http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050828/ap_en_mu/vmas_knight_shot These guys are settling old scores, and unfortunately are successful in selling CDs and videos, and promoting a violent lifestyle. My son starts high school tomorrow, and I've already given him "the speech" on sex, alcohol, drugs. Now I need to add a chapter on weapons. Sh/t!
After working in a somewhat rough DC neighborhood and seeing what happens when underprivaleged black kids take these idiots as role models, I get pretty freaking disgusted when Chrysler uses a self-described pimp to sell cars. It's pretty goddamn easy for white America to laugh it off, but I don't think it's funny anymore.
odd, there is mtv in germany, and far less censorship of, well, anything. care to explain why this isnt a problem over there?
Hey, I guess I should've read that then, huh? Still, Jessica Alba was at the party, and I don't think she's the problem, either. I suspect Suge was shot because he's Suge, not because Kayne West was hosting the party.
I liked the thread better the first time when it was called, "Amazing the Americans still buy stuff from these alt-rock goons" and it was about Courtney Love going back into rehab and her husband shooting himself. Wait, there wasn't one?
My "urban" students worship - worship - rap stars. Mostly 50 Cent. Rap culture totally reflects and validates everything they see in their daily lives, from gun violence to big butt hoochies to... well, that pretty much sums it up. One time, a student of mine was refusing to do her work in class, because she was feeling down. Turns out it was because a certain boy didn't like her. Unable to help myself, I told her "If you're having boy troubles, I feel bad for you son/ I got 99 problems but a boy ain't one." The kids flipped out. One girl announced "Wow, we should respect her." Not because I'm the teacher. Not because I can call their parents, give them detention, fail them. Not because I'm an adult and they're kids. Certainly not because I work hard for them and care about them. No, they never felt they needed to respect me, until I paraphrased Jay-Z. Not that they actually showed me respect after that. But they thought about it.
I agree with Roel. First let's ban all black music and secondly ban them from owning any weapons. Problem solved. Everyone happy. Let's all go home.
Like he's going to listen! Unfortunately, peer pressure & pop culture are insidious enemies of parental guidance & common sense. Do remember to give your sprout the cell-phone/Columbine/escape plan speech also. It will come in handy when you know where to meet him if some crazy stuff happens at his school. There will probably be a "lock-down emergency" drill during orientation, but a back-up/pick-up plan won't hurt.
Am I the only one who thinks that Suge Knight might've hired the guy to shoot him in the leg? Nothing builds cred in that segment of rap music like getting a few gunshot wounds and surviving. Hell, even the "surviving" part is optional, as we've learned from Tupac.
If you remember Chappelle skit where, if you shot the victim in the leg, it's not attempted murder. Maybe just teaching Suge a lesson, maybe Suge staged it to gain cred. And to the other poster: Yes, teens to listen to "the speeches." But you have to do it, more like mowing the lawn (every week) than like painting a metal fence with Rustoleum paint (every five years.)
Don't be trite. The problem is far more complex than that, and you only have one chance to raise your kids.
Somebody's gonna hold a hand grenade next...If you get shot three times you're an R&B singer, you get shot 10 times and you're in hip-hop. - MF Grimm
While I totally sympathize with Roel and agree that rap music often has a destructive influence on society, I still buy a lot of it because it's the most creative mainstream pop music. I also agree with posters who point out that a lot of "white" music is at least as destructive, especially to people with the likely socio-economic profile of Roel's kids.
In this case, I wasn't painting the music genre with one brush. Plenty of hip hip is fun and socially relevant. I should be clear and state "rap goons" = "death row records." Kanye seems like a good guy, and I like Public Enemy, Paris and some of Cypress Hill. I think these acts of violence are, in part, theatrics designed to get the attention of young folks.
I love rap music but I do think that hip hop culture is having a horrible influence on poor black youth. It is dragging the community down. The effects are observable.
I hope by "already" you mean "started a few years ago, on a regular basis". Not trying to tell you how to rear your kids, but giving "the speech" for the first time to a 9th grader is a bit late, IMO.