But this 2011 version had a small, mini, but still nasty trend: the presentations of apps based on black stereotypes.
OK, it only happened twice, but twice is the start of something.
The first presentation was around an app called Angry Black Man, where a cartoon character who's obviously black walks along and either is upright or slouched based on obstacles placed in his path. It was created by a team of two black programmers, and at first, I though the presentation was maniacally funny, but then considered that the brothas may be presenting some issues of their own.
Why make that before an audience that was mostly white and Asian? Did the makers think that it was OK to do because they were not in a black environment? Does it reflect their own self-hatred? That last question still sticks with me.
The last presentation at TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon NYC was by a white man and an Asian woman and called Yo Mama, an alarm based on the character stereotype of the big, large black mama called Big Mama and played by Martin Lawrence.
No one laughed.
That's when things started at TechCrunch Distrupt to get a bit disturbing for this blogger.
Now, you know that if an Asian programmer presented an app that was an Asian Stereotype, not only would no one laugh, but Asians and others like me would howl in protest.
Where's the concern here?
That's something to ponder. It's not TechCrunch's fault at all that this happened, but it is a sad commentary on American and World society.
Stay tuned.
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