Animated Version of Taylor Mali’s Poem, “Typography”
Taylor Mali’s poem, “Typography,” is a brilliant analysis of our present language and culture. Should any of us take his advice, then we would be counter-culture. Apparently, a student of Mali, Ronnie Bruce created the animated version and posted it without Mali’s permission. Mali’s response was to post it at his own web site, recognizing its value. Bruce’s work will introduce more people to the beauty and relevance of poetry. His animated version exposes Bruce’s command of language and his grasp of his teacher’s poem.
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i guess it’s sort of funny at points, but reads with similar anger to a more, like, ultra conservative talk show or something. that is, with the same implied sense of self-superiority, incredulous at how stupid everyone else can be, like, as if, isn’t it obvious?
also, and i know this is contentious, but I actually don’t think it’s a poem. It’s closer to beat ‘poetry.’ Which also isn’t quite poetry. It leaves me wishing for some nuance, or choice.
but, here’s to dialogue.
right on. Mali has contributed to the slam poetry movement beginning in the 1980’s. This kind of poetry is performance and lacks the subtly of fine poetry. Language fluxes and we should hope for a creative refinement of our native tongue. I think that Mali’s critique is valid. If anyone can make such a critique free of your accusation of self-superiority, it would be a slam poet. His point of our popular aversion to authority is a valid one - one that African American rhetoricians and movement leaders have made for a good long time; one for which champions of the common man and freedom of speech have fought. We need to regain the marketplace of ideas, the third space, where we can speak with conviction and persuasion as friends, working against polarization. The slam poetry of our day is a preferable presentation to talk show hosts of any persuasion, who pound away like the mythical preachers upsetting to so many Americans, more difficult to track and spot than the elusive unicorn.
Without looking at the poem nor at the animated version, what struck me most about your post was that the poet’s reaction to unauthorized use of his work: he recognized its value and posted it to his own web site. What a wonderful way of engaging!
Which brings me to your comment about talk shows. I don’t know which talk shows you listen to, but I’ve sampled a great many — and the ones I enjoy the most are the ones who engage constructively with those they disagree with — without minimizing the difference between positions. Some of my favorite TV talk show personalities are the ones that I disagree with but who present their cases affably.
And as to the mythical preacher who pounds away and upsets so many Americans. Yes, he is far from being endemic, but as Christians many of us are oblivious to this creature when we see them, even when we sit under his preaching week after week, even when we are that preacher in our weekday meetings in the marketplace of ideas.
I’ve been in a church where the word expounded clearly week after week but the subtext of every message seemed to be “This is what the Bible says. This is what is wrong with all those people out there.” I cannot say now whether the fault was in the preacher or in the listener, but suffice to say that I was completely oblivious of it at the time.
Much later, sitting under a different preacher, I heard a completely different subtext to every message: “This is what the Bible says. This is what is so wrong with us. And this is the wonderful remedy God has provided.” The main point. Our gospel need. Christ’s gracious provision. I still don’t know how much of the difference was the external change in preachers and how much was the internal change in the listener. But God be praised!