Blog Two

Before I read “Bazerman”, I have to give my own definition of “Genre”. Genre to me is a theme, but what that theme entails can diverge into multiple passages. Your theme can be intended for one to multiple audiences, and can diverge into “sub-genres”. Is your audience children as a whole? Or is it intended for children with autism? Maybe children with ADHD, it can vary. A book about how to cope with a traumatic home will not have the same effect on a child from a privileged standpoint. An experience I have with this on a daily basis is with (for example) rap music. Rap music has always been generalized systemically as “gangster”, raunchy, inappropriate (typically in a racist context). Or as spoken word, poetry, or an activists tool. Now a days you can find multiple sub genres stemming from what we know as rap, and which one pertains to a different audience (Trap, Emo, Lyrcial, etc). I use this example to make the point a little more relatable under the current social climate. Genre can be a lot of things, but at the core its a theme intended for a specific audience.

After reading Bazerman I see now the emphasis is more on interpretation and not so much on intent. Meaning that while a project may be intended for a specific audience it can be interpreted multiple ways, therefore, having multiple meanings. However, I am not sure I agree with that. If a project is intended for a specific audience, but someone from outside that realm decides to interpret it as “speaking to them” that is entirely subjective. I do believe genre is objective. An example of poor interpretation would be the bible. Multiple religions or individual people claim to have the proper idea of what the bible is trying to say, but wouldn’t you think a book as important as “the word of god” at one point did in fact have an objective point and an intended audience. However, I could argue my counter point myself with my own specific example. If Trap music was created as a way to simply have a “hot beat” and talk about drugs, I as a person who has no experience there, will interpret it as such. However someone who had to do that to survive may see it as “the voice of their past” I could go back and forth with myself on this but I do believe our ideas of Genres far diverge at the core premise. I believe Bazerman see’s it as “Subjective” where as I see at as “Objective”. All I can do is learn, hear other viewpoints, and continue to think on it…