Making Mud Pies
There was a time when “Mud
People” was one of the most inflammatory
phrases that one could use to describe
ethnic people of color, specifically those
with multicultural backgrounds. Mud People
were those with so many backgrounds, so
mixed-up, that they were little more than
walking cultural muck.
But most of today’s generation is proving
more than willing and adept at playing in the
mud; or, to be more precise, making mud
pies. While unique heritages, specific cultural
affinities and nuanced perspectives remain
strong, people are more than happy to take
a little from here, add a little from
there and stir in a healthy dose of whatever
from wherever else that works.
The result?
A growing tribalesque collective that barely
acknowledges the factions that raised their
parents and grandparents. This freestyled
fellowship makes up “different” as it goes
along and finds commonality as it sees fit.
It’s this polyrhythmic gumbo that
shapes how they talk, walk, create, live,
shop and, yes, how they spend.
And for an industry built on rote formulas
and rooted in color-by-numbers
segmentation, this new landscape may
look like a marketer’s nightmare. But in
reality, it’s just human beings embracing
their humanity in all its many hues.
So relax. Join in. And while you’re at it,
have some pie.