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120| Meisha Rosenberg or as dangerous dogs. They do not appear, as golden retrievers do, as the common family dog, although during the 1950s they did. One might point out that the bull terrier used in Target advertising and Spuds Mackenzie, the Budweiser bull terrier, are in the same family as pit bulls; however, they appear more in the specific context of the brand mascot, and their unusual bullet-shaped nose-bridge makes them visually distinct from pit bulls.27 usually media portrayals of pit bulls are negative, and they frequently link the dogs with black men. For an example of this, one need look no farther than the Michael Vick case. as Wright Thompson wrote for eSPn regarding the case, “animal rights activists think it’s about cruelty. . . . african-americans in atlanta, according to prominent black leaders, think it’s about Vick not getting due process because of the color of his skin.”28 The media portrayed the gruesome realities of dog fighting, while People for the ethical Treatment of animals (PeTa) protests made it seem as if Vick was already guilty before his trial. The outcry against dog fighting was intense—but did the nature of the crime warrant the attention? regardless of one’s point of view, the Vick case highlighted the symbolic connections mass media draws between black men and pit bulls. Playing on these same linkages are shows such as Animal Cops, the weekly reality show on the animal Planet network filmed, among other places, in new York, Detroit, and Philadelphia. One episode, “extreme Danger,” portrayed “attack” rottweilers owned by an african american man. Such programs often sensationalize animal neglect and abuse in the context of cities with low-income populations of african americans. Where mainstream media often demonizes pit bulls, some african american artists have appropriated them as powerful symbols of identification. long a part of the public imagery of pit bulls has been Snoop Dogg, who himself has pit bulls (on one episode of Fatherhood, his reality show, he claims he and his family have twenty dogs that they breed). in his music he proudly claims his identity in canine terms that align him with a symbolic underdog. he uses the term “dog” to signify toughness, loyalty, and a criminal past. he does so within an african american tradition of using the word and the concept to refer to a complex mix of elements of identity. With Snoop Dogg, one never knows if he’s being completely serious. Snoop Dogg’s album titles all feature the word “dog,” some humorously: Doggfather, Doggystyle, and No Limit Top Dogg. Other rappers have adopted the moniker in various forms (nate Dogg is another rapper and Snoop Dogg’s cousin; Tha Dogg Pound is another rap group that signed with Death row records, a label with which Snoop Dogg has recorded. lil’ Bow Wow’s albums have included Unleashed and Beware of Dog.) One of Snoop Dogg’s most famous songs, from 1993, “Who am i (What’s My name)?” samples from george Clinton’s song “atomic Dog.” in the lyrics, “dogg” conjures up a whole chain of associations from the word in african american culture: the “woof” refrain, sampled from george Clinton’s “atomic Dog,” from the problack funk of the 1970s, is like the black fraternity Omega Psi Phi’s “woof” call (used like a secret handshake). Pledges of Omega Psi Phi are referred to as “Que-Dogs.” arsenio hall also adopted this “woof” call on his shows, where audience members sat in the “dog pound” near the stage, “woofed,” and pumped their fists in the air. DoVeanna S. Fulton recognizes this reaction as an essentially positive, problack one: “This particular form of applause has long been a part of african american youth culture.”29 Many associations are attached to Snoop Dogg’s use of the symbol of the dog, and they include group and family belonging, sexual prowess, the idea of the underdog, and the power gained from an animal mascot or emblem. his use of Doggystyle as one of his album titles makes the sexual identification clear; so do his lyrics’ frequent use of the word “bitch” to describe women. Dogs are also family in his symbolic universe, and he is often portrayed as being affectionate toward his pit bulls on Fatherhood. Snoop Dogg’s identifications with pit Representations of Breeds of Dog| 121 bulls also tap into the symbolic resonances around dogs and african american history. his sometimes self-satirizing dog-identified...

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