Wednesday, April 20, 2011

A History of Black Folk on Twitter (cross-post)

Mark Anthony Neal at TEDxDuke 2011:


See more of Dr. Neal at NewBlackMan. But watch the video first...

4 comments:

ProfGeo said...

CNu, for part A: There was an a-ha moment or two but maybe not for you. One was subtle and not to be easily accepted by the TED audience, though they're more open than many -- that in times past our people were the technology that comprised the social media in America, and now we're using the tech (extending ourselves) in a way that simply must be figured out by the majority (folks ostensibly in charge). I think for a TED audience the recap of dual consciousness was also necessary, to anchor it in something everyone's at least heard of.

You can ask Mark directly, of course, if there was a big closing a-ha that he did not convey for some reason. The max TED talk is 18 minutes so maybe he was literally cut short.

B. I think part of your role on Earth is to suggest throwing in the towel, so at least the idea has to be considered. If we do-- meaning it's never going to get any better-- what then?

CNu said...

in times past our people were the technology that comprised the social media in America, and now we're using the tech (extending ourselves) in a way that simply must be figured out by the majority (folks ostensibly in charge).

Pretending for discussion's sake that there was no Ishmael Reed, no jes grew, cats brought those insights years ago and with infinitely more flavor...,

Mark was privvy to those musings in Alondra Nelson's afrofuturist space, so it's more than a little disappointing all this time later to watch him water down and mainstream the rudiments of other folks discourse from so long ago.

If we do-- meaning it's never going to get any better-- what then?

the afrodemic sphere isn't making anything better anywhere..., matter fact, from what I have managed to observe over the past decade, it's almost like the poster child for much of what is wrong in higher education.

Mark Anthony Neal said...

Thanks for posting.

The usual TED presentation is 18mins, for this particular event it was 12mins. With an audience comprised of primarily White Duke undergraduates, most of what I said was an introduction to them.

As an aside, when ever somebody pulls out a reference to an essay I wrote 9 years ago (Confessions of a TNI), suggest they probably had an ax to grind. All in the game.

CNu said...

lol,

No professor, no axe to grind.

Luke 12:48

Just persistent, and pervasive disappointment in the paucity of insight and innovation that emerges from arguably one of the most privileged classes of Black folk in.the.world...,

To have an embarrassment of "shining princes" from whom the people obtain so little tangible and useful princely value - is my singular complaint.

It's an across the board indictment and part of a lengthier meditation on the state of education and higher education, parts of which meditation ProfGeo has observed. Your TEDx talk was merely incidental to the overarching sentiment.