A co-worker of mine found a poll and sent the link to all the people in our book club who normally participate in our discussions.
The poll is located at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16281886
What are your thoughts? What do you think of the poll in general? How accurate do you feel the results are?
Part I - a response from Kobe2125
Sorry for the lateness of my response. But two things had to happen before I could respond; 1) I had to come down so I could speak intelligently on the subject and not out of anger. 2) Had some work to do. It should be known that I am a lover and fan of hip-hop, notice I said hip-hop and not rap, there is a difference.
How can hip-hop music or even rap music be blamed for the problems of
America? When I read articles like this or see debates about this or even watch a Congressional hearing about this. It makes me mad to no end. Not because there is an attack on the music I love. But for the simple fact that in the 21st century and the United States of America, that people actually believe that lyrics to a song are the main cause of problems in our society. Some times I think to my self that this has to be a joke. If you don't like rap music that is fine, that is your God given and constitutional right not to like and I don't have a problem with that.
What I do have a problem with, is when rap music is singled out to be the bad guy. Everything you that is talked about in rap lyrics I can find the same topics in highly rated popular TV and movies, but what I can't do is find the same outrage.
Violence: The Soprano's, a TV show about life in the mafia. Not about how it's a bad thing.
Sex: Where do I start? Desperate Housewives, a show about woman who cheat on there husbands.
Not obeying the law: The Shield, A show where the hero is a crooked cop. And just for you info, in the very fist episode he shoots a Cop in the face cause he was going to rat him out.
The list goes on and on I can name a number of movies and TV personalities like the guy who runs the brothel in Vegas. He has his own TV show and Hue Hefner and his "3" girlfriends have their own show. But I don't see them on Capital hill explaining themselves to Congress.
What moral values do these shows and those like it have? Why do they get a pass and hip-hop doesn't?
I have a theory for that but I’m not going to get into it. I'll cut this short and get off my soap box for now, but I do have a lot to say on this. But here is a question for you, if the content in rap music is so bad, why do so many people listen to it? Why does talking about pimps, thugs and violence sell in America? Instead of cleaning up rap music, why can't we clean up the communities these rappers are talking about?
And just for your info. Google "The Wille Lynch Theory" makes for very interesting reading.