See no, hear no, say no
I can't say that I'm at all surprised that Don Imus got pulled because of his "nappy-headed hos" comment. After all, he's had it coming for years. I personally don't agree with his firing. He's just another idiot with stupid opinions; the world is full of them. Don't like what he has to say? Don't listen to his show.
However...
His termination is already starting to open the floodgates. In a move that no doubt has the foundering PMRC licking their fang-filled chops, many "community leaders" (yes, Sharpton and the usual suspects) are turning their focus on rap music. While there have been rumblings about this for quite some time, it seems that the Imus controversy has given this movement an ideal focal point. What better pitch than "See, we're not just picking on the White Guy. We need to clean up our own backyard"?
Guess what? You don't.
Again. Don't like what rap has to say? Don't listen to rap. This is first amendment shit, kids. It was bad enough that we let Tipper and Friends mar our CD covers with little white stickers (although, in retrospect, this may have been a good thing; turns out this tends to increase sales of a CD, not reduce them). I'm just afraid that this is going to lead to more outright censorship.
Are the members of the Rutgers women's basketball team really nappy-headed hos? No. Do they see themselves as nappy-headed hos? I doubt it. Are women bitches because Snoop Dogg says so? No. Do women feel like bitches when they listen to Nellie? Not any that are worth mentioning. Feel degraded? Get some self confidence, dearie. Then again, I'm a white male, so what the fuck do I know? I do know that when Ice Cube calls me a racist idiot, I really don't care. Know why? Because I know I'm not a racist idiot.
Get the idea?
It isn't anyone's job to "protect" people from ideas. Don't like what someone has to say? Ignore them. If it REALLY bugs you, discuss it. Suppression only empowers something. Prohibition didn't work, did it? The more you make something "forbidden", the more it appeals to those who are easily swayed (i.e. the stupid people; i.e. most people). Moreover, it hardens the resolve of those whose message you’re suppressing. "We can't give into the Man" becomes the call of folks who might have just been casual supports of something. Suddenly they will do more than their level best to see that censorship won't succeed.
In short, when we tell people what they can and can't say, we stifle debate. How can we explain to people why their opinion is wrong (in our opinion...) when we can't hear their opinion in the first place? You call me cracker; you call me a faggot. Guess what? I don't care, but you can certainly try and explain to me why you think that way.
And when was the last time you actually paid attention to this?
PMRC top five easy listening hits:
Disciples Of Annihilation - New York City Speedcore
(I'll show you hard)
Edgey - Structures In Rust
(hammer the nail)
Godflesh - Songs Of Love And Hate
(render you asunder)
Godflesh - Love And Hate In Dub
(I an' I render dem asunder)
Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The Cole Porter Song Book
(nope, can't listen to this one either; songs may contain sexual innuendos)
However...
His termination is already starting to open the floodgates. In a move that no doubt has the foundering PMRC licking their fang-filled chops, many "community leaders" (yes, Sharpton and the usual suspects) are turning their focus on rap music. While there have been rumblings about this for quite some time, it seems that the Imus controversy has given this movement an ideal focal point. What better pitch than "See, we're not just picking on the White Guy. We need to clean up our own backyard"?
Guess what? You don't.
Again. Don't like what rap has to say? Don't listen to rap. This is first amendment shit, kids. It was bad enough that we let Tipper and Friends mar our CD covers with little white stickers (although, in retrospect, this may have been a good thing; turns out this tends to increase sales of a CD, not reduce them). I'm just afraid that this is going to lead to more outright censorship.
Are the members of the Rutgers women's basketball team really nappy-headed hos? No. Do they see themselves as nappy-headed hos? I doubt it. Are women bitches because Snoop Dogg says so? No. Do women feel like bitches when they listen to Nellie? Not any that are worth mentioning. Feel degraded? Get some self confidence, dearie. Then again, I'm a white male, so what the fuck do I know? I do know that when Ice Cube calls me a racist idiot, I really don't care. Know why? Because I know I'm not a racist idiot.
Get the idea?
It isn't anyone's job to "protect" people from ideas. Don't like what someone has to say? Ignore them. If it REALLY bugs you, discuss it. Suppression only empowers something. Prohibition didn't work, did it? The more you make something "forbidden", the more it appeals to those who are easily swayed (i.e. the stupid people; i.e. most people). Moreover, it hardens the resolve of those whose message you’re suppressing. "We can't give into the Man" becomes the call of folks who might have just been casual supports of something. Suddenly they will do more than their level best to see that censorship won't succeed.
In short, when we tell people what they can and can't say, we stifle debate. How can we explain to people why their opinion is wrong (in our opinion...) when we can't hear their opinion in the first place? You call me cracker; you call me a faggot. Guess what? I don't care, but you can certainly try and explain to me why you think that way.
And when was the last time you actually paid attention to this?
PMRC top five easy listening hits:
Disciples Of Annihilation - New York City Speedcore
(I'll show you hard)
Edgey - Structures In Rust
(hammer the nail)
Godflesh - Songs Of Love And Hate
(render you asunder)
Godflesh - Love And Hate In Dub
(I an' I render dem asunder)
Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The Cole Porter Song Book
(nope, can't listen to this one either; songs may contain sexual innuendos)
posted by Ben at 10:42 AM
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