I have a new class of 4 teenagers every Tuesday night. They are in Gymnasium, which is like smart kid's high school, and taking English. Their parents are making them take extra English lessons with me, and on the first Tuesday they told me they didn't want to be there. 'Chore' was the word they used to describe why they were there. They also told me they did not like reading, writing, playing games, doing grammar worksheets or watching films (?!) in English. They gave me a lot to work with.
Anyway, all four students were born in Korea but raised in Germany (parents got transfered here) and thus are perfectly bilingual and great with languages. I thought that this sort of biculturalism would make them different than most Germans who answer my getting-to-know you question 'What kind of music do you like?' with the dreaded 'Black people music.'
Yes, that's actually what Germans, and the Korean teenagers, say if they listen to any music produced in America. I am always a little stunned by this response. I don't think I would ever win a politically correct award, but c'mon? If there is one cultural area where race blurs it's in music. 'Black' music is rock n roll, jazz, rap, hip-hop, soul... all music also performed by whites, Asians, and Latinos. It's coming up on 50 years since Elvis ''stole'' black music.. I mean, if these kids liked to watch movies I'd play them ''8 Mile.''
Anyway, yesterday I thought I would outsmart them and get them to see for themselves how ludicrous (Ludacris!) it is to racially define music. Like a dork, I brought in pictures of Jimi Hendrix and Prince (black rock), and also German rappers Fettes Brot (white rap) and had them descripe what type of music each performer played. They looked at Fettes Brot and said 'Black music,' they looked at prince and said 'Black music.' Then I went into a long-winded monologue about how it's imporatnt to be color blind, and post-race, and how it's wrong of the German press to always call Obama the ''new black Kennedy,'' instead of just, ''the new Kennedy,'' but I lost them. After I came up for air, I noticed that all four were texting under the table.
Next week I'm making them do grammar worksheets.
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3 comments:
I give you an A+ for effort teach! Haha.
Ask them how they fancy themselves....the little smart-asses.
Those little effers. I would think by "black music" they meant rap or hip-hop, which white suburban teens have co-opted. If that had been the case, I would've frowned on their un-pc-ness but begrudgingly given them points for being unforgivingly astute.
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