Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Remix Culture

Talking in class today about the Remix Culture, I thought of an old YouTube Video that made me laugh called "The Juggernaut." Forewarning, it is vulgar and contains extensive profanity.
The Juggernaut
It's based on a Marvel comic. I remember seeing it maybe two years ago, so it has been available to the public for at least that amount of time, without apparent concern to copyright law. I'm actually surprised that the content is allowed on sites like YouTube, owing to the profanity and the use of the Marvel imagery.
Doing a bit of background research on the video, I leaned that the style mimics a genre of film called Blaxploitation. Blaxploitation is a genre that emerged in 1970's (e.g. Shaft.) These films are mostly set in the ghetto and use humor to parody the lives of drug dealers, hit men, and pimps. It is a form that is widely criticized for it's extensive use of stereotypes.
Stereotypes aside, I found the video humorous in the way it puts an over-the-top adult spin on a children's comic. It's a good example of sampling and the remix culture that digs up a forgotten-to-most genre.
Maybe you'll find it funny, or maybe you'll find it offensive, hopefully you find it interesting and applicable to the class.

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