Race, Celebrities and Double Standards
In my previous post, I mention about 2 white guys who hated 2pac because of "his attitude". Then I mentioned that those white guys liked heavy metal and punk rock, which promotes the same exact attitude as gangsta rap! After all, those 2 white guys didn't make insulting remarks about Axl Rose, Phil Anselmo, Marrolyn Manson, or that guy from Oasis, all of whom gotten into serious trouble with the law.
One of my friends, Stuart Hayashi, had the following to say about my previous post.
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I think there is this big double-standard that people have between black rappers and famous white actors.
Do you know who I think is a REAL bad influence on little boys? Russell Crowe!
Russell Crowe does not merely create artwork that is violent, orcreate art to show how violent his youth was. He, as a grown,middle-aged man, has behaved violently IN RECENT YEARS! The big lug threatened a TV director for cutting his long,self-indulgent poem-reading during his award speech.
Then he gets into a bar fight with his security guard and rips his ear.
Then Russell Crowe throws an entire telephone at a man.
So wouln't it be logical to conclude that Russell Crowe is a far worse role model for kids than any rapper who merely *RAPS* about violence but who lives peacefully as an adult? Russell Crowe is an OLD MAN who behaves violently in real life.
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Pablo: That's a good point. Most of the gangsta rappers of the 90's have already grown out of the gangsta lifestyle by now. You rarely hear about Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube or Ice T getting into trouble these days.
They might still rap about the gangsta life, but they're not living it anymore. They don't even live in the ghetto where they grew up.
Anyways, back to Stuart Hayashi's words
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What is the consequence of that? Do we hear Sean Hannity on Fox News Channel scolding him for being such a brazen thug? Not as much as we read in *Entertainment Weekly* about what a talented actor Russell Crowe is and about how "sexy" he is for being such a "badboy."
But God forbid that Bill O'Reilly might invite Russell Crowe onto this show to castigate him for the negative message he sends toAmerica's youth.
Russell Crowe, after all, won the Best Actor OSCAR. Perhaps O'Reilly did scold Russell Crowe on his show when the stories of those incidents broke out. Even if that is the case, we still don't see O'Reilly running the same long-term campaign against Crowe on his show -- for Crowe's actual acts of violence! -- that we see O'Reilly running against certain musicians whose art *portrays*violence.
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This reminds me of Bill O'Reilly's campaign against Ludacris because of his lyrics. But I rarely ever hear about Ludacris getting into trouble with the law.
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And what about Mark Wahlberg? He gets into fights. And he's made racist slurs about Koreans.
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This does remind me of a time when Ice Cube made the song "Black Korea" in which he accused Korean store-owners of mis-treating African-American customers and said he wanted to burn their stores. He also made fun of their language. That was back in 1991, the year before a riot occured in LA, when African-American looters burned down Korean-owned stores!
When Mark Wahlberg ( an Irish-American actor who was once a rapper named Marky Mark) was a teenager, he racially insulted and then violently assaulted a Vietnamese boy. He also commited a similar crime against an African American boy.
So both of those rapper/actors ought to be condemned. You shouldn't condemn one without condemning the other.
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Back in 1990, Johnny Depp trashed his hotel rooms. But instead of portraying him as an immature troublemaker, the press cheered that this showed how much of an amusing, eccentric ARTISTE he was.
When was the last time we heard somebody chastise Winona Ryder for being a thief?
And Tom Sizemore has reportedly beat up women. Charges were even filed against him for beating up Heidi Fleiss. And yet, with the exception of *People* magazine, I hardly see any publications condemn Sizemore for his REAL-LIFE abusive behavior.
While black rappers get a bad rap (no pun intended), supposedly grown-up white actors get a free pass when they violate people's rights in REAL LIFE.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
The Life and Death of 2pac
10 years ago today, the legendary rapper Tupac Shakur (aka 2pac) passed away. He died almost a week after being shot several times. Tupac was riding with Suge Knight (head of Death Row Records) around Las Vegas when he was shot.
1) I was a teenager when 2pac was alive and popular! I was in high school when he died! His music brings me back memories of those times! Those of my generation feel the same way. To my generation, 2pac is a legend, just like how Elvis was a legend for the teenagers of the 1950's,!
2) Some people thought Suge Knight was responsible for 2pac's death. That is ridiculous!
If you want someone dead, would you want to be right next to him when the bullets start flying?
Plus, Suge Knight was shot too, though he didn't recieve as many bullets as 2pac.
Some might think I'm just saying that because I'm afraid of Suge Knight. Obviously, I wouldn't want to mess with that guy!
But the main reason why I don't think Suge Knight was responsible for 2pac's death is because he was sitting next to 2pac when the bullets were flying, and Knight got hit by bullets too!
Plus, Suge Knight and 2pac seemed to good friends who always hang out together. So I don't think Knight would ever want 2pac dead.
3) I remember this one white guy I was talking to was saying "2pac was just another black dude with a bad attitude". And another told me that one porno book store employee (who was also white) was saying he was happy when 2pac died.
What a bunch of morons!
Those white guys embrace heavy metal and punk rock, with some of it's musicians getting to trouble with the law too! But they don't have a problem with white guys getting into trouble, it's only when black guys get into trouble, that they start hating!
What's with white guys liking heavy metal or punk rock, but hating on gangsta rap?
Heavy metal/punk rock and gangsta rap is almost the same thing! Yeah, I know, they use different beats, and the musicians tend to be of different races, and they dress differently! But those musical genres represent the same thing - hardcore attitude, being angry at the world, being from dysfunctional families and dysfunctional communities!
I see Fred Durst and 2pac as being very similar! They may be from different races and use different beats in their music, but people embrace them for similar reasons. Both made "angry at the world" songs, but they also made "party songs" as well. They also had some slow songs as well! They have a hardcore side to them, but they also have a mellow side as well!
Those are the reasons why I really embraced the music of Limp Bizkit (Fred Durst's band) and 2pac. And they're embraced by people of all different races, not just whites and blacks.
4) Those who hate on 2pac need to know these following songs
"Dear Mama"
"Keep Ya Head Up"
"I Aint Mad at Ya""Do for Love"
"Brenda's Got A Baby"
"Life Goes On""
To Live and Die in LA"
"So Many Tears"
These songs show a more mellow side of 2pac. Not all of 2pac's songs are "thuggish songs" or "party with the h-s" songs. I know there's more mellow 2pac songs, but I dont have time to list them all. The ones I listed were his more popular mellow songs.
5) Yes, I am defending 2pac, but that doesn't neccessarily mean I would agree with everything he does.
He did get into trouble with the law! However, most of those times, it seems that 2pac didn't even start the incidents, he just lost control of his anger!
Let's face it, a lot of us have lost control of our anger, even the more conservative and the more pacifist among us! We just got to figure out ways to deal with stuff that angers us without lashing out! I'm not perfect on this either, though I am learning ways to deal with idiots without lashing out!
6) Tupac was 25 when he died (1971-1996). I am 25 years old, ten years after his death. So I'm at the same stage of life 2pac was when he died!
We've been able to see his peers like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube mature over the last decade.
We all wonder how much 2pac would've matured if he still alive today. Too bad we never got the chance to see it!
10 years ago today, the legendary rapper Tupac Shakur (aka 2pac) passed away. He died almost a week after being shot several times. Tupac was riding with Suge Knight (head of Death Row Records) around Las Vegas when he was shot.
1) I was a teenager when 2pac was alive and popular! I was in high school when he died! His music brings me back memories of those times! Those of my generation feel the same way. To my generation, 2pac is a legend, just like how Elvis was a legend for the teenagers of the 1950's,!
2) Some people thought Suge Knight was responsible for 2pac's death. That is ridiculous!
If you want someone dead, would you want to be right next to him when the bullets start flying?
Plus, Suge Knight was shot too, though he didn't recieve as many bullets as 2pac.
Some might think I'm just saying that because I'm afraid of Suge Knight. Obviously, I wouldn't want to mess with that guy!
But the main reason why I don't think Suge Knight was responsible for 2pac's death is because he was sitting next to 2pac when the bullets were flying, and Knight got hit by bullets too!
Plus, Suge Knight and 2pac seemed to good friends who always hang out together. So I don't think Knight would ever want 2pac dead.
3) I remember this one white guy I was talking to was saying "2pac was just another black dude with a bad attitude". And another told me that one porno book store employee (who was also white) was saying he was happy when 2pac died.
What a bunch of morons!
Those white guys embrace heavy metal and punk rock, with some of it's musicians getting to trouble with the law too! But they don't have a problem with white guys getting into trouble, it's only when black guys get into trouble, that they start hating!
What's with white guys liking heavy metal or punk rock, but hating on gangsta rap?
Heavy metal/punk rock and gangsta rap is almost the same thing! Yeah, I know, they use different beats, and the musicians tend to be of different races, and they dress differently! But those musical genres represent the same thing - hardcore attitude, being angry at the world, being from dysfunctional families and dysfunctional communities!
I see Fred Durst and 2pac as being very similar! They may be from different races and use different beats in their music, but people embrace them for similar reasons. Both made "angry at the world" songs, but they also made "party songs" as well. They also had some slow songs as well! They have a hardcore side to them, but they also have a mellow side as well!
Those are the reasons why I really embraced the music of Limp Bizkit (Fred Durst's band) and 2pac. And they're embraced by people of all different races, not just whites and blacks.
4) Those who hate on 2pac need to know these following songs
"Dear Mama"
"Keep Ya Head Up"
"I Aint Mad at Ya""Do for Love"
"Brenda's Got A Baby"
"Life Goes On""
To Live and Die in LA"
"So Many Tears"
These songs show a more mellow side of 2pac. Not all of 2pac's songs are "thuggish songs" or "party with the h-s" songs. I know there's more mellow 2pac songs, but I dont have time to list them all. The ones I listed were his more popular mellow songs.
5) Yes, I am defending 2pac, but that doesn't neccessarily mean I would agree with everything he does.
He did get into trouble with the law! However, most of those times, it seems that 2pac didn't even start the incidents, he just lost control of his anger!
Let's face it, a lot of us have lost control of our anger, even the more conservative and the more pacifist among us! We just got to figure out ways to deal with stuff that angers us without lashing out! I'm not perfect on this either, though I am learning ways to deal with idiots without lashing out!
6) Tupac was 25 when he died (1971-1996). I am 25 years old, ten years after his death. So I'm at the same stage of life 2pac was when he died!
We've been able to see his peers like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube mature over the last decade.
We all wonder how much 2pac would've matured if he still alive today. Too bad we never got the chance to see it!
Monday, September 11, 2006
9/11 - 5 years later
Five years ago today, terrorists associated with Al Quaida hijacked 4 planes and flew them into the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and one crashed onto a field in Pennsylvania.
1) I remember in the few days after 9/11/01, people who were usually cynical had put their trust in government to protect.
I remember within the 2 year span before 9/11, my political ideology was shifting toward libertarianism, which didn't trust government much. I was turning in that direction because I wanted an alternative to the Democrats ( who usually wanted to ban guns, raise taxes, and over-regulate entrepreneurship, and promoted affirmative discrimination ) and the Republicans ( who usually wanted to ban abortion, adult entertainment, put non-violent weed smokers in the same prison space as violent thugs, and wanted to force Christianity on public school students ). I also remember being skeptical about both Democrats and Republicans who always wanted to send US troops to fight foreign battles.
Also, within that 2-year span before 9/11, there was a controversial 2000 election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. I voted Harry Browne for the reason mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Right after that election, there was a recount controversy. It was earlier declared Bush was the winner, but Al Gore refused to admit defeat. I was so tired of this controversy, I wrote an editorial on Ka Leo, saying that Al Gore should just move on. Because of that editorial, I was demonized and forever considered a "Bush lover" by Tobin Jones.
Anyways, after 9/11, I sided with Bush in sending troops to the Middle East to fight the terrorists! I was no longer against sending US troops to fight foreign battles.
2) Though most Democrat politicians (including left-wing liberals like Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi, Charles Rangel and Neil Abercombie) supported the US invasion of Afghanistan, some Radical Leftists objected, and blamed America for 9/11. I was irritated by those Radical Leftists, and I wrote several editorials on Ka Leo criticizing them. I was then known by Ka Leo readers as the "campus conservative" even though I was NEVER conservative on issues like abortion, sex ed and other related issues.
In the last few years, I was also irriated by Radical Right-wingers who used 9/11 as an excuse to hate on immigrants! Ironic, they still haven't demanded on a ban on NY residents from moving to Oklahoma, even Bufallo NY raised Timothy McVeigh blew up a federal building in Oklahoma.
3) As for the war on Iraq, Collin Powell was right -- the US should've used over-powering force when it first invaded Iraq! That way, we could've easily defeated the Iraqi insurgents before it gotten worse! Though I would've preffered to have Saddam Hussein assassinated instead of an invasion.
Hopefully, the new Iraqi government can handle it's own defense. The longer we're there, the more the Radical Muslims would use that as an excuse to promote anti-American hatred!
4) I remember the few days after 9/11, Bush was a popular President. He said all the right words, America wanted revenge, and people wanted to trust the government.
Now Bush isn't popular. This came after the war on Iraq (which some felt was a distraction on the war against Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan), as well as the mismanaged recovery after Hurricane Katrina. (which Bush made worse by hiring inexperienced people to head FEMA.) But some blame also ought to be placed on Democrat politicians running the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans.
People no longer trusted the government like they did right after 9/11/01. Even I went to back to being skeptical of the government like I was before 9/11/01.
5) As for my political views, I still don't support Democrats or Republicans, though I do think Libertarians are too impractical. Which is why I call myself a centrist!
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