There is No Double Standard - My Thoughts on Race, Gender and Hip Hop
I don't blame rappers for the actions of people that make a conscious decision to disrespect women or themselves. I am in no way saying it is ok to call women out but I am saying this is America, you know land of the free and brave. I want to say what ever I want and not be judged for it because these are my thoughts and if people don't like what I feel I need or want to say then that's cool. I want the same for rappers/poets. These artists wouldn't have so many negative things to say if black and sometimes white communities weren't so horrible to live in and with that said some folks just need to stop being hypocrites and blame themselves as well for the fowl things being said on both sides.
I have children too and I believe it's my job as a mom to raise and protect my sons and daughters from the evils of the world and I try as best I can to do that. So far my children know not all rap is allowed in our home and the fowl language is not permitted either. I teach them to have respect for self and others. I explained to them that it is ok to express your feelings but don't expect everyone to accept what or how you feel. My children don't understand why some people are racist. To them it just doesn't make sense to have so much hate because of skin color.
Respect for women starts in the home with mom and dad as teachers. Some of us don't have both parents in the home but it should not stop there. Parents today have become lazy. Sitting their children in front of television for hours just abandoning their duties as parents then going after hip hop because of Don Imus. That's not cool.
If people would stop playing the blame game and own up to their part in all of this then we could become a better country. Don Imus was wrong for his comments about that basketball team. It is not ok to put each other down based on race or sex. I respect what some rappers do because I understand the place they are coming from but the others are just in this game for themselves and should be shut down. You can't lump all artists together and say it's all bad. Some of us have a message and need to be heard.
There is no double standard but the cowards of this world need to check themselves and be apart of the solution instead of trying to shut down the voices of the people which happens to be hip hop.
Published by Jamilah Renae
Published Author/Poet/ Spoken Word Performer, Ms. Terry R. Banks was born and raised in Dallas, TX. She began writing and finding inspiration from all aspects of her life and the lives of others at a young a... View profile
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14 Comments
Post a CommentI think it's also about some just minding there own business. If you hear someone speaking in a way that you don't like in a public place you should just ignore that person or those people. I'm gone 29 years of my life not giving a flip about what people are saying around me. Good or bad it wasn't my business.
Maybe some blacks think we can say what we want on our records and etc. because for so long blacks had no rights. Even if that's true it's a sad excuse to offend people. I curse a lot in my poetry and some read it and some don't. I could care less but I also never allow my kids to read my writing unless it is profanity free and I do that because they don't like when I curse so I respect my kids that way but they also know that sometimes if I'm mad a word or two may slip out and then I owe them 5 bucks or more. I don't have teenagers so I know I have a long raod ahead of me but I will teach them that they have the freedom to say what they want when they want and that respect should be earned as well as given. All parents should do the same and stop trying to tell everyone else how to talk.
Truly everyone is born with the freedom to say what they want, depending, of course what their parents allow. Limits on our speech are imposed, next, by society, shcools and churches. That is where learning to respect other human beings comes into play. Government censorship of media is another subject. The Imus issue brought up "well, they say it why can't we?" double standard question. I can cuss with the best of them, but if I am at the park watching elementary school children playing in sporting competitions, I would not use colorful language.
I see your point and agree with you about the N word and it's just not allowed in my home at all. People should just have the common sense to disrespect others in general but I still feel that no matter what we should all be able to say what we want. I think some get confused about it really. I could care less if someone called me a N or a nappy headed anything but if they touch me or my children with the intent to hurt us or kill us then that's when we have a problem. words are just words but respect should be given as well.
Kids of all ethnicities walk around singing the lyrics to their fav rap/hip hop songs or blaring their music. Old timers of all colors are often offended by what sounds like every other word being F or N. Expressing anger through song is nothing new, but many my age wonder why so many died just to give kids the freedom to show they can curse and sing about what they want ladies to do with their thongs.
He and McGuirk did cite the wrong movie (Do The Right Thing, not School Daze)saying "they look like" (with McGuirk saying "yeah, like 'hos" to which Imus said, "yeah, ..."). I do understand why it was so offensive coming from white men's mouths. But it is a double standard. Snoop Dogg can say "we" are not talking about basketball players, but speaking of the reality of girls in the hood. Would that mean if Imus and McGuirk were speaking of hood girls the language would have been acceptable? If Tom Joyner and Chris Rock, as an example had held the identical conversation would it have been seen as humor or racist slurs?
After about 8 months of listening I finally told my neighbor that I have kicked people out of my home for offending me by using that N word (after I asked them politely to respect me in my home and not use it) and his constant calling himself and others that, makes me real uncomfortable. I do understand it's usage amongst young blacks, but my lady friend and I are on the same page. Imus did not "call" the basketball players that, he was using language from a Spike Lee movie.
A lady friend and I were waiting upon a bus when some school kids approached us to buy some candy in support of their team. Chatting amongst themselves as she and I dug for our dollars, one used the N word. She slapped him upside his head and down the other verbally. He apologized. The double standard is that if I were to say the very same thing she said to him, I would be preceived as "bossy white lady". And there in lies the double standard.
lol dark skinned blacks need what??? I don't see how that matters but you go right ahead with that one. I was simply upset with the fact that it seems that the freedom to say what ever you want is slowly being taken away. I know it offends some if not most but we all have the freedom to not listen or look. As far as children go I strongly believe that's a matter for the parents but not the parents alone because it really does take a village if you know what I mean. But it starts with the parents. I'm not sure why you think dark skin and light skin has anything to do with anything because we are all the same flavor. Bottom line I don't want anyone telling me or any other artist what we can and can't say and I'm 100% in favor for the freedom to say what ever the hell is on my mind.
correction, 40 years ago they felt that way about jazz.