Customer Reviews

American Skin: Pop Culture, Big Business, and the End of White America

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well Done!, Leon Wynter!

I've just finished reading "American Skin," and have taken
the time and trouble to express to others (something I
rarely do) how thoroughly I enjoyed and appreciated this book.

As a 72-year-old WASP Hillbilly (born and bred in the
Appalachian Hills of Southeastern Ohio), I well remember
many of the radio and early television examples you cite.
As a sometime journalist/wordsmith, I've long thought about
media and society.

As you analyzed examples of which I have personal memory,
the AHA! button went off, giving me -- after all these years --
fresh insights into all sorts of things.

While I expect some of your points are overdrawn, it strikes
me that your overall thesis -- the subsuming of race in our
increasingly commerce-dominated culture -- is right on the money.

That, of course, is the Bad News AND the Good News. Unless
we are destined to decline and fade into an altogether
commercial culture -- something I doubt, though that may
be a hope rather than an estimate -- the arenas and means
for pursuing what Walter Lippman decades ago labelled
The Public Interest -- will have to find its wellsprings in
other sources.

WELL DONE! CONGRATULATIONS!!

Wynter's book, I admit, is fairly entertaining. I love his extensive background information. He pulls facts that many people probably never knew, which was great. He also presents an interesting point--white America has come to an end with the presence of Generation Y. So you're probably wondering, if the book presents good info and an interesting topic, why only 2 stars? Well, first off, I totally agree with a previous reviewer that if the colors were reversed, the book would be considered racist. Wynter makes such statements like how white kids back in the days who fit in better and dressed like the black kids were "too cool to be white." Wynter makes other comments that can be considered racist, whether intended to be or not. I think that much of it is uncalled for and does not reinforce his point. Wynter also uses too much passive voice in his argument. I know this is probably a stupid thing to focus on when reading. However, it's very annoying and takes away from his argument. Passive has its place, but he was using it every second or third sentence in the first few chapter. The number one reason, though, why I gave this book a 2 was because Wynter never focuses on contradicting evidence. His argument is good, and he supports it with historical evidence. For example, he notes how white rappers are only in it for the money (Vanilla Ice) and are not rapping because they love it or use rap as an expression of their emotion. What about Eminem? He totally contradicts this idea. There are several other things that Wynter ignores that can prove his ideas false, which makes his argument weak, and I cannot recommend a book that does not present a strong argument. (Sorry to those that loved this book!)

Leon E. Wynter details the bumpy journey of how race has impacted advertising, marketing and media in America, especially in the last 20 years. He gives a detailed, thoughtful history of the black experience through minstrelsy, vaudeville and jazz and its ultimate digestion into white entertainment. This is especially helpful as he discusses the "whiteness" of 50s advertising and how the battles of the 60s began to change the playing field. I especially enjoyed his examination of the rebirth of the NBA, including his review of NBA commissioner David Stern's strategies to make the league the center of attention again. He also looks into the undeniable impact of Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson on whites' perceptions of blacks. His chapter on the transracial explosion in advertising is very eye opening, reaffirming many of my own observations. I especially liked his chapter on the Hey, Kids! who readily accept a multi-cultural world as the norm, unlike their parents. As a white 30-something female, I didn't see the racist overtones others seemed to find. I found the author to be refreshingly frank and open, and often upbeat. He clearly knows the world he's talking about, having covered it for the Wall Street Journal for 10 years. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in how the picture on the TV screen and the voices on the radio have drastically changed over the last 20 years, and where they're going next.

For some reason, I just couldn't put this book down. But don't take that as a good thing. And don't be fooled by the more professional reviews on this book: it is about nothing more than the story of how blacks form a style, and whites steal it and make it mainstream. The book is written as a dissortation (intentionally, I don't know), and reeks of large (sometimes fictional) words, surrounded by quotes and passages from other books and authors. When Wynter does speak on his own, he usually drifts off into racist banter (yes, black people can be racist, too) that concludes with an anticlimatic summary of his main point: Blacks are the true Americans. I give it 4 stars because it is a deep, elaborate history of most things pop culture, and is definitely a book from which many ideas can be learned; and, as I said, I couldn't put it down. You almost want to read it to find out the next claim he will make, and the chosen media he picks to support himself. If the colors were reversed, the book would be banned for being too racist, but try and get past the gross editing errors ad enjoy the history.

Will there ever be a time where the color of one's skin will not matter in the scheme of societal culture? Will the melting pot have enough room to stir together all that separates the races for harmonious coexistence?

The end of White America as we know it, and the beginning of truisms that the author explains in a rather stark and introspective way in his book, American Skin. Leon E. Wynter's writing style here is reminiscent of his memorable essays on race, business, and American culture (or disculture depending on how you look at it) that he's known for writing for such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York Times, and the New York Newsday.

The author will have you believe that the true American identity is being usurped by a new modicum for change...that white culture is declining in value, has no measure for continuity, and that which is on the rise is the sharing of consumer idioms and the blending of cultural tenets. As you read this book, one can't help but marvel at how Mr. Wynter came about to make analogies to support his thesis.

Take a look at the chapters and you will agree that the emphasis he places on amalgamation reflects diversity in his point of view. Getting to the gist of what the author is trying to convey is told through the eyes of the main character, Alex Verdi as he deals with the angst via the class and racial tensions that pervade our society. It reads like a coming-of-age saga fraught with all of the ingredients inherent of a young man struggling against society to achieve success and happiness amid race matters that he has to deal with.

In reading this book, one will definitely come away either impressed (depending on readers having a pragmatic sense of reasoning), or disappointed (only if readers expect something more that what hasn't been already hashed and rehashed as it pertain to racial mores). I advise one to read it with an open mind, and let the conscious dwell along with the subconscious for realism to dismiss institutional racism. Besides, the new order that the author conjures up here may not be the norm in this lifetime. Judge for yourself!