Bakari Kitwana, author of “The Hip-Hop Generation” and “Why White Kids Love Hip-Hop,” urged students to take an active role in shaping politics and economic policy during a lecture in the Business and Aerospace Building’s State Farm Room Thursday night.
“Economically, more and more young people have enough things in common that they can organize around,” Kitwana said.
Kitwana said people ages 18 to 25 have again become a force for political and social change, citing the results of the 2008 presidential election as a prime example.
“When asked in a survey entitled ‘Understanding the Hip-Hop Voting Bloc’ if race mattered in their choice for president, young people overwhelmingly said ‘no,’” Kitwana said.
“It was already clear to me from my work in hip-hop that young people process race differently,” Kitwana said. “They have a more sophisticated racial analysis.”
Kitwana said those surveyed were most concerned about the war in Iraq, jobs for young people and affordable tuition. He said the poll was conducted only two weeks before the election and included an equal number of black, white and Hispanic youths.
“If there is a post-racial generation outlook, young people, I think, have greater insight than anyone else,” Kitwana said. “But no one is asking them.”
Kitwana compared the beginnings of hip-hop culture during the recession of the 1970s to the current state of youth culture, in which young people are less likely to focus on differences like race and gender to rally around common causes.
Kitwana called the emergence of hip-hop in the 1970s “an economic story,” and discussed how warring neighborhoods united through music to express their frustration with the job market and a lack of opportunities.
He went on to explain that the current generation, who has grown up watching consumer culture celebrated in TV shows like MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” and “Cribs,” are experiencing similar frustrations.
Kitwana said the rising cost of tuition and a lack of jobs with benefits are forcing young people to redefine success.
“There’s a sense of alienation among young people who are unable to reach this new American dream,” Kitwana said.
Kitwana said college students should graduate as quickly as possible, spend only what is necessary and start saving.
He also warned that the economy would not return to its former state. He suggested that students learn a relevant second language and think of future career options in terms of what is happening economically in the rest of the world.
When asked after the lecture what young people can do to change political and economic policies, Kitwana replied that youth must learn to think beyond presidential elections.
“There’s more than one kind of election,” Kitwana said. “We can put more pressure on our congressmen and senators.”
Hip-Hop language teaches students about economy, current generation
Published: Monday, November 16, 2009
Updated: Monday, November 16, 2009 00:11
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