Hip-Hop: Keepin’ It Too Real
by Michael van der Galien
If this photo is authentic, it serves as a perfect example of what the hip-hop mentality can do to women. Chris Brown may not be a hip-hop artist, but he’s certainly part of its culture and attitude. This culture is anti-women, and basically anti-civilization.
Rihanna should use this opportunity to educate and influence youngsters in a positive manner. For years, she and her ilk have taught youngsters that dressing like a prostitute and behaving like one is ideal behavior for a girl. Boys, of course, should behave like pimps.
Let’s hope Rihanna does teach girls (and boys) self-respect and humility, and takes on the hip-hop culture’s destruction.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
177 Comments
Yep
Is this a typical "urban" interaction with a women? Fratricide is running amok in "urban" America, will it spread?
How does such a beautiful young woman ever end up with an abusive POS, regardless of race or culture?
Surely in this day and age women don't think they're expected to "shut up and deal with it."
Maybe he's just swinging a lot of big black pipe and she can't live without it.
I would say this argument can be made on a much wider spectrum than Hip Hop alone. Pop Culture in general has encouraged individualism. Individualism leads to selfish egotism, which leads to a disregard for or contempt toward others, which leads to an exploitation of advantages.
We can not survive as a society without moral standards, and Hip Hop, Rock & Roll, and even Country Music have been throwing these standards out the window for the sake of "individual expression," and rebellion against authority.
Unfortunately, violence against women isn't limited to one segment of society. I have an acquaintance who is very affluent and whose husband is very abusive. She chooses to stay because her mother chose to stay with the same kind of guy. The worst part about a situation like this is that no matter how much friends, or law enforcement try to intervene, there isn't much you can do unless the woman makes the choice to leave. I don't know Rhianna's situation or how she was raised but she has to find her backbone. If she does, it will send a message to other women caught up in the same mess.
Hip Hop artists constantly degrade women in their song all of the time. Most of them even act on their anti women sentiments, as evidenced by Mr. Brown. I was a little surprised to hear what he had done, considering that he had a much more wholesome image than everyone else. This is just another piece of evidence showing the decline of Black and urban America.
The hip-hop and rap culture glorifies cruelty and violence. So why are we surprised when hip-hop artists kill each other, or females are beaten? Sadly, professional basketball seems to be heading the same way. Athletes party like rap stars and die like them too, or rape girls and seem astonished when their victims seem to mind.
One strong voice might make a difference. A Beyonce or a Rhianna, rejecting the poison and taking a stand against violence. Eh, they'll just kill her. Never mind.
Yuck.
Yuck. That's just gross.
OK, growing up listening to Hip-Hop, I have to say that it is the perverted commercialized form of it that is "anti-women, and basically anti-civilization." The violent lyrics that originally appeared were more of a social commentary on a community that many turned away from and didn't always glorify the violence they were speaking about. Blaming Rhianna's situation on the music is just as bad as teh freaks that tried to blame Columbine on Marilyn Manson.
There are a lot of good rappers out there that are far more talented, don't dwell on their "paper, rims, bling and hoes" and sound like that actually put some thought into what they are saying.
Anyone with an open mind should check out these rappers before you define an entire genre of music by the acts of the few attention hungry punks that sell out to the MTV crowd:
The Roots
Common
Mos Def
Talib Kweli
Jurrasic 5
Public Enemy
"This is just another piece of evidence showing the decline of Black and urban America."
I respectfully disagree. Domestic violence and misogyny cuts across all races, cultures, and nationalities. This singular incident doesn't reflect on rap or Hip Hop, or the black community as a whole. Rap didn't make Chris an abuser, his experience with abuse did. Blacks don't own abuse.
What's with the attacks on individualism? Your tone sounds so familiar…
"All our lives we fought against exalting the individual, against the elevation of the single person, and long ago we were over and done with the business of a hero, and here it comes up again: the glorification of one personality. This is not good at all." ~ Vladamir Lenin
"Comrades! We must abolish the cult of the individual decisively, once and for all." ~ Nikita Khrushchev
Cut Chemist
Del the Funky Homosapian
DangerMouse
So, your solution to this is what again?
"It is thus necessary that the individual should come to realize that his own ego is of no importance in comparison with the existence of his nation; that the position of the individual ego is conditioned solely by the interests of the nation as a whole … that above all the unity of a nation's spirit and will are worth far more than the freedom of the spirit and will of an individual. …. This state of mind, which subordinates the interests of the ego to the conservation of the community, is really the first premise for every truly human culture …. we understand only the individual's capacity to make sacrifices for the community, for his fellow man." ~ Adolph Hitler
You make very good points. Unfortunately, you're not going to get many people on this site to listen to you.
I thought conservatism WAS individualism, and not being herded into behaving one certain way. OH, you mean that we have the "individual freedom" to adhere to your moral standards?
I think he chose the wrong word – but pop culture certainly does breed self-centeredness.
Vic
Now that I would certainly agree with, since self-centeredness is not the same as individuality.
Well, we can at least hope that the people here aren't as closed minded as the freaks at the Huffington Post.
Well, I guess one can rightly say that Democracy, by its very nature, promotes individualism, so Pop Culture may only be a symptom of Democracy.
However, Republicanism (our constitutional form of government) is based on the existence a virtuous society. Since virtue is as subjective as freedom is, it must be regulated or else you promote ochlocracy. This creates an apparent contradiction in terms by today's standards, which is probably why so many of our founding fathers spoke contemptuously of Democracy.
I have nothing against individual rights, persè, but we can never believe that those "rights" are unlimited. To do so would advocate anarchy. In other words, just as legal standards are in place (which are fundamentally regulations of morality), there must be ethical standards in place to cover the morals that aren't regulated by law. These standards should not be enforced by a societal government, however, but by the individual and his family. Nothing in either of these standards precludes the reality that actions have consequences.
So much wrong with this post on so many levels…
But conservatism certainly does!
ROFLMAO! Ha… HA!… Sorry it's hard to type, I have to wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes.
Thanks so much for that.
Vic
I'm not sure if or why anyone would be pointing the finger squarely at blacks because of this, hip hop isn't entirely a black thing. Think of the Paris Hiltons, Lohans, Spears…. they may not be hip hop artist but they are part of the hip hop culture. I don't think anyone is saying blacks beat their women in response to listening to rap artists, the point be made is that the hip hop culture as a whole is to blame for a lot of the trash we see everyday and the violence and slipping morality that has taken over parts of society. Anyone who wants to make this an issue of race, one way or the other, is out of line.
There is NOTHING individualistic about hip-hop culture. It seems that all those who follow it are wannabes and they all seem to try to be the same.
You want ethical standards in place. It sounds nice but who gets to decide what is ethical and unethical? Who's morals do we use? Enforced by the individual and the family? I agree but not every individual has the same morals.
I share your disdain for pop culture, but I would hardly say it's a symptom of democracy or individualism. It exists because people would rather fawn over the surreal lives of rich self centered brats with almost no responsibility…essentially idol worship. I would dare say that the cure IS individualism, because it encourages the person to focus on their own life instead of obsessing over whovever is on the cover of US magazine. Celebrities are hardly individuals because they obsess over what the public thinks of them, which is why they have publicists.
Wait a minute. I choose my words very carefully. From Oxford's English Dictionary:
Individualism (which I have a problem with):
1. Self-centred feeling or conduct as a principle; a mode of life in which the individual pursues his own ends or follows out his own ideas; free and independent individual action or thought; egoism.
Individuality (which I don't have a problem with):
1. The state or quality of being indivisible or inseparable; indivisibility, inseparability. b. An indivisible or inseparable entity.
2. The fact or condition of existing as an individual; separate and continuous existence.
They are two VERY different words. Individuality is benign, Individualism is malignant.
Again, I disagree with individualism being the "cure." The cure would be everyone striving for altruism and selflessness, but we all know that is not going to happen. If it did, someone would be right there to exploit it.
Individuality on the other hand, an existence that is free from the dependence on others' opinion, I willingly advocate (see true definitions above). I also agree with your comparison to idol worship.
Ah, gotcha. I see what you're saying now. My bad, bro.
Vic
No problem. I get it all the time. (Ironically, I think we were all trying to say the same thing… Or close to it.)
For the most part, I agree with you. Most of the comercailly successful people sample the music of others. The artists, yes some of them are actually artists, create their own music and actually play instruments. It's sad that the real individuals are ignored while the copycats are glorified, but that seems to be happening in all genres of music. How many more teen-wanna-be-Green Day fake punk groups are out there? And contemporary country music all sounds the same; it is basically pop music with a little twang.
You know who else should stop dressing like a hooker? Christopher Hitchens.
"but not every individual has the same morals."
What you are saying is that morality is a matter of fashion and personal taste. This is the same as saying there is no morality. We had clear traditions in our society growing out of judeo-christian values and philosophy over centuries. When we reject them, we´re in the wilderness,not knowing right from wrong and good from evil when earlier generations – to whom we owe everything and who the moderns regard with contempt – had no such problem. I say this as an atheist: how much dumber can we get?
Conservatism promotes individuality (seen Mr. Schwartz definition above, again) and self-dependency. To be able to stand on your own two feet and not force others to support you.To offer a helping hand for those times when others truly are unable to do it on their own. To conduct oneself in a manner that holds no regrets, needs no apology, and allows you to hold your head up high with dignity.
At least, that's what it's always meant to me.
We are all left asking that question way too often. On another note, spousal abuse is unfortunately treated with enough seriousness by the legal system.
Britney Spears has JACK to do with hip hop; her genre is pop music.
Lindsay Lohan is a once sweet teen actress turned bad.
Paris Hilton has let her wealth and family name go to her head.
None of these women have ties to hip hop. Now, these women ARE from a generation of White youth raised on MTV and "free love," which encourage immoral and irresponsible behavior.
Is gangster rap violent and misogynistic? Yes. But this form of rap shouldn't be used as a scapegoat for the moral decline that was occuring in White America before its existence.
A standard of decency does not negate individual creativity. Without standards of decency, entertainment falls to the lowest common denominator of human behavior, guided only by 'whatever sells and excites' the audience. If you will visit some of the juvenile detention facilities, the health clinics, the jails, you won't see young people who are have acted in an individual or creative way. They have only copied what they have been sold by MTV, BET, Hollywood, and the music industry. They look like and and act like carbon copies of the 'latest and greatest' trend.
And the 'personal behavior promoted by 'stars', who are enjoying their right to express themselves without any regard for their performance and its impact on our youth and future leaders, (freedom fought for by men with wisdom and integrity) only leads to a breakdown of society. Increased poverty, lack of respect for the law and/or any authority, violence, gangs, (to make up for loss of a sense of family) lack of self control, no self-discipline, (which is required to succeed), drug abuse, sex whenever and with whoever you feel like it,, being a 'baby daddy' without any responsibility,…….all behaviors that are glorified by our 'entertainment' idols. I believe that Lenin and Krushchev were referring to citizens who could see through the imprisoning State lie…. 'the state knows best', and dared to express a different opinion.
No, conservatism (in the American context) is a defense of both liberty and tradition. One cannot survive without the other.
Limited government, the prerequisite of liberty, requires strong social institutions and conventions, which historically grew out of judeo-christian values. Destroy one or the other and you get social entropy. Modern liberals (as opposed to classical liberals) mean to destroy both and they usually start with tradition. The examples are all around you. In its place they want to impose their utopian vision. They want to declare ZERO HOUR and engineer an utopian society, which inevitably requires a "new man", which inevitably means the end of liberty. It is the perfect opposite of the American revolution. Seen this way, the revolutionary cries for "change" today are not different from the revolutionary cries for a new order in old Europe. We know how that went.
In my experience, those who claim that conservatism should be only about individual freedom are not conservatives and they do nothing for liberty. They are me-first libertines who cannot think ahead.
Don't hold your breath. Besides, why would they speak out against a culture that's made them rich and successful? My guess is that this will happen again, unfortunately.
http://the100mostannoyingthings.blogspot.com/
Theodore Dalrymple in "Life at the Bottom: Our Culture or What's Left of It" noted the same phenomena among the White British Underclass, and among his educated and professional nurses. Patients and Nurses alike said they found nice, decent men "boring" and violent, dangerous, abusive men exciting. Filled with testosterone, dominance, danger, and excitement.
Rhianna chose Chris Brown the way Tina Turner chose Ike, the way Madonna chose Sean Penn, the way all women choose their abusers. Because they find violence and dangerous "sexy" and want the most testosterone laden thug around. It's particularly bad in Britain and among American Blacks. Black American Actress ("the ATL") Lauren London famously bragged she wanted straight out thugs, not "soft" guys who were not afraid to kill.
Women reward thuggish behavior, because they sleep with thugs. Thus, they get more of them. See also, Drew Peterson and the young women flocking to him despite the murders of two of his wives, because he's a "celebrity" and a "dangerous" one at that. It does not matter that some women find that abhorrent, without strong social standards and social institutions, the "tyranny of the Marketplace" creates a situation where any young man looking for sex and love is best advised to be a thug rather than a decent citizen, maximizing his chance.
The columnist "Spengler" at the Asian Times opines that men and women create the opposite sex they deserve, and that's probably true. The strong sexual selection preference among young women across class, racial, and national lines (White British women of all classes, Black American Women, increasingly White American women) indicates to me a "race to the bottom" as women select on short-term attributes such as raw testosterone and dominance, discarding long-term criteria such as faithfulness and loyalty and decency, and men have only one role: sexy bad boy not father. [Kay Hymnowitz wrote as much in today's Wall Street Journal.]
This is not a "Black Problem" per se, nor a Hip Hop one, it is a problem created by the pill, condom, rising income of women, anonymous and highly mobile urban living, that create an atmosphere where women select the baddest bad boy which creates the race to the bottom of thuggery. This was not the first time this happened, it was triggered supposedly by attention by Paris Hilton, and "Hustle and Flow" star Terence Howard defended Chris Brown, unsurprisingly since he was convicted of the same offense himself.
I predict neither Brown nor Howard will lack for female attention and romance. Particularly if Brown goes to jail — it only makes him more attractive.
True. let's talk about homicide rates by %. There is irrefutable evidence that young black men kill each other at a % signifigantly higher than white and asians, again by %. There is a fundemental problem in black society that needs to be addressed, but perhaps that IS part of the problem. We have a seperate and parrallel society in many urban areas, black 24/7/365. So, in some way doesn't that reflect on "their" culture? Rap, at inception was kinda fun. I went to a Run DMC show in the mid to later 80's. It was about fun, not hate, and misogyny. Would i go to New York and walk into a black rap club, now? Probably not. Recently a club owner/ entrpreneur had to STOP HIP HOP NIGHT because the fights got out of hand.
True. let's talk about homicide rates by %. There is irrefutable evidence that young black men kill each other at a % signifigantly higher than white and asians, again by %. There is a fundemental problem in black society that needs to be addressed, but perhaps that IS part of the problem. We have a seperate and parallel society in many urban areas, black 24/7/365. So, in some way doesn't that reflect on "their" culture? Rap, at inception was kinda fun. I went to a Run DMC show in the mid to later 80's. It was about fun, not hate, and misogyny. Would i go to New York and walk into a black rap club, now? Probably not. Recently a club owner/ entrpreneur had to STOP HIP HOP NIGHT because the fights got out of hand.
True. let's talk about homicide rates by %. There is irrefutable evidence that young black men kill each other at a % signifigantly higher than white and asians, again by %. There is a fundemental problem in black society that needs to be addressed, but perhaps that IS part of the problem. We have a seperate and parallel society in many urban areas, black 24 / 7 / 365. So, in some way doesn't that reflect on "their" culture? Rap, at inception was kinda fun. I went to a Run DMC show in the mid to later 80's. It was about fun, not hate, and misogyny. Would i go to New York and walk into a black rap club, now? Probably not. Recently a club owner/ entrpreneur had to STOP HIP HOP NIGHT because the fights got out of hand.
True. let's talk about homicide rates by %. There is irrefutable evidence that young black men kill each other at a % signifigantly higher than white and asians, again by %. There is a fundemental problem in black society that needs to be addressed, but perhaps that IS part of the problem. We have a seperate and parallel society in many urban areas, black 24 / 7 / 365. So, in some way doesn't that reflect on "their" culture? Rap, at inception was kinda fun. I went to a Run DMC show in the mid to later 80's. It was about fun, not hate and misogyny. Would i go to New York and walk into a black rap club, now? Probably not. Recently a club owner/ entrpreneur had to STOP HIP HOP NIGHT because the fights got out of hand.
Yes and no (see my comment below). What is happening to Blacks is the "canary in the coalmine" along with the White British Underclass (who resemble their family and sexual relations dysfunction in many ways). Juan Williams noted that in 1965, the Black Illegitimacy rate was 24%, compared the the White 4%. Now it is 70% nationwide and 90% in the urban core, according to both Williams and Kay Hymnowitz, working off data from the Census Bureau (you can look it up yourself). Hymnowitz mistakenly has the White value at 38%, if you read carefully and total up ALL the numbers you get 41%.
Clearly bad trends in society hit Blacks first, and hardest, along with the White British Underclass from whom they are statiscally indistinguishable.
In both cases you see the following: men are reduced to transient sex machines, not stable fathers. Women select off sexual excitement and dominance, not stability, earnings, and good character. Welfare makes a good father irrelevant and destroys the nuclear family. Cultural warriors make fatherhood irrelevant or "evil." A deeply feminized culture (Black blogger "the Rawness" notes that Ghetto Males are deeply feminized — no men between 30 and 65 present in those areas and all raised by single mothers in hysterical, over-emotional fashion that ill suits men) seeks FEMALE social controls (consensus, status, social approval/disapproval) to control and harness bad male behavior instead of the traditional male patronage-power hierarchy. Think Oprah's emotion-a-thon vs. the "Football Coach" mentality of discipline, toughness, and grit.
This is not a "Black Problem" nor a Hip-Hop one because you can see Whites "catching up" in bad behaviors and Hispanics are even worse (over 50% illegitimacy rate). Abuse and single motherhood are of course tightly correlated. As Dalrymple points out in his books based on his extensive interviews in both the National Health Service and British prisons (he was a NHS doctor), the typical boyfriend of Mom wants either a useless mouth out, beaten, or molested depending on his frame of mind.
We are not smarter than tradition. We need the traditional, nuclear family, and the constant, constraining social mores and institutions that DO restrict absolute freedom in turn for a stable and prosperous society. Otherwise we get the freedom to do as we please, unless thugs prey upon us. Thugs created by the single motherhood mess (both Coulter and Dalrymple make the same point, Coulter more bluntly).
It's a little bit disturbing (though I doubt intentionally) that this gets tagged a "hip-hop" angle. Neither of these people are "hip-hop" artists, he's a middling R&B guy and she's a pop singer. Neither of them record hip-hop (of which I'm not a fan, for the record) and don't do material (to my knowledge) that features the lyrics or additudes one would attach from hip-hop to this incident. I'm wondering if there's not an unconscious thing here, whereby attacking "hip-hop culture" has become a way for those who don't want the blowback to attack what they see as problems of "black culture." Just a thought.
That said, Brown needs to end up in jail. Hit by a truck would work, too…
continued froma above
*Cartoonists like Aaron McGruder (The Boondocks, see video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZchP89w2pJo
*Pastors like Delman Coates:
http://www.whataboutourdaughters.com/2008/01/vide...
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id...
Yes. Chris Brown needs to go to jail. Don't try to pretend that the use of "hip-hop" culture was unintentional. The people who write for this site damn well know what they're doing and exactly what buttons they're trying to push.
And bloggers like Gina McCauley (What About Our Daughters):
http://mirroronamerica.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-...
http://www.whataboutourdaughters.com/2009/01/stop...
So, why haven't you heard of this Black resistance to gangsta rap? Because the Liberal media, Liberal Hollywood, the Democrat Party, and self-appointed Black (mis)leaders (NAACP, Jesse Jackson, etc.) benefit from the sorry status quo. Hence, these pro-gangsta forces will try to ignore, discredit, or utterly destroy any Black person who dares challenge their rule.
Fortunately, the Black heroes I mentioned aren't easily intimidated. In turn, they inspire everyday Black people like myself to confront the evil of gangsta rap, which must fall if my community is to survive.
I'll tell you one thing, Andrew — you should get down on your knees and thank God and all your lucky stars that there aren't any Objectivists reading this site right now. What you just said would have pushed about fifteen different Berserk Buttons at the same time.
I'm going to print this out and hang it on my wall.
me-first libertines who cannot think ahead
You just quoted the dictionary definition of "social libertarian".
Listen to what Bill Cosby said a while back. I don't think the black community appreciated what he said. The solution, unfortunately, is something individuals have to embrace. No one can force anyone to become a good spouse, a good father, or whatever the opposite of deadbeat is. Until black men who are in the public spotlight can take responsibility for their children, not beat their women, and not commit felonies, I don't see it affecting anyone positively.
I second Sgt above. Rhianna needs to get out, and show women that they don't have to put up with this crap. Sex is a strong motivator, and if the men aren't getting any, they'll learn to behave.
But these groups don't get any publicity. Except for the one who've been on the Chapelle Show, I haven't heard of any of these.
The sad fact is that it's the Chris Browns that the media looks at for news, not the Jill Scotts.
I thought a libertarian was someone born on third base who goes through life thinking they hit a triple.
But these groups don't get any publicity. Except for the one who've been on the Chapelle Show, I haven't heard of any of these.
The sad fact is that it's the Chris Browns that the media looks at for news, not the Jill Scotts. And until there are upstanding black role models, nothing's going to improve. Maybe Obama needs to go on a huge publicity tour of inner city high schools, or maybe he should speak to the Ludacrises of the world and ask nicely that they shape up.
E Pluribus Unum !
the inscription, a requirement of law upon all currency of the United States.
E Pluribus Unum
The great eagle holds it written on a flowing banner in its beak, on the great seal.
E Pluribus Unum
Out of many, one. Out of many comes one. one.
The Individual, and individualism is inscribed as part of the nations motto.
You'll change it over my individual dead body
Until black men who are in the public spotlight can take responsibility for their children, not beat their women, and not commit felonies, I don't see it affecting anyone positively.
It's a vicious cycle. How many of these guys come out of broken homes or single-parent households? Nobody ever bothered to teach them how to be men, so they'll damned-sure never teach it to their sons.
This is true, but rap often glamorizes abuse. I grew up in a very small town in North Carolina. We only had one high school, so regardless of socio-economic class, we got to see, up close and personal, people from all walks of life. Except for skin color, poor whites were indistinguishable from poor blacks. They wore the same clothes, listened to the same music, comported themselves with the same degree of beligerance.
By the same token, you've got you rich white guy CEOs who beat their wives too.
So, I guess, as trite as it sounds, we must blame the parents. Either too much discipline, or not enough, at any rate, these people are not learning how to control themselves. If you beat a kid for every single minor infraction, he's going to learn that violence is the proper response. If you don't punish a child, ever, than they're going to learn that they can get away with whatever the heck they feel like. Humans, i think history will show, when left to their own devices, can be pretty cruel.
The people who write for this site damn well know what they're doing and exactly what buttons they're trying to push.
Because clearly the only people who read this site are closet Klansmen.
Well, if people did come out and say that it's not a hip-hop thing, it's just how black people are, they'd be crucified. White people just can't talk about black people that way in this lawsuit-charged society.
I both agree and disagree. This issue does cut across all race/culture lines. However, it is very prominent in hip-hop/athlete culture, which is aimed directly at young blacks and poor whites. Unfortunately, these very groups are the least equipped (as a result of poor education or poor family support) to handle this message appropriately.
Also, too many people who should know better never take a stand against this kind of behavior. How many times have you heard about a football player or rapper beating his wife or shooting someone or DUI, and the first thing you hear is people say, "he's got talent, he deserves a second chance." What kind of message is that to send?
People look anywhere for a father figure. If there's a tv, they'll find some kind of substitute. If Hollywood could find a way to make wholesome entertaining again, we might be able to break the cycle.
Also, I think most conservatives (unlike our lefto friends here) clearly separate hip-hop culture from "black culture." Black culture, like white culture and everyone else's culture, has many facets. Hip-hop is simply one of those, and it's values are horrible.
Moreover, our lefto friends seem to miss the point every else understands, that hip hop culture applies not just to blacks, but also to other races who engage in the types of activities associated with it. I assure you I have encountered many whites (in court) who are fully immersed in the hip hop lifestyle.
Is it me, or have the communists gotten a lot bolder since the Dems took over Washington?
That's so racist! Brown is not a hip-hop artist, he's just a part of "its culture" (read: Black).
I eagerly await the first post about a country music star beating a woman and you wringing your hands of "the culture" of Southern Baptists beating the crap out of their wives–let's throw scurrilous accusations in all directions if we're going to do it.
Thanks for the clarification, I sort of called you a commie after reading your first post.
But I see your point now, and I agree.
But why do you think they don't get publicity? It isn't a lack of talent. Perhaps the tv and radio outlets should demand they be better role models. If Larry King beat his wife, you can be damn sure that he wouldn't be on the air the next day, and if he was there would be protests outside of CNN's office.
That's because people always try to sell the story of someone who fell and rose again. That's fine, I have no problem with that. I like examples that show that good can coem from failure, but those that are successful without ever failing are ignored because they come off as less interesting.
I would agree, except that's not how these things are playing out. These guys get caught, have a lawyer draft an apology and then the team and fans give him a second chance. When he gets caught again, he gets cut and moves to another team and gets another second chance all over again.
The Tampa Bay Bucs signed a guy today with multiple arrests for drugs and guns. He was signed by three different teams before the Bucs, each time getting cut after another arrest. So now he gets his "second chance" for a fourth time because he's got talent.
There's not message of redemption there because there's no fall and there's contrition or lesson. The lesson is that talent can do whatever it wants and that laws are meant for the other guy.
Chris Cagle and his girlfriend were arrested for domestic violence back in May, apparently. (I googled "abusive country music stars"). Cagle whacked his girlfriend, Jennifer Tant, with her purse, and Tant beat on Cagle with an umbrella. I wonder if Rhianna, or any hip-hop star (pop, rap, etc) ever hit back.
On the contrary. I agree with much of Ayn Rand's philosophies. (Although, I admit, I wasn't very attentive when I read "Atlas Shrugged" about 10 years ago, so I may be shaky on the specifics.)
It is necessary for a society to have absolute boundaries (or as Rand would say, an absolute reality) in order to function. Moral relativism and social subjectivity leads to social anarchy and only serves to prove a boundary that is already in place: a person's right to preserve his own existence.
But here is where I disagree with Ms. Rand: Human self-interest part of our fundamental motivations whether we mean it to be or not. It is our ulterior motives that define our character, not our fundamental motives. And I believe that an individual's ulterior motives should be as altruistic as possible. I am not so naive that I believe that this will actually happen, nor do I think that government should regulate it. It should be a personal conviction.
On the contrary. I agree with much of Ayn Rand's philosophies. (Although, I admit, I wasn't very attentive when I read "Atlas Shrugged" about 10 years ago, so I may be shaky on the specifics.)
It is necessary for a society to have absolute boundaries (or as Rand would say, an absolute reality) in order to function. Moral relativism and social subjectivity leads to social anarchy and only serves to prove a boundary that is already in place: a person's right to preserve his own existence.
But here is where I disagree with Ms. Rand: Human self-interest part of our fundamental motivations whether we mean it to be or not. It is our ulterior motives that define our character, not our fundamental motives. And I believe that an individual's ulterior motives should be as altruistic as possible. I am not so naive that I believe that this will actually happen, nor do I think that government should regulate it. It should be a personal conviction that is nurtured by the family.
On the contrary. I agree with much of Ayn Rand's philosophies. (Although, I admit, I wasn't very attentive when I read "Atlas Shrugged" about 10 years ago, so I may be shaky on the specifics.)
It is necessary for a society to have absolute boundaries (or as Rand would say, an absolute reality) in order to function. Moral relativism and social subjectivity leads to social anarchy and only serves to prove a boundary that is already in place: a person's right to preserve his own existence.
But here is where I disagree with Ms. Rand: Human self-interest is part of our fundamental motivations whether we mean it to be or not. It is our ulterior motives that define our character, not our fundamental motives. And I believe that an individual's ulterior motives should be as altruistic as possible. I am not so naive that I believe that this will actually happen, nor do I think that government should regulate it. It should be a personal conviction that is nurtured by the family.
Nathan is on the right track! I was just thinking about some of things I grew up with, Saved by the Bell, Family Matters, Growing Pains, The Cosby Show, Alf, Fresh Prince, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Smurfs, Just the 10 of us, All promoted some sort of "Family values" Im sure there were plenty more…
Now we have Desperate Housewives, Sex in the City, CSI, Weeds, Family Guy, honestly I dont watch much tv anymore, but Im sure there is some new crap Ive never heard of…..
The sad thing is we who have spent dollars on their music have supported their actions. We vote with our dollar in this country right? If they werent making any money rapping about violence and the such, they wouldnt be doing it, at least not mainstream.
Im sure his pocketbook will suffer. There are plenty of people who will shun him for this no matter whose fault it was.
Let’s hope Rihanna does teach girls (and boys) self-respect and humility, and takes on the hip-hop culture’s destruction.
No, she will not.
This is proven by her silence – both on this current abuse and on the abuse she's received in the past. Silence about abuse is acceptance of it – and Rihanna's silence proves she's done just that. Forget about this woman teaching self-respect to her fans – she can't teach what she doesn't have. (And judging by the refusal of her gutless father and mother to object to the savage beating of their child, it's damned clear they don't have any themselves.)
Like I said, before Rihanna teaches any self-respect to her fans, she first has to get some herself. And right now, this woman doesn't have a shred of it.
This is just what we should expect from those who glorify anti-social behavior and model themselves after gangsters and those serving life sentences.
Very nicely put!
Not trying to make an excuse for the Bucs, but to me this says more about the NFL than one particular team. If it weren't for the NFLPA, this guy would have been banned from the league for life. It is a union that protects the thugs but does little to help it's retired members that played when the league wasn't paying signing bonuses and performance incentives.
Perhaps. But if there is a lawsuit coming, I'm sure her lawyer advised her to remain silent for the timebeing. I hope that is the case.
My son and I had a good discussion not too long after the embarrassing performance by Young Jeezy and Jay-Z @ Club Love in Washington DC, the night before President Obama's Inaguration. Knowing of my frustration and also my appreciation of good music he told me, "Pop, not all rap is bad, check out Gift of Gab/Blackalicious" Which I'm glad I did.
Video/Lyrics 'Make You Feel That Way'
Enjoy…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIGJ1lekcMg&fe...
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/blackalicious/make...
Um. It's not a good idea to give a slew of interviews if you are a witness/victim in a criminal proceeding. If you want to secure a conviction, you can't do anything that would jeopardize the case. Considering the charges are still pending, it's erroneous to assume that she's "staying silent"
There was a story yesterday that she had left to go visit Brown and had expressed concern for his well-being to friends. I'd doubt the anonymous sources, but it sounds so typical for women who date guys like him, it's hard not to put stock in the rumors. If they turn out to be true, she will be telling her fans (and his) that, "Smackin' yo bitch up," works just fine. I don't expect to hear much of an outcry from feminists. They're far too busy obsessing over Sarah Palin's baby (as well as her daughter's)…..you know, the really important issues that affect women. [rolleyes]
Well, I replied to you, but the idiots that run this site lost another post (I say lost because nothing I said in the post was inflammatory, insulting, or used inappropriate language). This has gone so far beyond ridiculous that I can't even care any more. You take the time to read someone's post, then try to give a thoughtful answer, and somehow the web site can't manage to hold onto it.
Maybe I'll start just calling everyone idiots like the trolls do. Somehow their posts don't get deleted.
Actually, conservatism (in the American context) is a defense of both liberty and tradition. One cannot survive without the other. Limited government, the prerequisite of liberty, requires strong social institutions and conventions which historically grew out of judeo-christian values. Destroy one or the other and you get social entropy.
Modern liberals (as opposed to classical liberals) want to destroy both and they usually start with tradition. The examples are all around you. In its place they want to impose an utopian vision. They despise everything that came before them. They want to declare ZERO HOUR and engineer an utopian society, which inevitably requires a "new man", which inevitably means the end of liberty. It is the perfect opposite of the American revolution. Seen this way, the revolutionary cries for "change" today are not different from the revolutionary cries for a new order in old Europe. We know how that went.
In my experience, those who claim that conservatism should be only about individual freedom are not conservatives and they do nothing for liberty. They are me-first libertines.
One thing I actually liked about Obama on the campaign trail was his admonition of black families (athough his chastisement could apply to all races). He scolded black men for abandoning and beating their families, and I truly believe he wants the cycle you mentioned to break.
Regardless of how much disdain I feel for his socialistic policies, I believe he can set a positive example to families if he keeps those convictions apparent.
I think "The Simpsons," stripped of all its satire, still portrays positive family values. As does King of the Hill, but those are older shows, so they may not count.
I hate to say it, but this is what happens when we go so far to divorce ourselves so prominently from our judeo-Christian roots without having anything credible to replace them. Then we declare War on Poverty and unintentionally start supporting the bad behavior of others creating an ever growing underclass of single-parent families and absentee fathers. Even if you yourself weren't of a strong religious nature, the dominant religious values of the country created a moral fabric of mostly shared values that helped hold us together and helped create stable families. And honestly, most religious traditions are values-wise compatible with the basic judeo-Christian morals we were founded on so our pluralistic society should still cope, but we've moved too far into secularism IMO.
[...] with Mr. Phoenix?The Mac I Never Knew – … heh … another convert … bwoohahahah.Hip-Hop: Keepin’ It Too Real – … the photo of Rihanna breaks my heart. I pray she is okI shall defeat chu!!! – … [...]
Yeah…the bible is pretty much okay with wife beating.
Okay. Go make a Girltalk record.
Oh…you can't?
Latino – yes, a lawyer would advise their client to be silent about a case. But — that would be after the case was filed – not before. And I must add that even if a lawsuit WERE already filed, it still would not demand Rihanna's silence. She may be silent, of course, about the facts of the case. BUT no law exists in this country that demands she be silent about her own self-respect. Every single day that goes by in which she flatly refuses to condemn the vicious beating she endured, flatly refuses to let the world see what that monster did to her, flatly refuses to cry out to women's shelters, to feminists, to her fans, to girls everywhere to let them know that what Brown did was evil and wrong, etc. is a nail in the coffin of her self-respect and a blow to the self-respect of other women. Nope – the law is not to blame for Rihanna's refusal to be angry about this vicious crime, refusal to condemn it, refusal to let the world see what hip-hop and punk culture do to women, refusal to cry out to her fans that beatings are wrong, wrong, wrong, etc. No – don't blame the law for being silent – blame Rihanna.
Des – I hear you. Before this brand new 'comment' thing started last week, I was having a devil of a time getting ANY of my posts to appear. They just disappeared into the ether. Like you, my posts weren't obscene, inflammatory, inappropriate language, etc. – but they disappeared nonetheless. I emailed Breitbart.com repeatedly and got nowhere. At the same time, however, trolls were busily posting every other second. Talk about frustrating. When this new comment thing came in, however, they suddenly began appearing. I don't know – I'm crossing my fingers and holding my breath that my ability to post at all still continues. Des – please don't go away. Your comments are VERY much appreciated.
Well, if there is something terribly "hip hoppish" about Rhianna's abuse, and if blacks are the "canaries in the coal mines" blah blah blah of our decaying society, can you explain why the black intimate homicide rate (that is, blacks killed by their SO's) is plummeting, while it is going up for white women:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/intimates.h...
Indeed, according to the report:
The intimate homicide rate —
* for white girlfriends was higher in 2005 than it was in 1976
* for white wives and ex-wives has declined but not as much as that for white husbands and ex-husbands
* for black husbands and ex-husbands was 20 times greater in 1976 than it was in 2005
* is higher for black girlfriends than any other group in 2005, although it has declined 66% since 1976.
Hmmm. Your theory is not panning out so well.
Like logic has anything to do with race baiting. Take your facts and figures and supportable details elsewhere missy, your kind isn't welcome 'round these parts. We don't take kindly to strangers pointing out obvious and gaping flaws in our thought process.
I will also choose to interpret these statistics as evidence that Feminism is evil because clearly empowered women standing up to their abusive husbands has lead to more broken homes, which caused this whole mess in the first place!
You must be logged in to post a comment.