Powell !

Andersen Powell

Dr. Sandosharaj

English 104

27 Oct 2016

Atlanta is for Everyone

Although Nussbaum gives a positive review of the show Atlanta, produced by Donald

Glover, I do not believe that her review of the show is completely accurate. In The Slo-mo

Specificity of Atlanta, Emily Nussbaum claims that Atlanta is not a show for everyone; I,

however, believe that this show was created for all people to enjoy equally.

While many could argue that this show was written by black writers and features an all

black cast, this show is not just for black people. Everyone of all races could enjoy this show.

The sheer nature of the show makes it a conversation piece for people of all ethnic backgrounds

to address social and racial issues in our communities. Atlanta brings up issues like cultural

appropriation, the conundrum of a society that fetishizes ghetto cool, and the imitation of

black masculinity (Nussbaum 1). These issues are things that are being perpetuated in various

black communities. Black people are already aware of these problems. In my opinion, Atlantas

goal is to bring awareness of these issues to people who are not experiencing them. If Atlanta

was a show for only black people, specific scenes that raise awareness of our issues would not

need to be seen. Trying to educate black people on black issues is like preaching to the choir. The

content in the show is for everyone.

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One of the main topics that Atlanta brings up is the hot topic of cultural appropriation.

The appropriation of hip hop culture is becoming more and more prevalent in todays society.

Even though people are appropriating black culture, they do not care about black issues. In

Color-blind Ideology, Rodriguez says whites who pick up on African American styles and

music do not necessarily want to be black; they seek to acquire the characteristics of blackness

associated with being cool (Rodriguez 649). In agreement with Rodriguez, Miles White says in

From Jim Crow to Jay-Z: Race, Rap, and the Performance of Masculinity, that cultural

appropriations of masculine identity...typically occur in the absence of any real information or

context regarding African American life and culture (White 127). Atlanta seeks to expose this

issue and bring light to the racial problems in our society. Bringing up racial issues that occur in

America reinforce the idea that Atlanta is for everyone. As American citizens these problems

affect us all.

Although Atlanta speaks about black issues, these are racial problems that should concern

everyone. The show talks about cultural appropriation and fetishization as a way to advocate for

its discontinuation. Contrary to what Emily Nussbaum stated before, I believe that Atlanta is a

show for everyone because it educates about the social and racial issues that occur in our

communities.
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Works Cited

Nussbaum, Emily. "The Slo-Mo Specificity of Atlanta." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 12

Sept. 2016. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.

Rodriguez, Jason. "Color-blind Ideology." Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 35.6 (2006):

645-65. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.

WHITE, MILES. Epilogue. From Jim Crow to Jay-Z: Race, Rap, and the Performance of

Masculinity, University of Illinois Press, 2011, pp. 127134, http://www.jstor.org/stable/

10.5406/j.ctt1xcr8s.10.