Easter actually came early last week when fossilized talk-show host Don Imus returned from the dead just in time to refer to the Rutgers women's basketball team as a bunch of "nappy-headed hoes" and cause a hubbub. If you missed it, here's the video footage (with Billy Packer using the word "fag" as a bonus at the end). Donosaur Imus would later apologize and agree to buy a black kid a cup of coffee for a month.As usual with these scenarios you have the contingent that says there's no real problem with this, and Imus is actually a victim. This group is comprised of 99% white people who point to guys like Chris Rock, or Chappelle, or um, TAN, and say, "hey if he gets to make race jokes, so can us crackas." Or they might say, "if you can use the word cracka, we can call you a jigaboo."
Here's the problem with that theory: IT'S F'ING WRONG!
Listen crackas, I'm not saying it's fair, or that it's not a double standard. It totally is. But guess what? American apple pie is filled with double-standards, injustices, and transfatlie goodness... but no apples! And since regulating usage of racial humor and epithets is one of the few things we can do with any sort of legitimate authority, excuse us if we're not in any rush to let crackas like Imus and Michael Richards go all kkkrazy with their repressed racist feelings. All we have is the race-card; y'all have the everything-else card. So just fall back and let us lynch a cracka when they act out of line, okay? If Jay-Z calls me a ni**a, I'm gonna bob my head and hold up the ROC sign. If my boy says "waddup ni**a," I'm going to say "Holla!" (or something like that). If an old white guy who used to play shuffleboard with Jesus' grandfather calls me a "nappy-headed blog-ho," I'm going to
This is much better than y'all coming off some real $$$ for some serious reparations, so stop your complaining crackas. Word.
Imus is an old school bigot, who probably doesn't know where is his anymore. Maybe he thought he was on his ranch, where he can throw the N word around with wild abandon. I wouldn't believe a word of his apology either, but what else can you do? Kind of interesting that the Grease Man got fired for similar comments, but I don't think this is the first time Imus has let his racial feelings be known.
ReplyDeleteAlso, just so I have the rules down, Black on Black humor - OK
Black on White humor - OK
White on Black humor - NOT OK
Until black people realize the word nigger is little more than silly and forgettable, people like you TAN are going to continue to try to tell white people what they can and can't say.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is an ignorant waste of time.
Did you know humbug was once the pinnacle of cursing? Equivalent to muttering fuck by todays standards.
Guess my race?
Ever wonder WHY there isn't a word that universally insults white people? Examine yourself thusly.
ReplyDeleteIs that an appropriate usage of the word "thusly"? I'm no expert on Shakespearean english, but that just sounds wrong.
ReplyDeleteJust as long as I can be spared the whining from my white brethren about the fact that we can't go around spouting off the n-word without repercussions.
ReplyDelete(As if being able to do so would constitute some great luxury akin to soaking in a hot tub or getting a good massage.)
The simple fact of the matter is this: The so-called "double standard" makes perfect sense, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Why? Because the n-word still hurts, that's why.
There are of course words which theoretically might serve as Caucasian equivalents to the n-word. But only theoretically. In practice they're not the same.
Honky? (Yawn)
Cracker? (Bored roll of the eyes)
Nigger? (Ouch!)
And although seemingly every rapper from both coasts and deep in the dirty-dirty uses the word almost as a form of punctuation, this does not negate the sting of the word itself.
Quite the opposite, in fact. The profuse use of the word in hip hop is a testament to its sting. Its use in that context reflects an effort to simultaneously confront and neutralize its sting.
(If I take the word for myself, the logic goes, you can't use it against me anymore. It's mine. The soundness of this logic can be argued elsewhere. Discuss amongst yourselves.)
And as to the commenter's question "Ever wonder WHY there isn't a word that universally insults white people?" the answer to that is hardly rocket science.
(Not that I was picking up any rocket-scientist vibes. But perhaps I'm mistaken, as NASA's human resource screening effectiveness has taken a hit or two of late.)
If white folks were to find themselves in the position of having to defend their dignity, their "rightness," and their place in the world in the same manner that black folks (and a fair number of other folks) find themselves having to do in small and not-so-small ways simply because of their race, then we would no doubt find a little bit more sting in words like "honky" and "cracker."
(Words, incidentally, which I have never had cause to hear from black folks, even black folks who were seriously pissed at me for reasons unrelated to race. There have not been many black folks pissed at me, but there have been a few, and I'll spare you the details.)
And if the experience was different, if "honky/cracker" had the requisite sting, then perhaps my pining white brethren would not be cavalier about the other words, nor would they find the time to indulge in masturbatory whining about the God-awful unfairness of not getting to use the n-word.
(Oh, the injustice! It's so damn unfair!)
Cry me a river and wipe up when you're done, brethren. I'll just take the hot tub.
Anyone that thinks "humbug" was once the pinnacle of cursing is a shagnasty cocksucker...
ReplyDeleteI couldn't care less what Imus says (and apparently millions of others couldn't either given his paltry ratings) but it's so interesting how a certain kind of White person--the one who thinks they're not racist but manages to let their true colors slip out here and there--practically gushes over stuff like this and rushes either to offer defenses and/or tell Black people they need to stop being so touchy. I was glad I'd already read about this here because as expected, the mouth I heard the story come out of belonged to a White person who was certainly revelling in it in a "well, if the shoe fits" way.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous #2, you're right but there is no word that "universally" insults Black people. There is a word that some try to use as an universal insult, it was White people who came up with that word, and it is largely White people who continue to try to maintain it as an insult. From the Black perspective, there's no real comparison.
Frankly I think the n-word (and other similar words which have no use other than to try to hurt and demean) is usually more reflective of its user and their deep-rooted fears and failings than it is of its intended target.
Wow, you all went from nappy-headed ho's straight to the "n word" in just a few comments. First of all I am not an Imus fan, never have been, but the guy made a stupid comment, that's all. now calling any woman a ho is sexist, that is what should be discouraged no matter what race you are, unless you are giving that woman money for sex. Just avoid calling all women ho's. If your offended by the word nappy, then you realy need to search yourself for why you are offended. There are several races that geneticly have "nappy hair" I personaly keep my hair short because it would be considered nappy if i let it grow out, and I'm asian. So stop grasping for straws on this one, your spining it way out of control.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Imus didn't say jigaboo, his producer did, and he was reffering to a Spike Lee movie. Lets try to get at least a few facts straight
ReplyDeleteI know it's important, I honestly do but we're talking about Imus. We're talking about Imus man. We're talking about Imus. We're talking about Imus. We're not talking about the game. We're talking about Imus. When you come to the arena, and you see me play, you've seen me play right, you've seen me give everything I've got, but we're talking about Imus right now. ... Hey I hear you, it's funny to me too, hey it's strange to me too but we're talking about Imus man, we're not even talking about the game, when it actually matters, we're talking about Imus ...
ReplyDeleteThe problem with you negro people is that your heads are nappy on the inside too.
ReplyDeleteNo, anonymous, the problem with us, Black people, is that you White people are still pining for the days of slavery and continually trying to find 'socially acceptable' ways to degrade us. You, apparently, with your juvenile insults.
ReplyDeleteHey Miguel Vargas,
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with calling a woman a nappy-haired ho, you dirty little spic.
The difference between referring to sexually provocative dancers in music videos nappy-headed hos and calling university students with 3.0 GPAs and the talent to make it to the finals in a national sports competition should be obvious.
ReplyDeleteThe reason for public outrage on this issue is that Imus - a personality with a wide audience - seems to define black women by the lowest amongst them. Whereas we (North Americans) hardly ever refer to a team of white women as whatever slur might be appropriate to describe Anna Nicole Smith.
It would be like referring to a mainly white university lacrosse team as....oh wait, if the shoe fits.
to whoever said this:
ReplyDeleteNo, anonymous, the problem with us, Black people, is that you White people are still pining for the days of slavery and continually trying to find 'socially acceptable' ways to degrade us. You, apparently, with your juvenile insults.
are you really on here generalizing and stereotyping white people while complaining about being stereotyped and generalized?
some people really don't understand what a double standard is, or just don't care as long as they get what they want
1) Double standards aren't desirable, but deal with it.
ReplyDelete2) Imus should go; he should have been fired long ago.
3) Now: Someone, please, give me a good reason why I should be less offended when a black man calls me or my daughter a "ho" than I am with Imus' comments.
No woman of any color deserves that kind of free-floating, indiscriminate disrespect, from any man of any color.
Black men, white men: it needs to stop.
And what is it that we want nashvillephan? Not to be called nappy-haired hos? Is that really a double standard? Because I really see a lot of white female sports teams being called cracka hos.
ReplyDeleteP.S Nasvillephan
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you never made a comment about the young ladies being called nappy-haired hos, but you felt compelled to write when white people were being accused of racism. Mmm..back to the double standard.
no the double standard is black people mocking, generalizing and stereotyping white people in comedy shows, TV, movies etc., and white people being attacked any time a black person even thinks there might be an insult there
ReplyDeleteKim said...
1) Double standards aren't desirable, but deal with it.
Well, offensive remarks aren't desireable, but deal with it
Frankly, I don't get the problem. I like nappy haided hos. Is they sumthin wrong wit bein a nappy haided ho?
ReplyDeleteHey Nashvillephan, I think the reason people aren't referring to the Imus event as an example of a double standard is because making fun of white people in a stand up routine doesn't seem to be the same as using a stand up routine type slur to characterise a specific group of real individuals.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if the Rutgers team had been playing the fool, it would be funny.
But in the Imus situation, the equivalent anti-white comment scenario would be a black radio commentator watching Wimbeldon or beach volleyball and randomly mocking the 2nd place teams by calling them eastern european floozies. Or something.
Just random. And wrong.
Here comes the reparations speech by the author. Such nonsense. Listen people, I got news for you. EVERYONE OF EVERY COLOR HAS HURT SOMEONE AT SOME POINT IN TIME. The Irish were the last white people during the time of immigration and they came over in droves only to be drafted into the army and die for a country they'd never been to before. Not to mention they too were slaves. What about the Jews? I mean, if ANYONE deserves reparations it's them. What about Arabs nowadays? They get treated like crap because everyone thinks they're terrorists. The bottom line is, people cannot be generalized into groups of color. All whites cannot be responsible for the displacement and horrors bestowed upon blacks. All blacks cannot be held responsible for their violence and hatred on blacks, whites, hispanics, asisans, etc. All Arabs cannot be responisible for the horrible things that happened to all Arabs, Whites, Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, etc. People need to stop making excuses and start making solutions. Reparations? Sorry, no free money for you. Go earn yours like everyone else.
ReplyDeleteIrish guy I agree a somewhat with your non-sequitor.
ReplyDeleteOk Irish guy, my bad. Just read the end of the original article about reparations. A non-sequitor for the discussion, but not for the article.
ReplyDeleteHey Nashvillephan. Check out this link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18081301/
Maybe this will help you to understand how it is not a double-standard or what the issue is. Instead of thinking of it as why can this group say one thing and another group not say the same thing, maybe you should just boil it down to the basics. Try not to hurt people. Treat people well. If you think your words are going to hurt people or cause damage, why say it?
LOL, funny post. But I have to respectfully dissagree on this issue TAN. Nappy-Headed Ho is really tame... I think the Fag comment at the end of the clip was more jarring to my ear. Imus is a shock-jock, and he said it in jest -- It's not like he went all 'Cosmso Kramer' on the air.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe he got fired over this. What a load of shit. The same people who complain about the idiot republicans taking away our rights as americans are championing his firing and not seeing the hypocrisy in it. We have (had) freedom of speech in this country.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, why isn't sharpton apologising to the families of the Duke Lacrosse players?
Did anyone read snoop's defense of himself and how when he uses the word ho it's different than Imus using it? I believe he said he was referring to the lowest of the low black women who are "after a niggas money." I thought all bitches weren't shit besides tricks and hos.
Anyway, this whole affair reeks of hypocrisy and conservative ideals. I can't believe anyone who considers themselves a writer or a liberal minded person would support Imus's firing. Its ridiculous. I just lost a lot of respect for TAN.
TAN, I like what you said, and I like what your commenter jumper said. Most of the rest of these comments? Ouch. Dim-witted and defensive racist white folks giving the decent white folks a bad name!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Imus got axed. Next on the agenda: Rush Limbaugh, Jay Leno, and every other media figure who makes money off of misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, racism, and other stereotypes (particularly when they are aiming these remarks at people with less power, traditionally, in our society).
Racism? Huh...I dare you to type in Channon Christian and see REAL racism. Whites are tired of this crap and some day, they will revolt. It's about time to say, "hey, jive-talkin' turkey, get out of our neighborhoods".
ReplyDelete"Caucasian Please! America’s True Double-Standard For Misogyny & Racism"
ReplyDeleteIn this composition I will not be addressing the whole of hip-hop and rap, but rather hardcore and gangsta rap. It is my assertion that the mainstream media and political pundits---right and left--- have painted rap and hip-hop with a very broad brush. Let me be perfectly clear, hardcore and gangsta rap is not listened to, watched, consumed or supported in my home and never has. I will not be an apologist for anything that chooses to frame the dialogue about Black women (and women in general) and Black life in morally bankrupt language and reprehensible symbols.
Now in the wake of MSNBC’s and CBS’s firing of Don Imus, the debate over misogyny, sexism and racism has now taken flight ---or submerged, depending on your point of view. There are many, mostly white, people who believe that Imus was a fall guy and he is receiving blame and criticism for what many rap artists do continually in the lyrics and videos: debase and degrade Black women. A Black guest on an MSNBC news program even went as far as to say, “Where would a 66 year-old white guy even had heard the phrase nappy-headed ho” ---alluding to hip-hop music’s perceived powerful influence upon American culture and life (and apparently over the radio legend as well) ---and by so doing gave a veneer of truth to the theory that rap music is the main culprit to be blamed for this contemporary brand of chauvinism. However, I concur with bell hooks, the noted sociologist and black-feminist activist who said that “to see gangsta rap as a reflection of dominant values in our culture rather than as an aberrant ‘pathological’ standpoint, does not mean that a rigorous feminist critique of the sexist and misogyny expressed in this music is not needed. Without a doubt black males, young and old, must be held politically accountable for their sexism. Yet this critique must always be contextualized or we risk making it appear that the behavior this thinking supports and condones,--rape, male violence against women, etc. -- is a black male thing. And this is what is happening. Young black males are forced to take the ‘heat’ for encouraging, via their music, the hatred of and violence against women that is a central core of patriarchy.”
There are those in the media, mostly white males (but also some black pundits as well), who now want the Black community to take a look at hip-hop music and correct the diabolical “double-standard” that dwells therein. Before a real conversation can be had, we have to blow-up the myths, expose the lies and cast a powerful and discerning light on the “real” double-standards and duplicity. Kim Deterline & Art Jones in their essay, Fear of a Rap Planet, points out that "the issue with media coverage of rap is not whether African Americans engaged in a campaign against what they see as violent, sexist or racist imagery in rap should be heard—they should. …why are community voices fighting racism and sexism in mainstream news media, films and advertisements not treated similarly? The answer may be found in white-owned corporate media’s historical role as facilitator of racial scapegoating. Perhaps before advocating censorship of a music form with origins in a voiceless community, mainstream media pundits should look at the violence perpetuated by their own racism and sexism."
Just as the mainstream media and the dominant culture-at-large treats all things “Black” in America as the “other” or as some sort of science experiment in a test tube in an isolated and controlled environment, so hardcore rap is treated as if it occurred in some kind of cultural vacuum; untouched, unbowed and uninformed by the by the larger, broader, dominant American culture. The conversation is always framed in the form of this question: “What is rap’s influence on American society and culture?” Never do we ask: "What has been society’s role in shaping and influencing hip-hop?” Gangsta and hardcore rap is the product of a society that has historically objectified and demeaned women, and commercialized sex. These dynamics are present in hip hop to the extent that they are present in society. The rapper who grew up in the inner-city watched the same sexist television programs, commercials and movies; had access to the same pornographic and misogynistic magazines and materials; and read the same textbooks that limited the presence and excluded the achievements of women (and people of color as well), as the All-American, Ivy-league bound, white kid in suburban America. It is not sexism and misogyny that the dominant culture is opposed to (history and commercialism has proven that). The dominant culture’s opposition lies with hip-hop’s cultural variation of the made-in-the-USA misogynistic themes and with the Black voices communicating the message. The debate and the dialogue must be understood in this context.
Popular Culture's Duplicitous Sexism & Violence In Black And White
ReplyDeleteIn a piece I penned a couple of years ago, titled: The Double-Standard Of Righteous Indignation, I endeavored to point out the clear ethnic and racial double-standards of the media and society as it pertains to sex and violence. My assertion was, and remains to be, that the mainstream media and society-at-large, appear to have not so much of a problem with the glorification of sex and violence, but rather with who is doing the glorifying. In it I stated that if the brutality and violence in gangsta rap was truly the real issue, then shouldn't a series like The Sopranos be held to the same standard? If we are so concerned about bloodshed, then how did movies like "The Godfather," "The Untouchables" and "Goodfellas" become classics?
I then addressed the sexual aspect of this double-standard by pointing out that "Sex & The City," a series that focused, by and large, on the sexual relationships of four white women, was hailed as a powerful demonstration of female camaraderie and empowerment. This show, during its run, was lavished with critical praise and commercial success while hip-hop and rap artists are attacked by the morality police for their depiction of sex in their lyrics and videos. The don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it appearance of Janet Jackson's right bosom during [a] Super Bowl halftime show…. caused more of a furor than the countless commercials that (also aired during the Super Bowl) used sex to sell anything from beer to cars to gum. Not to mention the constant stream of commercials that rather openly talks about erectile dysfunction medication.
The exaltation of drugs, misogyny and violence in music lyrics has a history that predates NWA, Ice Cube, Ice T and Snoop Dogg. Elton John’s 1977 song “Tickin,” was about a young man who goes into a bar and kills 14 people; Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska,” featured a couple on a shooting spree, and his “Johnny 99,” was about a gun-waving laid-off worker; and Stephen Sondheim’s score for “Assassins,” which presented songs mostly in the first person about would-be and successful presidential assassins.
Eric Clapton's "Cocaine" and the Beatles "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (LSD, as well as almost anything by Jefferson Airplane or Spaceship. Several songs from "Tommy" and Pink Floyd's "The Wall" are well known drug songs. "Catholic girls", "Centerfold", "Sugar Walls" by Van Halen were raunchy, misogynistic, lust-driven rock refrains. Even the country music legend Kenny Rogers in his legendary ballad, “Coward Of The County,” spoke of a violent gang-rape and then a triple-homicide by the song’s hero to avenge his assaulted lover. Marilyn Manson declared that one of the aims of his provocative persona was to see how much it would take to get the moralists as mad at white artists as they got about 2LiveCrew. He said it took fake boobs, Satanism, simulated sex on stage, death and angst along with semi-explicit lyrics, to get the same screaming the 2LiveCrew got for one song. Manson thought this reaction was hypocritical and hilarious.
Other artists like Kid Rock have won commercial success easily and faced only minor battles with the FCC with songs such as: “F**k U Blind. Consider the lyrics of Kid Rock, whose piercing blend of hard rock, metal and misogyny has sold millions of records:
Now if you like the booty come on fellas show it
This is your last verse to wax so why would you blow it
And if the ladies if you are tired of a man on your fanny
Then f--k you go home and watch the tube with granny
…Just look at all the girls that are dying to get some
Man, just don't be a wussy
And I'll guarantee you could get a piece of p----
Likewise, consider the lyrics of the rock song “Anything Goes” from Guns ‘N Roses:
Panties 'round your knees
With your ass in debris
Doin' dat grind with a push and squeeze
Tied up, tied down, up against the wall
Be my rubbermade baby
An' we can do it all.''
The bad-boy, outlaw rockers have traditionally and consistently been marketed and packaged as misogynistic. Artists and groups such as David Lee Roth, Kid Rock, Metallica, Uncle Kracker, to name a few. Consider the following list of rock groups and some of the albums and songs that they have released: American Dog (released an album in 2001 titled, Six Pack: Songs About Drinkin & F**kin), Big C*ck (released an album in 2005 titled: Year Of The C**k---with titles like Bad Motherf***er, Hard To Swallow & You Suck The Love Out Of Me) W.A.S.P. (released an album in 1983 titled: Animal: F**ks Like A Beast, an album in 1997 K.F.D.: Kill, F**k, Die), Faster Pussycat (released album in 1992 titled Whipped---with a song titled Loose Booty, 2001 titled: Between The Valley Of The Ultra P**sy, 2006 album titled: The Power Of The Glory Hole---with such titles as Porn Star and Shut Up & F**k), Lynch Mob (released an album in 2003 titled: Evil: Live---featuring the song (Tie Your Mother Down) and a compilation album released in 2003 titled C**k’N’Roll: The World’s Sleaziest Rock Bands---displaying “hits” like: Dog Sh*t Boys - One Minute F**k, Sagger - The Closest I've Ever Come To F**king Myself and Hellside Stranglers – Motherf***ers Don't Cry.
In an article by Dana Williams titled, BEYOND RAP: Musical Misogyny, Ann Savage, associate professor of telecommunications at Butler University stated: "It's the repetitiveness of the messages, the repetitiveness of the attitudes, and it builds on people….” “People say rap is dangerous. Yes, rap music does have misogyny, but there has always been an objectification and misogyny against women in music," said Savage. "Yet we focus on the black artists, not the rockers and not even the white executives who are making the big money from this kind of music."
Savage further asserts that the race-based double standard applies to violent content in music as well."There was the Eric Clapton remake of Marley's 'I Shot the Sheriff,' and there was little to be said. But then you have the 'Cop Killer' song by Ice-T and it's dangerous and threatening."
In this same article Cynthia Fuchs, an associate professor at George Mason University, affirmed that “the public seems far more disturbed by misogynistic lyrics in the music of rap and hip hop artists who are largely black than similar lyrics in rock music, perceived by most as a white genre.”
"The flamboyance of rock is understood as performance, rather than from the perspective of personal feelings," said Fuchs, who teaches courses in film and media studies, African American studies and cultural studies. "These guys are seen as innocuous. They appear to be players in the fence of accumulating women in skimpy costumes, but they aren't necessarily seen as violent. The mainstream takes it (hip hop and rap) to represent real-life, so it's seen as more threatening than some of the angry, whiney white boy rock, even though the same messages and images are portrayed."
Moreover, in an article titled C*ck Rock from the October 21-November 3, 2003 edition of the online music magazine Perfect Pitch, it was revealed that when the Hustler founder and entrepreneur Larry Flynt wanted to combine the worlds of porn (the ultimate god of misogyny) and music he did not turn to rap, but rather to rock. It was stated that since porn has been mainstreamed, they wanted a more “contemporary” look---and when they looked for a contemporary look, did they seek out the likes of Nelly, Chingy, 50 Cent or Ludacris? No. Rock legend Nikki Sixx was chosen to "grace" the cover of Hustler’s new venture along with his adult-entertainment and former Baywatch star girlfriend Donna D’Errico wearing nothing but a thong and Sixx's arms.
It is my belief that this paradigm; this unjust paradox exists because of the media stereotypes of black men as more violence-prone, and media’s disproportionate focus on black crime (which is confused with the personas that rappers adopt), contribute to the biased treatment of rap. The double standard applied to rap music makes it easier to sell the idea that “gangsta rap” is “more” misogynist, racist, violent and dangerous than any other genre of music. However, bell hooks conceptualized it best in her essay Sexism and Misogyny: Who Takes the Rap?: “To the white dominated mass media, the controversy over gangsta rap makes great spectacle. Besides the exploitation of these issues to attract audiences, a central motivation for highlighting gangsta rap continues to be the sensationalist drama of demonizing black youth culture in general and the contributions of young black men in particular. It is a contemporary remake of "Birth of a Nation" only this time we are encouraged to believe it is not just vulnerable white womanhood that risks destruction by black hands but everyone.”
Part of the allure of gangsta or hardcore rap to the white young person is its (however deplorable) explicitness. The gangsta rapper says “bitches” and “hos”, defiantly and frankly (once again… deplorable) and that frankness strikes a chord. However, it is not the first time that white young man or woman has seen society “treat” women like “bitches” and “hos.” Like mother’s milk, the American male in this country has been “nourished” on a constant diet of subtle messages and notions regarding female submission and inferiority and when he is weaned, he begins to feed on the meat of more exploitative mantras and images of American misogyny long before he ever pops in his first rap album into his CD player. Young people, for better or worse, are looking for and craving authenticity. Now, because this quality is in such rare-supply in today’s society, they gravitate towards those who appear to be “real” and “true to the game.” Tragically, they appreciate the explicitness without detesting or critically deconstructing what the person is being explicit about.
There have been many who have said that even with Imus gone from the airwaves, the American public in general and the Black community in particular will still be inundated by the countless rap lyrics using derogatory and sexist language, as well as the endless videos displaying women in various stages of undress---and this is true.
However, by that same logic, if we were to rid the record stores, the clubs and the iPods of all misogynistic hip-hop, we would still have amongst us the corporately-controlled and predominantly white-owned entities of Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler and Hooters. We would still have the reality TV shows, whose casts are overwhelmingly white, reveling in excessive intoxication and suspect sexual mores. If misogynistic hip-hop was erased from American life and memory today, tomorrow my e-mail box and the e-mail boxes of millions of others would still be barraged with links to tens of thousands adult entertainment web sites. We would still have at our fingertips, courtesy of cable and satellite television, porn-on-demand. We would still be awash in a society and culture that rewards promiscuity and sexual explicitness with fame, fortune and celebrity (reference Anna Nicole, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears).
And most hypocritically, if we were to purge the sexist and lewd lyrics from hip-hop, there would still be a multitude of primarily white bands and principally-white musical genres generating song after song glorifying sexism, misogyny, violence and lionizing male sexuality and sexual conquest.
Now, where does the conversation go from here?
Yawn, once again a discourse with no intellectually honest input from the bro-hams. Can't we just be done with this already and buy 'em all one-way ticket back to Mau-Mau land?
ReplyDeletewho cares
ReplyDeletehe said it....good for him
what's good for the goose is good for the gander....
personally i wish people would quit using the word nigga in any context.....but if a black man wants to be called a nigga who am i to say no
Pathetic this, no wonder blacks and whites are chasing their tails.
ReplyDeleteYou bang on about slavery, the word nigger etc, was i involved? NO! History, bury it! Move forward. Your no different to the ideology of Northern Irish terrorists, both Loyalist and Republicans.
Fucking grow up.