On Hip Hop, the Not so Silent Killer
Because we have freedom of speech many feel we can freely spew out any foul-mouthed crudity in any public place and never pause to consider who may be offended. In fact, proponents of habitual vulgarities are similar to cigarette smokers in that they don’t feel that others even have the right to be offended regardless of the age, gender or sensitivity of any who may be within range.
This is just miscellaneous public exposure. Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Directionality of Offensive Speech’ is a legitimate line of investigative science. On a more personal level, once you direct Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½a few choice words’ at someone, whether it be your spouse, your neighbor, your child’s teacher, your friend, your co-worker, your child, or whoeverâÂ?¦ it is very doubtful that, if it were ever present to begin with, that you will regain that person’s total trust ever again. Biting words cuts that deep.
Studies have shown that being called profane and disparaging names could cause long-term self-concept damage, and exposure to verbal aggression may lead to physical aggression. As we know, these rap video world tirades have led to real-life homicide. I myself have witnessed occasions when “friends’ leveled one too many “M%%# F*#$%’s” and the next things that were leveled were fists and weapons. Wrong time, wrong place, wrong audience, wrong mood and what was previously a (friendly?) chide, becomes a capital offense or in reality the explosive revelation of simmering resentment. (So much for the Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½terms of endearment’/Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½rights of passage’ myth.)
But even if outright violence does not result, the long-term effects of continued exposure to recurrent profanity can be very damaging. Studies have defined such verbal aggression as “attacking the self-concept” of another person or his opinion with the intent of “hurting the person psychologically.” How much more alarming then that Hip Hop and Rap acceptably direct such a large percentage of this expletive-laced dialog towards women and young girls in the Black community.
I’m sure that when the founding fathers and revolutionaries fought and died to establish a constitution and a codified set of laws forming the basis for the realization of universal human rights in this country that it was inconceivable to them that a future industry would emerge espousing the most anti-female, anti-family, foul-mouthed hedonistic filth the world has ever seen published as art. (No doubt you can legitimately argue that this is trivial compared to the legalization of slavery, but, rather than illuminate this issue, for Blacks it makes it all the more ironic.) I’m sure that Frederick Douglas, W.E.B. Dubois, Martin Luther King and others would also find this convoluted expression of our hard-fought freedom quite disturbing.
What Rap and Hip-Hop music seems to prove more than anything else, aside from the all too palpable, perhaps appropriate, but misguided, visceral rage, is that people will justify any endeavor that reaches a certain monetary threshold. We used this excuse to justify things such as slavery in the past, (Black Africans as well as European Whites), and we use this same rationale to justify things such as state-sanctioned gambling today.
A study was conducted by: James D. Johnson, Lee Anderson Jackson, and Leslie Gatto University of North Carolina at Wilmington entitled: Violent Attitudes and Deferred Academic Aspirations: Deleterious Effects of Exposure to Rap Music. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of exposure to rap music on the attitudes and perceptions of young African-American males. Subjects of the study were exposed to Rap music, images of violence and images of “mysteriously obtained extravagant items” which were contrasted against images of a second young man who chose to pursue academics. The subjects of the experiments demonstrated an overwhelming preference to be like the materialistic young man, a greater acceptance of the use of violence and were less confident that the second young man would achieve his educational goals.
Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Social Learning Theory’ is the theory of “learning from observing others.” Those most frequently observed will prove to be the most influential. Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Social Cognitive Theory’ attempts to explain “how we learn.” Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Acceptance’ is influenced by valued outcome. Positive reward is a more potent influence than negative consequences. Several ongoing investigations are establishing Hip Hop and Rap careers being financed by drug trafficking. Get the connection?
There is a constant stream of Black politicians, mainstream entertainers and Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½role models’ singing these guys’ praises in homage to the mega-riches Hip Hop artists generate. Black preachers and clergymen are hauling them in front of congregations touting their “contribution’ to the community.
Hip Hop and Rap artists claim that they insert (foul language) into their artistic works in an attempt to Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½reflect’ the prevailing culture. I am suggesting that it would be more accurate to suggest that by continuing to intentionally expose audiences knowing that the residual desensitization will leads to more and more casual use of (said verbalizations) in everyday conversation, and the mimicking of violent imagery, that these artists are actually Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½establishing’ a prevailing culture.
What Hip Hop and Rap have done is taken a sickness and turned it into a virulent epidemic. It killed Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls and is well on its way to killing African American culture.�¯�¿�½
Related:
Police Say Dead Rapper Proof Fired First
Apr 12, 12:00 PM EST
The Associated Press
DETROIT – Rapper Proof fired the first bullet in a Detroit nightclub shootout that ended his life, police said Wednesday.
http://entertainment.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=220975>1=7937
Posted 3/28/2006 11:51 PM Updated 3/29/2006 1:00 PM
Anti-snitch campaign riles police, prosecutors
By Rick Hampson, USA TODAY
PITTSBURGH – It was not the first time prosecutor Lisa Pellegrini had been enraged by the sight of the T-shirt with the traffic-sign message: STOP SNITCHING. But this guy was about to wear one into court, with matching baseball capâÂ?¦
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-03-28-stop-snitching_x.htm
A Hip-Hop Backlash Against ‘Snitching’
by Siddhartha Mitter
News & Notes with Ed Gordon, January 30, 2006 Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Commentator Siddhartha Mitter talks about the increasing number of police informants in inner-city communities – and by contrast, the backlash in hip-hop music against “snitchingâÂ?¦”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5178424
Daily Hip-Hop News:
“Stop Snitching” Star Snitched On, Arrested In Baltimore
Wednesday – April 5, 2006 by Carl Chery
Baltimore man featured in a Stop Snitching DVD has reportedly been arrested by the authorities.
Ironically, an informant told cops that Ronnie Thomas, the 30 year-old man who warned Baltimore residents to cease snitching on the DVD, would be in the south side of the city, where he was cuffed this past Sunday (April 2).
Thomas faces assault and robbery charges in addition to probation violation related to two incidents that took place in February. According to Margaret T. Burns, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore state’s attorney office, he was being held on $30,000 bailâÂ?¦
http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/8676
