Decades of Change Reflection
It was really enjoyable to learn more about the 20’s because there’s a blanket over a lot of the history, and a bright light pointed only at the music, art, and partying of that time. It glamorizes the good, and shuns the bad or dirty. I wanted to know more - if not all - of what the decade had to offer. It wasn’t all glamour, jazz age, and parties, there was gang violence, ignorant leadership, the foreshadowing of the Great Depression, prejudice towards minorities, and the fight for women’s rights. It was a lively age, busy with the list above. New York was a growing city, and the Harlem renaissance boomed into the city streets to create a revolution, also known as the “New Negro Movement”, named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke. Since WW1 was won by the US in 1918, the 20’s were a time to spend money and live life to the fullest. Clubs also became more popular, with colorful jazz playing through every street. Gangsters and their business were without repercussions, as the leadership at the time was less worried about federal regulations and more encouraging towards business growth.
I can find multiple connections between the 1920’s in New York and what I know of the world today, the two main ones being popular dance trends flooding the media and the fight for rights. Instead of the Charleston, we craze over the whip and milly rock. The culture honestly hasn’t changed much in that aspect, but simply evolved into the era we live in daily, currently. The same goes with the fight for rights, which seems to have started at the beginning of human civilization. Women’s rights have come a long way, but in the media there are definitely still areas we are now focusing on to do better. Sexual assault is becoming a more pressing issue and is being talked about in more conversations, making the topic less taboo. Other rights for minorities have also been in question and protested recently, since there is still so much that needs to be done. Although there is no slavery or segregation anymore in America, there is still plenty of discrimination, a main area being the law enforcement vs. civilians cases. Many of the issues talked about recently have been ongoing conversations, simply evolving from generation to generation.
My personal favorite artifact is my music video I created with some help from one of my group members, Sam Rivera. I really enjoyed creating the video and the music as well. I wrote my own lyrics to the tune of Ain’t Misbehavin by Fats Waller, more specifically an instrumental version found on Youtube. I wrote about all areas of the 1920’s, both the stereotypical culture and the darker issues. I had to fit it all in about 1 minute and 30 seconds, and was able to create a video similar to We Didn’t Start The Fire by Billy Joel. I was able to grab old footage from the 20´s off of Youtube and put it with self made clips and different transitions. I also created a stereotypical ¨aesthetic¨ to the video of old black and white film. To watch the video, scroll to the bottom!
I think because it was a time so rich in cultural change and growth, I learned the most about the social and cultural aspect of the 1920´s. I learned about the dance culture, prohibition´s effect on bar and club culture, and what became the Jazz Age. I was able to base a lot of my music video off of both cultural stereotypes and history. I also learned that a lot of the political and economic impact of that decade had a lot of effect on the cultural and social aspect. Americans spent more money after the war victory, because of prohibition there was illegal alcohol consumption, and gangster business was able to take place so freely because of the federal government neglecting to regulate it.
If I could change one thing about the project, it would probably be how much effort I put into reading the book and really diving into it. I think that I wasn't really focused when reading and didn't fully understand and comprehend all of it. I didn't completely put effort into the process and found that the book wasn't very interesting to me. I found that if I might have chosen a different book, I would have been more intrigued by the process and felt like I learned more.
I read The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury, a book about the gangsters and underground business in New York in the 1920´s. It talks about religion, the culture of the decade, and two specific gangs who opposed each other. There were fights and public affairs, all showing how professional and ¨in the open¨ it was. It also connects to the politics of the time, and the immigration status of New York. It relates to the 1920´s because it is the 1920´s. It talks about how New York was concerning location, how everything in gangs and thieves and pubs functioned, and even the background of specific gangs and their relation to each other.
I can find multiple connections between the 1920’s in New York and what I know of the world today, the two main ones being popular dance trends flooding the media and the fight for rights. Instead of the Charleston, we craze over the whip and milly rock. The culture honestly hasn’t changed much in that aspect, but simply evolved into the era we live in daily, currently. The same goes with the fight for rights, which seems to have started at the beginning of human civilization. Women’s rights have come a long way, but in the media there are definitely still areas we are now focusing on to do better. Sexual assault is becoming a more pressing issue and is being talked about in more conversations, making the topic less taboo. Other rights for minorities have also been in question and protested recently, since there is still so much that needs to be done. Although there is no slavery or segregation anymore in America, there is still plenty of discrimination, a main area being the law enforcement vs. civilians cases. Many of the issues talked about recently have been ongoing conversations, simply evolving from generation to generation.
My personal favorite artifact is my music video I created with some help from one of my group members, Sam Rivera. I really enjoyed creating the video and the music as well. I wrote my own lyrics to the tune of Ain’t Misbehavin by Fats Waller, more specifically an instrumental version found on Youtube. I wrote about all areas of the 1920’s, both the stereotypical culture and the darker issues. I had to fit it all in about 1 minute and 30 seconds, and was able to create a video similar to We Didn’t Start The Fire by Billy Joel. I was able to grab old footage from the 20´s off of Youtube and put it with self made clips and different transitions. I also created a stereotypical ¨aesthetic¨ to the video of old black and white film. To watch the video, scroll to the bottom!
I think because it was a time so rich in cultural change and growth, I learned the most about the social and cultural aspect of the 1920´s. I learned about the dance culture, prohibition´s effect on bar and club culture, and what became the Jazz Age. I was able to base a lot of my music video off of both cultural stereotypes and history. I also learned that a lot of the political and economic impact of that decade had a lot of effect on the cultural and social aspect. Americans spent more money after the war victory, because of prohibition there was illegal alcohol consumption, and gangster business was able to take place so freely because of the federal government neglecting to regulate it.
If I could change one thing about the project, it would probably be how much effort I put into reading the book and really diving into it. I think that I wasn't really focused when reading and didn't fully understand and comprehend all of it. I didn't completely put effort into the process and found that the book wasn't very interesting to me. I found that if I might have chosen a different book, I would have been more intrigued by the process and felt like I learned more.
I read The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury, a book about the gangsters and underground business in New York in the 1920´s. It talks about religion, the culture of the decade, and two specific gangs who opposed each other. There were fights and public affairs, all showing how professional and ¨in the open¨ it was. It also connects to the politics of the time, and the immigration status of New York. It relates to the 1920´s because it is the 1920´s. It talks about how New York was concerning location, how everything in gangs and thieves and pubs functioned, and even the background of specific gangs and their relation to each other.