Halftime show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDorKy-13ak&list=RDKDorKy-13ak&start_radio=1
Fox News backlash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e0ZANeYeY4
Throughout the novel Mumbo Jumbo, two competing forces, Atonism and Jes Grew, vy for power in America. Atonism is the representation of Western culture in Mumbo Jumbo - one of their goals is to establish a monotheistic belief system and stamp out polytheism. Atonism literally comes from the word “Aten”, the sun deity who was solely worshipped during Pharaoh Akhenaten’s rule. On the contrary, Jes Grew refers to a more polytheistic power that is starting to take over America at the time of the novel. It is described as both a plague and antiplague - where those who get it start dancing uncontrollably and are full of ecstasy. Both Atonism and Jes Grew stem from Ancient Egypt - Jes Grew from Osiris, who tried to spread the joyous dances he learned from Ethiopian and Nubian students across Egypt, and Atonism from Set, who tried to suppress him.
Atonism and Jes Grew are prevalent in everyday America. A good example is Kendrick Lamar’s Superbowl Halftime performance. It’s been widely regarded as an important moment in popular culture, and even has a wikipedia page. Its popularity and hype is similar to Jes Grew’s. As Reed says, “Jes Grew spreads through America following a strange course. Pine Bluff and Magnolia Arkansas are hit; Natchez, Meridian and Greenwood Mississippi report cases. Sporadic outbreaks occur in Nashville and Knoxville Tennessee as well as St. Louis” (Reed 45). In the same way, the halftime performance video’s views exploded across America since its publication. The Youtube video has 147 million views and 3.5 million likes.
However, in the same way, we see real life Atonists criticizing the performance. In their critique, a few themes stand out: being unable to understand what Lamar is saying (yet still disliking the performance), promoting more Western artists like Carrie Underwood and saying that the music is too “niche” for the mass populace to really comprehend. These critiques are mirrored in Mumbo Jumbo by the Atonists: Jes Grew being too niche, not Western enough and incomprehensible (To Atonists, Jes Grew dancing looks like someone is having a seizure).
Though Ishmael Reed’s book Mumbo Jumbo may seem out of reach, or even dystopian at times, many of its themes are reflected in American life. Jes Grew and Atonism continues to be a pervasive force throughout the US, acting as useful frames to view current events.
Hi Renee, I thought the connection between Mumbo Jumbo to Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance was very interesting. I thought your point about Atonists criticizing Lamar for being “too niche” or “incomprehensible” was really intriguing, since it mirrors the way Reed portrays Atonism as trying to suppress anything that doesn’t fit within Western norms. I wonder how Reed would view the fact that performances like Lamar’s can now reach millions through platforms like YouTube.
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I really like how you've taken an inventive spin on this to combine relatively recent real-world events with the concepts in the book, especially the specific parallels of "nicheness" (never stopped Elvis from covering hound dog), Westerness, and comprehensibility. I think comprehensibility is an especially important one given the general structure of Mumbo Jumbo requires the reader to put a little legwork in and care enough about the text to try and understand it. You mention that to outsiders, manifrstations of Jes Grew may look like a seizure. This reminds me a little of Loa possession and of the jes grew music video set to "Give the Drummer Sum" that we watched in class, where one of the film clips is of a person convulsing in water.
ReplyDeleteIt drives me nuts when critics complain that they can't understand what Kendrick Lamar is saying in his rhymes, because his live delivery is so incredibly crisp and precise. It's hard to follow at times because it's so complex, it signifies on multiple levels at once, and there's a ton of provocative visual imagery to take in all at once--you do need to listen to some of these tracks multiple times to start to get a handle on the big picture. But to act like he's mumbling or flailing his delivery in some way is absurd.
ReplyDeleteBut as we've noted with the earlier Atonist backlash against Beyonce's performance, the Atonists both have to act like the performance is really just a bunch of incoherent gibberish that isn't worth paying attention to anyway, and THEN get all outrage about the offensive stuff that is ostensibly being said. The claim that this is a "niche" performance is also interesting, as indeed when I watch it, it doesn't seem like the Fox News morning show hosts are the primary people Kendrick is speaking to. There is something breathtaking and remarkable about this extremely Afrocentric performance taking place on the "biggest stage" in the world, using complicated and critical patriotic imagery (including "Uncle Sam" Jackson begging the artist to tone it down a bit!) in a way that refuses to invite the Atonists to sing along, because "they not like us."
Hi Renee. Just your title alone was intriguing to me. This connection was one of my favorite discussions in class; it can really bring people so deep into discussion. I liked your point about Atonists calling Kendrick Lamar's performance "too niche". It really does connect to Reed's various mentions of Westerners trying to suppress Black culture and joy. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteHi Renee, I like how you paralleled Jes Grew spreading across America with videos and commentary on the half time show going viral on social media. In a broader sense, I think that social media itself is a modern day representation of Jes Grew. The freedom of expression on social platforms combined with backlash from the older generation both connect to themes of Jes Grew. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHey Renee! The thing that really stood out to me in your post is the ignorance that Atonists show towards Jes Grew, or in this case the performance. It really ties into that idea of "you either get it or you don't" that we discussed in class. Ignorance is the real plague and the failure to keep an open mind in the face of things you don't enjoy is what creates Atonists in the real world. Good work!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Renee! I really commend your ability to understand the historical context which influenced Ishmael Reed's choices in writing the novel and the modern applications the themes he writes about have. The method of discrediting a work of art through undervaluing it or making it seem inaccessible is unfortunately very common in modern times. Similarly, calling black art or artists "niche" is a frequently used method of excusing a lack of diversity in art. You did a great job calling attention to this modern "atonist" behaviors.
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