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I do not want to rehash the history of The Purge film series. I don’t really want to talk about the context in which the original was made, or how the sequels managed to expand on the premise leading to this series. I haven’t watched any of these films, nor do I have any intention of seeing them. I desire very specific things from my pop culture. One of those specific things is some semblance of escapism. By that, I mean some semblance of hope in what is very easily the weirdest, darkest timeline that could possibly occur in all the multiverse.
My fatigue is very much politically-driven, and founded on desperately wanting me and mine to survive the harrowing current circumstances. So much so when I saw trailers for The First Purge, I’ll be honest I barely blinked.
Announcing the commencement of #TheFirstPurge. In theaters July 4. pic.twitter.com/DL25hhd6MI
— The First Purge (@UniversalHorror) April 6, 2018
But when USA announced The Purge TV Series, I started screaming “read the goddamn room.”
In argumentation, the term ‘Kairos’ refers to the timeliness of the argument. Where ‘Logos’ appeals to logical, ‘Pathos’ to emotion, and ‘Ethos’ appeals to authority; ‘Kairos’ appeals to The Now. Pop culture lives and breathes on kairos in how its material relates to the present moment. This is what I imagine The Purge TV series is trying to appeal to. The high tension resulting in a dark take on a Swiftian proposal of ultraconservatives taking power and controlling population by legalizing murder for a day. This idea percolated into the public conscious sometime in 2014, but four years later, the landscape is very, very different.
This may be a little too timely.
This picture is trending in Chinese social media right now. pic.twitter.com/enAu8PesPk
— Jen Zhu (@jenzhuscott) June 10, 2018
Breaking News: New York is suing the Trump foundation, accusing it of vast lawbreaking. It wants to bar the president and his children from serving on charities https://t.co/mL69zEFMqd
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 14, 2018
Media does not exist in a vacuum. Media is a byproduct of the environment it was created in. Media is a reflection of the time it was created. Media is inherently political. The stories we choose to tell and the people choose to tell these stories are inherently politically charged. This is why representation on screen matters. This is why representation off-screen matters. The content we create helps shape the narrative.
this excerpt from Polygon’s interview with The Division 2’s creative director has me pulling out my hair pic.twitter.com/I2dnHFM4tu
— KS (@KingImpulse) June 12, 2018
Reddit fucking rules sometimes pic.twitter.com/k2FMNRknLL
— positive?stress (@posistress) June 13, 2018
When Battlefield V features women on their cover and Redditors go berserk, that is a political act. When Warner Bros runs a disclaimer of “The cartoons you about to see are a product of their time” in front of old, racist animated shorts, that is political. When the head developer of the The Division 2 tries to claim that games, where players take up the mantle of covert sleeper agents activated in order to overthrow a corrupt government, is somehow not political, it is still a political statement. Choosing to remain in neutral in a time of great tension is a political stance. To quote Desmond Tutu:
”If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
NEW: Sec. of State Mike Pompeo releases statement honoring #WorldRefugeeDay.
"We will continue to help the world's most vulnerable refugees, reflecting the deeply held values of the American people." https://t.co/AODT0Yd5pI pic.twitter.com/SgBBDqEn4v
— ABC News (@ABC) June 20, 2018
FLOTUS spox confirms Mrs. Trump wore a jacket to visit border kids that reads: "I really don't care. Do you?" Spox says: "It's a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn't going to choose to focus on her wardrobe." pic.twitter.com/Bp4Z8n455G
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 21, 2018
The headlines this past June hurt. They hurt a lot. I don’t blame anyone who stays off of social media because it’s a constant barrage, a sensory overload, a satirical farce that has somehow manifested into reality. Honestly, I’m surprised The Onion is still in business because you never thought you’d see headlines like these.
Trump threw Starburst candy at Merkel at G-7, said "don’t say I never gave you anything": report https://t.co/baxJTLQVKf pic.twitter.com/2sx89ztcNN
— The Hill (@thehill) June 20, 2018
When a plot synopsis reads like the roadmap of a presidency that we actively see unfold every day, it stops feeling like satirical horror and more like a reinforcement that our concerns for our survival are just fictional. It normalizes this notion even more. The Purge franchise is guilty of all of this. Of finding ways to justify how it all ends, and how it all makes sense. The box office numbers from 2013, 2014, and 2016 don’t exactly lie. It is indeed a hit franchise.
The responsibility of a good storyteller, however, is not just telling a good story but know when to tell it and why you’re telling it. What’s the point of a series telling us murder is bad when we as a society are doing that and so much worse. Remember when HBO tried to launch Confederate? Yeah, The Purge is an equally-messed up idea in my opinion.
The problem is not that this cuts close to home, but it does not cut deep. It treats this notion like it is a benign blemish when it is a tumor — malignant, and malicious. It’s death by a thousand paper cuts, a slow bleed-out. Horror is supposed to challenge our perceptions. Instead, The Purge TV series is just another series of paper cuts, of faux extremity that got us here in the first place. This is from the network that brought us Psych and Burn Notice and Mr. Robot: shows that challenged us in some way. Now, we have this dark and edgy miniseries that asks “you know murder is bad, right?”
I know that is murder is bad. I know that that The Purge is the extremist conclusion of an ultra-nationalistic, fear-mongering policy. While this is a small wound in the grand scheme, it’s small wounds and tiny concessions that got us here in the first place.
USA, could you maybe read the goddamn room?
USA Network, you should too.
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The post Please Read the Goddamn Room – Thoughts on the Purge TV Series and the Purpose of Pop Culture appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
AfroPunk has gained worldwide popularity for its music festival that celebrates black alternative culture, music, and art across three continents and five cities. The annual concert features a collective of indie acts and headliners like Solange, Lenny Kravitz, Lauryn Hill, and funk legend George Clinton. Now, the global live events company is expanding into the black travel movement space thanks to a new partnership with The Runaway Experience, a black-owned travel company that specializes in curating cultural experiences, connections, and adventures.
The Runaway Experience
The Runaway Experience was created in 2015 by Jeff Belizaire and Kalisa Martin, a couple that met at church and started dating in 2013. At the time, Belizaire was a marketing executive who spearheaded campaigns for major brands like Boost Mobile, T.I.’s AKOO Clothing line, and McDonald’s. Meanwhile, Martin, a classically trained chef, was navigating a successful career in food science and media, making appearances on the Today show and Good Morning America. However, their lives took a drastic turn in March 2014 when they booked a last-minute getaway to the Caribbean to escape a harsh New York City snowstorm. “Have you ever gone on vacation and said to yourself, ‘I could live here?’ On a trip to Jamaica, Kalisa and I entertained that idea—and actually went through with it,” Belizaire told Black Enterprise in an email. “During the long weekend, the idea of [opening a bed and breakfast] came up and we thought, ‘Why not? It could happen, and it could happen right here in Jamaica.'”
Jeff Belizaire and Kalisa Martin (Photo Credit: Sean Munro)
Four months later, the couple quit their jobs, relocated to Jamaica, and leaped head first into entrepreneurship in pursuit of their passion for food, culture, and travel. Together, they launched a Kickstarter campaign and raised nearly $47,000 as seed capital for their business idea. They then used the funding to launch their first outpost called The Runaway Jamaica, a community-oriented luxury bed and breakfast, in November 2015. “Kalisa and I made history by becoming the first successfully crowdfunded hospitality brand in the world,” says Belizaire.
The Runaway Jamaica brand became a huge success and eventually outgrew the four walls of the B&B. “In response to overwhelming demand, we were compelled to expand and host experiences all over the world,” he said. So, in 2017, they closed the B&B and launched The Runaway Experience, which hosts all-inclusive experiences for group travelers and partners with locally owned B&Bs and villas. The first pop-up destinations were in Cuba and Bali. The third will be in Brooklyn, New York, for the upcoming AfroPunk Festival in August.
The Runway AfroPunk Experience
“We’re excited to enhance AFROPUNK Brooklyn by creating a travel experience that connects festivalgoers with the community and highlights the most exciting black-owned galleries, boutiques, and restaurants,” says Belizaire. The five-day, four-night experience includes a pop-up dinner with Bravo TV’s Top Chef finalist Chris Scott, an art tour led by art critic Jessica Lynne, a boutique shopping tour featuring fashion designer Debbie Hardy, and VIP tickets to see all of the acts at AfroPunk Brooklyn. This year’s performers include Erykah Badu, Miguel, and Janelle Monae.
Jeff Belizaire and Kalisa Martin (Photo Credit: Sean Munro)
Belizaire says the partnership between The Runway Experience and AfroPunk developed through his organic relationships with AfroPunk co-founders Matthew Morgan and Jocelyn Cooper. “Matthew and Jocelyn have been longtime supporters of The Runaway Experience since its successful crowdfunding campaign in 2014,” he said, adding that the two brands share common values. “Through the years, a mutual interest in collaboration formed. When The Runaway Experience decided to launch a domestic travel experience, it made sense to partner with AFROPUNK. Together we created The Runaway AFROPUNK Experience to spotlight Brooklyn’s diversity, encourage cultural exchange, and to give Brooklyn festivalgoers an opportunity to form meaningful connections with the community.”
(Wikimedia Commons)
This first-of-its-kind partnership will enable festivalgoers to connect with local communities through meticulously curated events, unforgettable dining experiences, and more. Belizaire says the strategic partnership also “further signals the rising tide of the black travel movement, which combats the stereotype that black people don’t travel when indeed the sector comprises a $48 billion market.”
The post Power Couple Creates Unique Travel Experience for AfroPunk appeared first on Black Enterprise.