Cynthia Tucker, Yahoo! News, May 3, 2008
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The world of thug culture has its own perverse equivalent, in which middle-class men with minor legal transgressions exaggerate their bad behavior, claiming to be hard-core degenerates in order to impress youngsters looking for outlaw role models. In this destructive environment, the more violent and predatory you are, the more heroic you seem.
That helps to explain why a metro Atlanta hip-hop star known as Akon wove a tall tale of malevolence and criminal activity, claiming to have spent three years in prison for running a “notorious car theft operation,” a story he’s been telling for years. In fact, he has apparently never served hard prison time. A Web site called The Smoking Gun recently exposed Akon as a thug wannabe, a “James Frey with . . . an American Music Award.”
American popular culture has always had a tendency to romanticize hoodlums, whether Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde or Tony Soprano. But the hip-hop world’s celebration of savage violence, educational failure and misogyny by gangsta rap has been one of the worst influences on American youth, especially black youth, in decades. If you want to ruin a nation, a society or an ethnic group, persuade its members that the highest form of achievement lies in criminality.
Even before the 1980s, when gangsta rap oozed out of downtrodden black neighborhoods, too many black men were marginalized—unlettered, unemployed, imprisoned. They were already the victims of a fratricidal cycle of violence, predator and prey. They were already disproportionately fathers in absentia, completely divorced from the lives of their children, providing neither material support nor moral guidance.
Indeed, the baggy britches that are now de rigueur in hip-hop circles grew out of jail rituals. When men are arrested, their belts are confiscated, so their trousers tend to droop. It’s from that unfortunate facet of ghetto life that the ubiquitous sagging pants were launched.
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But folk art has never been so popular—or lucrative. The worst of gangsta rap has not merely reflected behavior but has also inspired it, much of it lawless and destructive. Its lyrics are paeans to murder and mayhem. It celebrates an outlaw culture that disrespects women, mocks middle-class values and preaches against any cooperation with police in catching criminals.
{snip}
If black men like Thiam enthusiastically abandon a passable reputation for the notoriety of a prison record, then black America is in serious trouble. If it is better to be an outlaw than to be a teacher or a chemist or accountant, then young black men will continue to go to prison in record numbers. If it is more acceptable to be violent and reckless than to be a responsible father and husband, then marriage will continue to decline in black communities.
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Original article
(Posted on May 6, 2008)
Comments
If we needed any more proof that rap is a deliberate attempt to poison the minds of the people who listen to it, this is it.
Unlike James Frey, I actually did three years locked up, and I wish to dear God I was still a chemist without a felony record.
Posted by Mchael C. Scott at 7:10 PM on May 6
They are all experts at one thing…..setting a bad example!!!
Posted by to the right of Attila at 7:14 PM on May 6
Blacks will continue with this until we stop feeding them.
The solution and the power to implement it have always been there for whites to use any time we choose to. Cut off welfare and force blacks to fend for themselves.
It’s an idea whose time has come. Thuglife is very appealing to evil people. But it quickly leads to starvation. And that is exactly the choice whites should force on blacks….be normal, good citizens, or suffer the harsh fate that comes with choosing this course.
Here is an easy way to implement it. No welfare for anyone convicted of even a minor crime. No exceptions.
Posted by at 7:58 PM on May 6
When your species has on average the IQ of a turnip, criminal success is much easier to celebrate than acedemic success.
Posted by at 8:29 PM on May 6
Liberals always had cozy relationships with criminal community. And this is no surprise. In Soviet Union common criminals were treated with leniency and forgiveness. They were characterized by Soviet regime as “politically kin” to proletariat. But if you dared to commit a political crime there, this is where the leniency and forgiveness of Soviet justice system ended - you might expect the harshest punishment for your actions or thoughts.
Isn’t it interesting that this opennes towards the criminals (but not towards, say, racists) became a strong trend in the U.S. after Soviets allowed mass emigration from the S.U. into the U.S.? Well, some will claim that the immigrants’ attitudes and preferences have nothing to do with the countries they are comming from, but there is absolutely no credible evidence that they have not.
Posted by A Reader at 8:47 PM on May 6
They call hip hop garbage “folk art”? How much lower can our culture sink before we all die.
Posted by Spartan24 at 9:33 PM on May 6
Akon may not be an ex-con,but he’s still an African,and no doubt has many instances of degeneration and ugliness in his rotten life!
Posted by at 9:49 PM on May 6
Since ethnocultural pride is beaten out of them from infancy, “nerd” culture is what many white kids retreat to if they are too intelligent to identify with the hip-hop scene. I think there was a story about this on Amren, but I’ve long thought it so. Better to invest their generous mental gifts into Star Wars minutiae if the alternative is pretending to enjoy yet another “violent nursery rhyme” (paraphrasing Tom Wolfe) about shiny rims.
Posted by Suburban Refugee at 10:16 PM on May 6
If blacks ‘fend for themselves’ they will have to resort to more of ‘fending for themselves” that is, robbing and raping whites. How are you supposed to make a living when you belong on the ‘plains of Africa”, in a modern Western country? You must rob, rape, steal, and rely on goverment handouts. TAke away that, and the crime rate goes up.
Posted by at 12:33 AM on May 7
This article just shows the vast overall difference in morality between blacks and whites. Rap didn’t rob blacks of their morality, rap is the result of their immorality - and remember, no snitchin!
Posted by Robert at 6:10 AM on May 7
“They call hip hop garbage “folk art”? How much lower can our culture sink before we all die. “
Well, I heard a black man on the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train talk about how there was a lack of graffiti inside of the car to a stranger hispanic and that, unlike Europe, this was evidence of America’s lack of “culture.”
Posted by at 9:25 AM on May 7
“Rap didn’t rob blacks of their morality, rap is the result of their immorality - and remember, no snitchin!”
I killed a man in Reno; just…to…watch…him…die.
Posted by at 11:56 AM on May 7
This is hardly ‘news’ to any alert white or non-delusional black person. Just read the lyrics to the music (and I use that term loosely) popular in young black culture. It IS influential and it IS harmful!
Posted by Dark-Star at 1:00 PM on May 7
No surprises there.
Actually there was an interesting aspect of this on display in “Eight Mile” about a white rapper (Eminem) in an overwhelmingly black community (Detroit). The verbal “battles”, which are supposed to be a realistic depiction of “rap battles” had them ridiculing things like a guy who grows up in a 2 parent home, with a father who successfully earns a living. I guess in some communities, this is something strange and therefore worthy of being ridiculed.
The real tragedy is that because of the liberal push to praise all things black, that some white children emulate this, or strive to marry into it.
Posted by at 1:23 PM on May 7
Most popular black music reflects black resentment at being a minority in a white culture. This counter-attitude among whites the MSM calls racism, among blacks it’s called ‘rap.’
Posted by Gary at 2:14 PM on May 7
For the best example I can recall of how toxic this swill is, listen to NWA’s second album, or as much of it as you can tolerate. One friend did a word frequency count. The most common word after “I” and “you” was “m*****f****r”, and if white men said the things about women these “musicians” do, women would be marching in the streets.
One of their partners for their first album, now dead of AIDS, whom they threatened in the second album, also portrayed himself as a “gangsta”, but in fact attended Juliard Music School and was a registered Republican.
Posted by Michael C. Scott at 2:34 PM on May 7
This is all blacks have. By nature they are violent, mindless thugs. They cannot celebrate any real accomplishments because they have never made any in human history. So go ahead, sing and dance about being criminals. Just kill and victimize each other and leave decent society alone. Please.
George Manuelian
Atherton, CA
Posted by George Manuelian at 4:22 PM on May 7
I cant help but think of James Dean while reading this. And Marlon Brando. And the social pathology named “cool”.
“Cool” was in no way a spontaneous and organic phenomenon that “just happened”. It was formulated and then injected into our heads in the personae of Brando and Dean. The female version was of course Marilyn Monroe. These introduced into the minds of a relatively innocent nation the thrill of overturning the tables and making mom and dad angry. It was given the glimmer of moral justification in that these stage personae were given marginally plausible grievances to “rebel” against.
“Rebellion” and “The Rebel” were thereunto unheard of graftings onto the American Psyche by Hollywood. Ever since then, it has been obligatory for all children-especially in public schools-to be “cool”.
“Cool” people are always rebels of course, and ‘the establishment’ is what they always must attack.
“Cool” was formulated to be a direct counterpoise to “Square”, which, if you sift through the semantics, means “White”.
Think about it. Its true.
I wont spend any time here discussing the ownership of Hollywood.
Everyone here is intelligent enough to draw their own conclusions. Mostly though, Square was the universal name of Good, prior to the war. [Square of course meant Honest, upright, courageous, of good integrity, etc.] Let us ask ourselves if the explicit rejection of “Squares” after the wars simply coincidental.
We may take a moment yet and reflect upon how quickly and how pervasively the clothing, hairstyles and gestures of Dean and Brando were adopted nationwide. Almost in the blink of an eye.
Frightening, that. If that seems a tad superficial, keep in mind how readily those who take on false identities attempt to hide their fraud by internalizing the (in this case) ‘rebellion’ they have affected with their clothing. Once the false identity* has been internalized, the infected subject will more often than not spend the rest of his life trying to prop up or reinforce the sham identity he has constructed for himself. It takes quite alot of mental energy to maintain such an enterprise. …energy, I hasten to add, which used to be spent inventing things like lightbulbs and steamshovels. Do any of you know any Bikers? any Goths? any Deadheads? Run your own tests and form your own conclusions.
In short, and to bring this short disquisition to point with the topic of the article, Rap and the persona which is its natural spawn is only a recent mutation of the same virus which we have allowed ourselves to be injected with for 50 years or more.
If anyone reading this is “cool”, please stop. Concider what has been said and look yourself in the mirror. Recognize that “cool” is nothing other than Herd Poison.
Accept the Square and broad shouldered mantle of your grandfather. We may be sure that he would like nothing else or less from you.
*[false identity] please think of this with especial reference to Hegels concept of “False Consciousness” and its motive force, “Alienation”. >in their Hegel-specific sense please.
Posted by Mr. Smith at 4:34 PM on May 7
When are these hip-hop rap idiots going to get out of their tired little “gangsta” boxes for some new clothes and fresh air?. The hip-hop rap “culture” has remained virtually unchanged for 18 years. They are the equivalent of saying “groovy” in 1990. Why do they believe that the entire world is entertained with their culture? If these artists were evolved in the first place, I would say that are de-evolving.
Posted by Terri Lee at 4:43 PM on May 7
Alice Cooper grew up in Detoilet, with a girl’s name, but didn’t put his mother down the way Eminem does.
Posted by Michael C. Scott at 5:24 PM on May 7
I’ve always been baffled by the advent of the “thug culture.” It’s more than an annoyance; it’s a death sentence for black males, ALL of whom seem to aspire to the goal of being a rapper.
I also think that it’s weird that blacks seem to have such a dearth of personality traits: the males all seem to act, look, dress, and think alike. They read the same magazines, watch the same shows, and listen to the same music.
You find a much broader range of interests and abilities amoung whites.
Posted by at 5:28 PM on May 7
It really HAS TO BE genetic. That utterly mindless stupidity of Blacks.
Blacks truly are an inferior species. Crime and sociopathic behavior by Blacks is NOT confined to America alone. You see one negative example after another, in ANY country with even a small population of Blacks.
As to Black governed countries — Haiti, for example. Or those African “nations,” their sorry track record underscores their genetic inferiority far better and mere words. Which also explains their unceasing efforts of trying to lay undeserved guilt ON THE WHITE MAN! Their jealous realization that they are INFERIOR to Whites!
Then we get those clown acts like that guy calling himself Inkadinka or something… berating us Whites as racists… because we appear to have nothing but contempt for Blacks. Tell us, puleeze, what in hell is there for us to respect in Afro-Americans (or Africans)? For the life of me, I see absolutely NOTHING in them worthy of even considering them as “human”, much less actually respecting them s my equals.
Posted by Fed Up at 8:36 PM on May 7
Not many people know that the writer for many of Nelly’s hit songs is a suburban White St. Louisan, who avoids all publicity.
Posted by Lars at 9:00 PM on May 7
I also think that it’s weird that blacks seem to have such a dearth of personality traits: the males all seem to act, look, dress, and think alike. They read the same magazines, watch the same shows, and listen to the same music.
Posted by at 5:28 PM on May 7
Good observation, I have noticed this too as nearly every black male I’ve encountered in the last few years seems to be involved in the “music business” in some fashion: a rapper, producer, video director, radio host, or studio owner. If it’s not themselves, it’s always someone in close proximity: sibling, cousin, best friend, etc.
And based on the recent election results (85-90% for Obama!), they seem to vote alike too.
Posted by ZKR at 6:41 AM on May 8
“I also think that its weird that blacks seem to have such a dearth of personality traits: the males all seem to act, look, dress, and think alike.” 5:28 PM POSTER.
May I commend you on an excellent post and very valid observation. Its absolutely true. You see, hear, watch, observe one black male and you have pretty much seen, heard and watched them all. IT IS WEIRD, even bizarre, how similar they all are. No originality. No creativity. No imagination. No real (legitimate) ambition. They are all like empty vessels that get filled up with the nothingness-culture of “rap” and “hip-hop”.
Posted by at 12:19 AM on May 11
