interesting, though i’m wary of what seems to be an argument for “empathizing with” “hip hop’s upward mobility narratives.”
“The White Girl Mob takes on a different context when they’re pushed to the public at-large. The Mob’s appearance comes at a very weird time for American racial politics. Recession talk and rising unemployment rates have instilled in white Americans a renewed sense that, you know, stuff sucks for them too. That, of course, means that it really sucks for people of color, as a recent study showed. It’s this attempt to co-opt the “struggle,” coupled with White Girl Mob’s smug, proud ignorance, that aligns the crew not with the progressives of the hip-hop generation — including our president — but with another white mob: the Tea Party.
Like the Tea Party, White Girl Mob runs on divisiveness. Even their name invites differentiation, suggesting an active disconnect from the rest of hip-hop culture, even as they cherry-pick signifiers to bolster their shaky authenticity. “Gucci Gucci,” and its limp follow-up “Rich Whores,” are both pseudo-classist critiques of wealth and conspicuous consumption that smack of privilege. Kreayshawn may not say “nigga,” but she lacks empathy for hip-hop’s upward mobility narratives, replacing them with a thrift-store chic that’s as clueless and up-its-own-ass as Michele Bachmann’s contrived small-town Iowa values.”
