Marketing Slavery in a Post Modern Era

Good New Year to you all!!! From what I understand, 2013 is the celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, 150 years of African Americans being freed from the bonds of slavery or as bell hooks would say, American Apartheid. That said, from the climate of American popular culture, I wonder if the argument could be made that we, African Americans, conjointly with whiteness in America are co-conspiriators, dually complicit in an antebellum throwback movement. Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino released a Christmas surprise with D'Jango Unchained. Prior to that, Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg released his historical epic Lincoln. What is important to note is that with both films, slavery operated as a backdrop to contextualize both piece's narratives; not to operate as the focal point of the features. As I liked D'Jango for what it was, an escapist revisionist interpretation of the Black exploitation western films, I have to say that I am disappointed, though not surprised at the product merchandising of the film. The action figures of slaves from the film are now for sale. That said, in a world where we have two African Americans singing the praises of being "Niggas in Paris," or where we have sneakers being designed to bare slave shackles, maybe I shouldn't be too alarmed. But as I attempt to call a company to task over the marketing and manufacturing of a slave/action figure, I have to check myself because, as African Americans, regardless if we choose to admit it or not, we too endorse a slave trade of sorts when we purchase a pair of expensive sneakers where the labor force is shackled by globalization and horrid labor practices. I love sneakers for their creativity in design and hip hop culture as folks sport them. To me, sneakers represent power in a masculine and feminine sense as they are, imaginatively, supposed to give someone power to excel athletically or even in a fashion sense. But never do we as the consumer consider the slave practices employed to creating the street gear which symbolically gives this fantasy we sheepishly buy into (no disrespect to sheep). On the same line, Tupac Shakur (who to me is the Marvin Gaye of hip hop) I don't think would ever allow himself to be sold out as an artist to market driven consumption, in short I don't think he would call himself a "Nigga in Paris" and would risk jail time for any white person who dared to use the term Nigger in his presence. In fact on one of his lyrics, Pac said, "Aiyyo, I remember Marvin Gaye, used to sing ta me He had me feelin' like black was tha thing to be" So I guess my question, as foreboding as it is asks, how did this happen? How did it become fashionable, trendy even to market Black suffrage? From a critical gaze, I have to ask is this hurting us (African Americans) as a people or is there some hidden logic that has yet to manifest itself? In another case of possible mockery, was the parody of Venus Williams by a White woman as she attempted to poke fun at her body type. Looking at this I felt bad for Williams because, from my perspective at least, she was being taunted or as we would say in more common vernacular, "clowned" for being who she is, which to me is an athletic voluptuous woman. The politics of representation to me suggest that if you can't beat em, clown em. Maybe I'm reading too deep into the semiotic relationship here. I don't think Williams is in the same class as Sara Bartman, but is she a willing stand in? In essence for me, I think we have come to a point where we have to own up to our own role in this cycle of self-hate and be willing to look at this issue of slavery through a globalized lens. Before we, as Black folk begin to challenge white folk on the manufacturing of a slavery doll, I think it is imperative that we also check ourselves on how we do endorse slavery on a plethora of other levels.. There, I said it, and I ain't taking it back.. :-)