K-pop. It’s because of this, I initially did not understand the push back when the discussion about Drake’s Hip Hop card amongst American Blacks came into question. This is where gatekeeping became a weapon…because as we were told we had no right to gate keep Hip Hop there were white Americans gate keeping country when Beyonce decided to make a country album. There is a darker issue at play when we see the gatekeeping double standard.
In order to truly respect a culture, you must respect the source of said culture. This has been the battle in America since day one. Black Americans constantly have to fight for the rights to their own person…so in turn there is a constant battle to be respected through our culture. We see it in so many aspects when we wear our hair in cultural styles there is negativity and questioning of character, but someone else can appropriate it and they are both celebrated and defended. So in music when we say no this is not Hip Hop there is backlash because how dare we gatekeep in our own house, and the “powers that be” decide who they like and feel should represent Hip Hop and we’re expected to simply be silent. If we aren’t careful, we will help those that would mean to appropriate culture because some of our people buy into the culture is to be shared concept. Again…sharing doesn’t mean giving ownership. When we are dealing with OUR culture, we don’t need permission to decide what defines OUR culture. We don’t need permission to gate keep OUR culture.
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
May connect with this sister over at Facebook; C. Starr and also Twitter; MrzZeta.
Also via email at; CStarr@ThyBlackMan.com.
Very well written article and a great point to address to our community. Thank you for a delightful article.
Now, i will like to add to these topic that it is our fault as African American for everything that happen to us, our culture, our community, our people, our children and our civil rights because we allow it and we let everyone and anyone into our black spaces; but more so, we Kumbaya to much with other races in America that do not have the best interest of African Americans. We let white people into our spaces, We let Hispanics into our spaces, we let Asians into our spaces, we let middle eastersn into our spaces, we let Armenians, Ukrainians, Untouchables into our spaces and then these people turn around and take over the little we got and rebranded as their own.
We allowed Asians , Hispanics, Caucasians, Hispanics to move into our black neighborhoods and once there they become to disrespect us, to call the police onus, to take over all the jobs from us, to take all the social services from us, to lie on us, to spit on our food in restaurants, to steal from us, to rape our children and to called us the “N-WORD”. Yes, you know what i am talking about and what is really going on but you let it happen. We allowed these racist bastard to open business in our neighborhoods and in turn they only hire their own people and do not give a job to a black person; but, they take all our money because we are so stupid and docile since we patronize their stores in return for nothing
In the middle East, an Asian business owner will not be allowed to open a business in their country unless that Asian business owner invest money in their country, hires middle eastern employees and or donates money to their Muslim temples; otherwise, that Asian business owner will be killed alongside his family inside that business. On the other hand, in America, the Asian, the middle Easterns, the Hispanics, the Untouchables will open a business in a black neighborhood, they will only hire their own people, they will insult and disrespect the black men and black women, and they will called the police on every black person near their racist store; Yet, African Americans will not burnt , destroyed or put to sleep the owners of these business that are every day insulting our community and calling the police on our black Christian children.
Enough is enough and black people must protect their culture, their community, their children with fire and be ready to killed anything that jeopardizes the integrity of the African American community. We must boycott all business in our community that do not hire black people, we must demand for these business to invest in our community and in our Christian children, if not then that business must go and the owners must go or suffer great consequences that may result in the after life.
All African Americans must exercise their second amendment rights by legally purchasing guns, rifles, shotguns, ammunitions, Kevlar helmets, body armored, survival gear, etc… to protect our selves, loves ones and our beloved Christian children from the wrath of these racist Caucasians, Asian, Hispanics, middle eastern etc.. we must be ready to fight to the death or die trying. Remember, November election are around the corner which means that there will be far right and far left preparing for a civil war, so we must be ready for it and be ready to defend our neighborhood from crazy white people