Bad Philosophy Series: Pick a Popular Youtube File: Solange Knowles "I Decided"

Solange - I Decided
Uploaded by UniversalMusicGroup

The striking colors raining down in the background stand in sharp contrast to the people singing and dancing in the video, only serving to accentuate their blackness. It is a message of empowerment and strength to everyone though, not just the African-American community. This message is only furthered by the white men playing jazz, seen in direct contrast to the stereotype that "the only good jazz is played by Black men". By allowing the African-American singers to take center stage over the white backing band, it furthers the message of black empowerment. Simultaneously, it enables a caucasian man to believe that, "Yes, I can play jazz well, even by 'typical' African-American standards." This message is reinforced most obviously by the repeated images of Black empowerment in the background, including Malcolm X and the destruction of the confederate flag. This can again be seen as empowering for both races. The African-American community is most obviously truly proud of their progress as a group. Similarly, and mentioned much less often, is the sense that white people helped significantly in this movement, feeling themselves proud of the progress of "their" America. This duality of empowerment message, seen constantly in hip-hop and R&B music, is a huge reason it is so widely consumed by both races. The journey through the black experience is completed in a bombastic closing on the surface of the moon, showing an undying hope for the future of black culture and black achievement; a hope engendered by both races actively.

This entire supposition and hypothesis of dual empowerment can be seen realized in the post-election (seemingly almost post-coital) glow of America following the election of Barack Obama. Blacks and whites were crying together on the National Mall, streamed into the televisions of cities, neighborhoods and towns all over America. It seemed a truly transcendent moment that everyone could revel in and at the same time feel a bit responsible for, with much of this feeling being actively milked by Obama's masterful campaign strategists and tacticians.