4 posts tagged “culture vulture”

Okay. . .after some more time in my capoeira group, I have to say that I don't think the issues with the differences in capoeira have to do with culture-vultures.  It's an art thing not a race thing.  Some people just prefer the more artistic side of capoeira.  I don't know if that's the teacher's emphasis but it seems like most people simply prefer to play what I would call a performance game.  Which is fine.  The problem is that I prefer to play more of an ass-kicking game.  So only time will tell how I'm going to fit into this situation.  This doesn't mean that I don't believe in culture-vultures.  Or even that there aren't culture vultures in the class.  I'm sure race and class do come into play for all of us.  But I do feel that people are more motivated by their artistic notions more than anything else.

Another Reponse from a Friend--

Cultish culture vulturism purveys throughout the entire American Capoeira movement, (my opinion).  Some feel the vulturism is a reclamation of history lost, or taken from us years ago.  But that is a mental construct.  A development of the mind that makes us feel 'more connected' to the diaspora, and therefore ourselves.  But it is a feeling (a very viable one at that) and when you are talking about feelings, there is just no way to objectify who has the right to have them and and who doesn't. 

But let's not forget that it is a immeasurable combination of factors that culminate into each person's path.  To that end, we 'do' what we do to achieve feelings that we want to feel- it doesn't necessarily make what we 'do' real or unreal.

Lastly, people need to be assessed on a case by case basis.  Sometimes we need racial keys to help us with those assessments- and sometimes those racial keys lead us astray.  

That's all I have to say.  You caught me in a contemplative mood.

Posting on Vox can be a pain in the ass b/c you have to sign up.  So here is a response from a capoeira friend of mine. 

A capoeira mata, haha!" as Mestre Bimba used to sing. (Capoeira kills, haha!) Maybe not so much anymore and that seems to be part of the reason why we think capoeira is off rhythm or too safe or has fundamentally changed its flavor, especially in the United States. No longer an instrument of "resistance", it has become martial art, sport, gymnastic competition, meeting place for "inter-racial" dating, etc. Capoeira is just practiced now under a whole different context and so now you are officially learned it and attend classes and do homework and pay fees and buy uniforms and come to class on time. Its definitely not "street" capoeira.

Wrap that up in a culture like the Borg of Star Trek, the good ole USA, which tries to assimilate everyone else's culture into their own and claim it as their own and "viola!" Gringo (as in "white boy") capoeira. Which is not unlike gringo "jazz", gringo "rock n roll", gringo hip hop, gringo house, etc to name other art forms. Not that its bad or wrong or anything, it just is what it is. One note: there is a segment of the capoeira community in the U.S. that falls heavy on the Afro-centric, diaspora part of the spectrum, from Angoleiros who staunchly claim that capoeira was fully developed in Africa, before its arrrival to Brasil, to groups who will not allow non-"Black" people to join their group. My question is, do they have flavor in their games? My totally biased, un-analytically researched, gut reaction answer is "Of course they do, they Black!" In my opinion, there is just something about the African Diaspora that no matter where we ended up in the "New World", we all have that cultural thang, that would make an alien from another planet think that we were all related. 2, 4 beat, not 1, 3 beat. Again its just a different sense of time, because of the cultures we are descended from… Just different.

I think those two factors might be the biggest reasons for your dis-ease with the situation. But its  just my opinion and my 2 cents worth.

So as you can see, I've been thinking about this culture vulture issue a lot.  I realized that there are lots of people who are white (both above and below me in rank) who I would love to play in capoeira. And there are also a few people who are black or latino who I don't enjoy playing.  So, I guess the cautiousness/bad game thing is not always a 'white boy' phenomena.  People who play below the rhythm and people who play super cautiously just bother me--regardless of race. (And I'm sure there are people who don't like to play me because I can be wild and crazy : )

 I still think there is an issue here with culture vultures in the Bay Area.  And I'm still bothered by the lack of Black people at the Black History Performance. Why are there so many more culture vultures here than in New York?  Is it because NYC is more overtly racist?  And what is a culture vulture?  How do we define it? 

Agpz! You are right!  Writing about what I think is the bomb! Maybe I should go back to school and get my Ph.D.  Of course, then I'd have to back up what I'm saying with 'facts', 'data' and quotes from other researchers but. . .Is getting my Ph.D. a way I can live in NYC in a more healthy and respectful way?  Gotta think about that. . .