Two weeks ago, I engaged with the question: in which ways does capitalism both destroy and build our relationships with each other, and how would paying attention to sound/soundscapes affect that understanding? I mentioned before how much of a social phenomenon sound is, that it connects communities and creates culture. Today I will be diving a bit further into my analysis, along with applying it outside of the Caribbean.
Before, I discussed Goffe’s conversation around the political climate and the open real estate given to political parties by the invention of the sound system. Goffe shares, “whoever paid the highest price [got access to the sound system]. Sound was part of the political apparatus akin to the warring sound clashes” (124). Though today the idea of media being bought out and pushing political agendas seems quite normal, it was not during this time, and was only made possible by the new sound system. It allowed for sound to be shared on a large scale. Today we are aware that this constant barrage of campaigning creates tension and can ruin relationships. This was true back then as well, and is an example of capitalism destroying relationships, and using sound to do so.
A prime example of the destruction that capitalism can cause to our relationships and culture, with the connection to sound, is the fact that native languages are dying out. For example, in Hawaii, capitalism has led to the overtaking of the islands and the near extinction of Hawaiian culture. In fact, “English [is] Hawaii’s national language, [and] over half of the native children [do] not speak Hawaiian” (Karl, 69). This information is from the beginning of the 20th century, today that number is even smaller. Here, it is clear that capitalism and the need to take over opportune land destroys communities, cultures, and the relationships within.
A more abstract example of the way in which sound connects to capitalism and the destruction of the relationships we have with one another is how BIPOC voices are suppressed. Going back to week 1 and Ruth Gilmore’s definition of capitalism: that capitalism requires inequality, and racism enshrines it, we can see in which the way capitalism connects to racism and a racial hierarchy. Suppressing voices is not only a way to destroy relationships between individuals but tear apart communities as a whole. When we discuss suppression, we can clearly connect it to racism, with this racial hierarchy assigning the suppressor and suppressed role. Putting it all together, there is a clear correlation between capitalism, racism, and sound. The sounds of dissenting voices are suppressed by racism, which relies on and is relied on by capitalism.
However, capitalism can also build relationships. The best example of this would be the frequent analysis of the Afro-Chinese shops/bodegas within the Caribbean (specifically Jamaica) in Goffe’s article. These shops were a place that excluded white colonial values, which on the sound scene, led to a blend of all genres of music and culture, creating this new, unique sound that represented the merging of cultures and formation of new relationships. The capitalization of sound, specifically in this context, also led to the spread of this music and therefore the culture, once again forming new relationships. The market for music allowed for this new Caribbean sound to travel across oceans to the US and UK, and along with it came the foundation for new connections.
Connecting a bit more with Hawaii and Honolulu’s Chinatown in particular, analyzing sounds can explain a lot about the culture and people. A great example would be examining Liang Qichao, a Chinese journalist’s records of his time spent in this area. He was quarantined in Hawaii for six months due to the plague, and during that time he kept an account of his experiences through journals and poems. Throughout his stay, he spoke with, and listened to many activists as well as general residents of the area. What he heard, and the words he spoke reflected the negative effects of capitalism (and as a perpetual addition, racism), how they tore apart the community and the relationships within it. Liang’s poem titled ‘Song of the Twentieth-Century Pacific” considers the development of the transformation of the modern world. During his poem, “it pauses in its lyricism to note some of the more disturbing consequences of this transformation” a nod to the natives who have lost their lives due to this change, a result of capitalism (Karl, 67–8).
In conclusion, capitalism builds and destroys, and all of it can be seen through the analysis of sound and soundscapes in the area. This experience is not specific to the Caribbean or Hawaii, but simply anywhere where settlers have come in and colonized for the sake of capitalization, which is the justification behind colonialization in general.
