Michaela Winchatz
INTC 333
27 February 2015
The Ethnography of Communication:
Kanye Interrupting Beck Through a Social Drama Lens
By definition, a social drama is “a moment (or series of moments) in a community when someone is called publicly to account for his or her violation of a cultural expectation. Subsequently, there is a process of response(s) to the challenge, acceptance or rejection of the response(s), and either reintegration of the transgressor or social schism” (Coutu 392). But a social drama can also provide further insight into how we communicate. For example, it is a phenomenon that provides evidence of speech codes, which in turn reveal patterns in our speech. A social drama also aids in interpreting …show more content…
They are reintegration and evidence of moral dissenus. In Kayne’s instance both of these outcomes occurred. Reintegration is when the offender is “embraced by the community and brought back into the fold” (Winchatz). Artist John Legend posted to Instagram with his thoughts about Kanye. He stated, “First of all, Kanye is my friend. He believed in me years ago when very few did, and I wouldn't be here without his support. That doesn't mean we'll agree on everything, but it does mean that I am grateful to him” (addendum lines 64-67). John Legend says that he will always like Kanye even if he disagrees with his statements. He goes on to say, “These voters are all creators who love music and have dedicated their lives to it, and the plurality of them chose Beck as the Album of the Year. I respect their decision and congratulate Beck on this outstanding accomplishment” (addendum lines 85-88). This is an example on how Kanye was reintegrated into the music community. Even though people disagreed with him he again became welcomed and respected. In addition, many people agreed with Kanye because they thought the national voting committee ‘could be’ racist. Journalist Mercy Soriano states that, “there appears to be a trend in the Grammy's of black artists, who are expected to win awards, who find themselves losing to white artists, who are also surprised that they won”