american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
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180 AMERICAN POLITICAL POETRY<br />
po<strong>in</strong>ts out, he understands that his actions function “as rhetoric” and<br />
“as a trope of impossible au<strong>the</strong>nticity” (xxxvi). In any case, “act<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><br />
concert” <strong>in</strong>volves collectively work<strong>in</strong>g to achieve what cannot be done<br />
<strong>in</strong>dividually. The power of act<strong>in</strong>g toge<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>herently <strong>in</strong>cludes <strong>the</strong><br />
danger of bl<strong>in</strong>dly follow<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
This issue also po<strong>in</strong>ts to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dispensability for live hip-hop of<br />
magnanimous personalities capable of virtuosic performances. Arendt<br />
writes that <strong>the</strong> virtuosity of performance <strong>in</strong> spontaneously created<br />
<strong>political</strong> space should not be thought of as a consumable product. She<br />
writes that “virtuosity” is “an excellence we attribute to <strong>the</strong> perform<strong>in</strong>g<br />
arts (as dist<strong>in</strong>guished from <strong>the</strong> creative arts of mak<strong>in</strong>g), where <strong>the</strong><br />
accomplishment lies <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> performance itself and not <strong>in</strong> an end<br />
product which outlasts <strong>the</strong> activity that brought it <strong>in</strong>to existence”<br />
(Between 153). The virtuosity of a hip-hop performance is categorically<br />
different than <strong>the</strong> albums fans buy. The quasi-public space of <strong>the</strong><br />
show, its audience participation, and <strong>the</strong> ability of performers to<br />
connect with that audience create a virtual space of <strong>in</strong>teraction,<br />
impossible when a private citizen listens to a record <strong>in</strong> her home,<br />
office, or car. One press<strong>in</strong>g question rema<strong>in</strong>s: Can <strong>the</strong> agency of a live<br />
hip-hop show translate from <strong>the</strong> public space of <strong>the</strong> show <strong>in</strong>to<br />
<strong>the</strong> larger realms of representative democracy, where urgent social<br />
problems and economic <strong>in</strong>equalities rema<strong>in</strong>, and where money, not<br />
virtuosity or audience participation, controls politics?<br />
Many readers may question any premise about <strong>the</strong> <strong>political</strong> potency<br />
of live hip-hop shows if it is not also possible for <strong>the</strong> collective agency<br />
and <strong>political</strong> experience created by “act<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> concert” to translate<br />
<strong>in</strong>to action and change <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> larger world. Angela Ards, <strong>in</strong> discuss<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>the</strong> difficulties of mov<strong>in</strong>g from hip-hop as enterta<strong>in</strong>ment to hip-hop<br />
as activism, claims that “what look like mere social events may represent<br />
a pre<strong>political</strong> phase of consciousness build<strong>in</strong>g that’s <strong>in</strong>tegral to<br />
organiz<strong>in</strong>g” (14; my emphasis). I believe, though, that it is important<br />
to th<strong>in</strong>k of live shows not as “pre<strong>political</strong>” but as fully <strong>political</strong> events<br />
<strong>in</strong> that <strong>the</strong>y establish community-based <strong>in</strong>terpersonal relationships<br />
and create democratic, <strong>political</strong> spaces. They are organiz<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
Accord<strong>in</strong>g to Arendt, action <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>se public spaces “always establishes<br />
relationships” (The Human Condition 190). Moreover, <strong>the</strong> “extent of<br />
those relationships and <strong>the</strong>ir consequences are impossible to know<br />
(and hence control) <strong>in</strong> advance” (McGowan 68). Arendt claims that<br />
every action is a “miracle” s<strong>in</strong>ce it <strong>in</strong>troduces someth<strong>in</strong>g new <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong><br />
world; consequently, it is not possible to predict with accuracy an<br />
action’s future effects or how it will translate outside that space.<br />
Arendt wants to preserve public spaces for actions that can be creative,