First and foremost, I abhor censorship. I'm of the opinion that the
expression which is the most reviled is the expression that deserves the
MOST protection. Back in the day, calling the British monarchy a fraud
in the American colonies could get you hanged for "treasonous words
against the state". Is the modern lynching that C. Delores Tucker gives
Ice Cube for saying "fuck mighty whitey" any different? For some reason
people always try to banish what they find distasteful or offensive, and
the mob mentality that "it's bad for your kids" has taken the place of a
stamp tax board that won't let you publish your work without that "stamp
of approval". I'd rather be offended by every single book I read, every
single painting I see, and every single song that I hear than deem it
acceptable to censor the offensive. The KKK may give me cold chills to
the bone, but if they're expressing themselves in the open and not in
secret, at least we know how to fight their racism. Protect that which
offends you, not just that which you find acceptable to yourself or to
the public at large.
Here's the flipside: as a hip-hop music fan who has seen the power of
poetry that a virtuoso such as Chuck D or Aceyalone can wield, it
offends my sensibilities to hear simplistic and vile raps like "I'm the
muthafuckin nigga on the muthafuckin trigga" that not only debase
African-Americans but debase the art of hip-hop poetry it puports to
represent. Not only does it hurt me to the core of my soul, it also
twists my love for hip-hop into righteous anger at those who abuse it.
WHY would you say such things? "Keeping it real" is no longer an
excuse, and neither is "That's how it is on the streets". It's exactly
this kind of music that I can't blame parents for being upset about.
I wouldn't want MY little eight year old walking around saying "bitches
ain't shit but hoes and tricks, lick on these nuts and suck the dick".
I think we place far too little emphasis on the negative impact this
kind of mentality can have at large. No *individual* will ever commit
an *individual* misogynistic act because of an *individual* rap song;
but over a lifetime of being exposed to MANY misogynistic raps the
culmulative effect builds. Exposure to media is not a passive act: the
participant processes the information whether they intended to or not.
And yet, the scenario flips again: I *love* Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" even though it is a blatantly violent and sexist album. I wouldn't want my
