O-Town Showdown 2020 - Strictly Finals Swing Dance Reaction Videos | Lindy Hop
Channel: Street Smart Swing
Date: 2020-03-13

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*****Truth and Logic Check*****

There are two questions you must ask when doing anything in Lindy Hop.

1) Why?
2) Based on what standard? (or more bluntly, says who?)

The answer leaves us with only two ultimate inescapable choices: 

'Lindy Hop is Good'. Therefore we must approach it humbly and respectfully like every other European and South American partner dance. We must add value to what Shorty George Snowden and Mattie Pernell (The originators of Lindy Hop) did without undermining their foundation. 

Or for many people today...

'Lindy Hop is Bad'. Therefore we can assume Shorty George Snowden and Mattie Pernell's creation was intended to be racist, sexist and non-inclusive toward men and women and needs us only to change it by force. For this reason we (those who didn't create it) get to appropriate whatever we want with their creation to make us personally happy and punish any person who believes 'Lindy Hop is good'. 

This logical conclusion means if we pull from swing history to justify anything we want to do, and ignore the standard set by Shorty and Mattie (the creators of Lindy Hop), then everyone can do whatever they want with Lindy Hop and no one should be upset about anything. This is circular reasoning and we can't have it both ways.

You and I didn’t create Lindy Hop. I believe my ancestors created it to be good, and our participation must therefore be respectful. This means, we should humbly add our creative mark on the genre without destroying the foundation established by Shorty and Mattie. The same applies to any other partner dance not created by us. 

For those of you who are unaware that your actions indicate the belief that Lindy Hop is bad and you are good - therefore entitled to do whatever you want - be logically consistent. 

If you don’t want to be a hypocrite, I would suggest creating your own dance instead of liberally appropriating everything you want with other peoples creations. 

Above all, be logically consistent. 

Peace,

Jamin