Can Hip-Hop Wash Out it's Own Mouth?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Prominent U.S. hip-hop executive
Russell Simmons on Monday recommended eliminating the words
"bitch," "ho" and the "N-word" from the recording industry. "These three words should be considered with the same objections to obscenity as 'extreme curse words'," he said in a statement. [well, what rock has he and all the rest of the "crew" been under for so long...?] oOo oOo

Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam and a driving force behind the hop's huge commercialism, called for voluntary restrictions on the words and setting up an industry watchdog oOo to recommend guidelines for lyrical and visual standards. [I guess we shall listen and see. . . ] oOo


"Our internal discussions with industry leaders are not about censorship. Our discussions are about the corporate social responsibility of the industry oOo
to voluntarily show respect to African Americans and other people of color, African American women and to all women in lyrics and images," the statement from Simmons and Chavis said on Monday. [Whoops, does this mean "taking away my porno, too"?] oOo oOo
. . .

Well OK: so far so good, but not far enuff. oOo

How 'bout some street respec' for All Americans...people of Non-color...Asian women...Christian believers, not mockers...and anyone who actually knows and uses the true English language in a coherent manner.

oOo And elevate the status of true poets and talented lyricists who actually have something worthwhile to say in their art. oOo


Why shouldn't we hold Everyone to higher standards of (verbal and visual) behavior? oOo


Check out this article from Rob Preston, of informationweek.com:

Our society's capacity to rationalize and defend bad behavior is infinitely scalable. Radio host Don Imus lobs racially tinged insults...and then the apologists tell us what a charitable guy he is.


[NBC, after firing him, then has the nerve to air excerpts of the madman VTech killer's video and spoken diatribe a couple days later. Then, still not seeing any harm done, NBC plays a tape of Alec Baldwin raging on against his own daughter, (clearly a violation of privacy). This they make into a sensationalised self-righteous bit about how foul his verbal treatment of her is. Whatever the verbal abuse, it seems to be OK if it serves somebody's agenda!] oOo

Dare I say it - Hypocrites, the lot of them!! oOo oOo oO

On the Web, forum and blog posts are the cyber-equivalent of road rage--laced with profanity,insults and indimidation. But when an industry figure, Tim O'Reilly, calls for civility in the form of a voluntary blogging code of conduct, you'd think...that he'd proposed marshal law, hit squads and tribunals.
. . .

Sorry, but basic civility isn't an affront to the legacies of Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King, Jr. Cleaning up the incessant "f" bombs and mindless, thoughtless name-calling and threats that pollute the blogosphere [and music] "silences" no one's point of view. oOo

In fact, adhereing to [higher standards of expression] elevates one's point of view. oOo oOo

Why does all this matter? Because decency matters.

People, the Internet and, I believe, the Universe itself, all have a Memory.

oOo Didn't your mother ever say something like

"Is that something you want to be remembered for?!" oOo oOo



Well. . .? oOo