#introduction #reintroduction
i'm derek, he/him. currently in central california and have lived in new york for a bit too
originally went through #music school up through #dma (lol i'd be surprised if that hashtag actually worked and referred to doctor of musical arts) studying #percussion with aspirations of being a "new music" percussionist but didn't stick the landing in music academia. i got a #math degree somewhere along the way and had been getting heavily into #computermusic and #creativecoding sorts of things working at a media lab during the dma so when covid, hit decided to go back to (online) grad school studying computer science. things i'm really into studying cs-wise are #ai/#ml things (more leaning on the ai-side but we'll see) and "soft-cs"/"extra-cs" sorta intersectional things like #hci and #education and starting to read about #computationalcreativity and other things. not sure where my cs studies will go yet but it'd be nice be able to research ai things more. also, i'm really into #foss / #linux sorta things.
other things i'm into are anime and manga (mostly iyashikei, mecha, and ikuhara things), video games, riichi mahjong, animals (mostly cats, sea otters and puffins), stars are cool, and also vast desolate expanses.
think my website better sums up things: derekxkwan.com/
![Q: Write a short academic essay about the impact of 19th-Century minstrelsy on 21st-Century American pop music
A: The 19th Century was a time of great change in the United States, including the rise of minstrelsy as a popular form of entertainment. Minstrelsy, which originated in the 1830s, involved white performers using makeup to blacken their faces and perform caricatured representations of African-American slaves. These performances often included offensive stereotypes and were intended to be humorous, but they were also deeply hurtful and contributed to the spread of racism in American society.
In the 21st Century, the impact of minstrelsy can still be seen in American pop music. Many contemporary pop songs and music videos contain elements that can be traced back to the stereotypes and caricatures of minstrelsy. For example, the use of blackface in music videos and live performances by artists such as Justin Timberlake and Macklemore has sparked controversy and accusations of cultural appropriation.
Furthermore, the exaggerated and offensive stereotypes of African-Americans that were prevalent in minstrelsy continue to be perpetuated in some contemporary pop music. For instance, certain rap and hip-hop songs often portray African-American men as violent and criminal, echoing the damaging stereotypes that were prevalent in minstrel shows.
[essay continues]](https://fedi.ml/photo/preview/640/386201 "Q: Write a short academic essay about the impact of 19th-Century minstrelsy on 21st-Century American pop music
A: The 19th Century was a time of great change in the United States, including the rise of minstrelsy as a popular form of entertainment. Minstrelsy, which originated in the 1830s, involved white performers using makeup to blacken their faces and perform caricatured representations of African-American slaves. These performances often included offensive stereotypes and were intended to be humorous, but they were also deeply hurtful and contributed to the spread of racism in American society.
In the 21st Century, the impact of minstrelsy can still be seen in American pop music. Many contemporary pop songs and music videos contain elements that can be traced back to the stereotypes and caricatures of minstrelsy. For example, the use of blackface in music videos and live performances by artists such as Justin Timberlake and Macklemore has sparked controversy and accusations of cultural appropriation.
Furthermore, the exaggerated and offensive stereotypes of African-Americans that were prevalent in minstrelsy continue to be perpetuated in some contemporary pop music. For instance, certain rap and hip-hop songs often portray African-American men as violent and criminal, echoing the damaging stereotypes that were prevalent in minstrel shows.
[essay continues]")
