Mar 4, 2008

HEALTH MATTERS: Filmmaker urges people to think critically

By LJ Anderson / Daily News Columnist

Hip-hop music has been on an explosive roll since its birth in the West Bronx in the 1970s. As a musical expression of frustration and resistance by black and Latino urban youth, the multi-billionaire industry of today is a cultural and worldwide phenomenon. Its impact on American culture is even captured in a Smithsonian exhibit entitled "Hip-Hop Won't Stop." The downside of hip-hop, though, has been the mainstreaming of music that objectifies women and portrays violence and violence against women in a positive way by some of hip-hop's most commercially successful artists.

A fan of hip-hop, filmmaker Byron Hurt graduated from Northeastern University in 1993 with a journalism degree. He spent 10 years at Northeastern's Center for the Study of Sport in Society where he created the Mentors in Violence Program (MVP) to educate men about gender and sexual violence. Hurt's film credits include: "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" and "I Am a Man: Black Masculinity in America" (www.bhurt.com).


Q: What were you trying to achieve with the film, "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes"?

A: I wanted to make a film that was going to get hip-hop fans to look and listen to rap music and hip-hop with a different ear, and to think critically of the images of masculinity that have become so normalized in mainstream hip-hop. Not all hip-hop is the same, but where there are violent images and lyrics that have hyper-masculine aggression, sexism, sexual objectification of women and homophobia, I wanted people to think critically, as opposed to becoming desensitized to it. I was becoming desensitized, although I probably questioned the violence more than the sexism and misogyny. It wasn't until I started to learn about gender issues and how prevalent sexual violence is, that I questioned and challenged it, and thought to myself, "Why is this cool-to listen to music that is so not OK?"



Q: How has making this film changed you personally?

A: It's really made me think about the society and culture that we live in. We live in a world where violence is so prevalent, the selling and exploitation of female bodies is so prevalent, and homophobia is still part of daily life for people around the globe. It made me look from hip-hop to the larger picture, and realize that hip-hop is just one part of American culture. There are so many other places where people receive messages about what it means to be manly.



Q: How complicit is the music industry in this portrayal of women?

A: I think the music industry is amoral across genres, and they will sell women's bodies in order to make money. That is a pretty consistent thing across the board. I would include the music industry as being part of the sex industry by commodifying and making female bodies very salable - especially, to young boys and young men. Selling bodies is so normal and so everyday that we don't even see it anymore. I was driving up to Northern California seeing billboard after billboard with gentlemen's clubs and the commodification of female bodies. This is somebody's daughter who is being sold, really. One of my goals is to get people to see this more clearly. It's easier to detect racism or to see blatant examples of racism. It's a little more difficult for some people to see sexism. As men we are the ones who perpetuate sexism, and we are the ones who benefit. Our male privilege doesn't force us to think critically about the way our women are treated. We see them as making a big deal out of nothing or male bashing. I try to focus on men's attitude and behavior, and challenge men as to why women are objectified and exploited.


Q: How have men and women responded to the film?

A: Women have thanked me for making the film, and a lot of men come up to me, shake my hand, and say "I've never thought about this before." I've shown the film to high school students, and had them come up to me and say they're tired of what they hear on the radio. Instead, they listen to old school hip-hop and rappers who have something to say of substance. But whenever you introduce new ideas that challenge people, people are going to justify or rationalize things. It just comes with the territory. I do the best that I can to be an example, and to motivate people whenever I can. I had no clue that I would be spending so much of my life's work doing this, but the more I do it, the more confident I grow. and the more knowledgeable I become and the more I see, the more passionate I become. These are real issues that need to be addressed. Violence against women and sexual violence against women happen every single day, and violence perpetrated by men against other men happens every single day. I can't say that we can completely eliminate violence, sexual violence or homophobia, but we can do a lot to educate and make people aware, and change laws (regarding) access to guns that make it easier for people to get them and lenient sentences for those who kill and sexually violate a woman. Change happens incrementally, and as our culture evolves, we get better.


LJ Anderson writes on health matters every Tuesday. She can be reached at lj.anderson@yahoo.com.