'you are what you own' - how rap just reinforces the status quo

[rockypoppy2]

oh and the majority of crimes being committed here (gangs) isnt "high" crime - its not stealing diamonds, robbing banks, defrauding pension funds... its shotting weed/crack/coke/brown on the corner + street muggings + fights for most, for those higher up it may be dealing out of a flat - running a crack house, and slightly higher still it might be dealing wholesale. the people really raking it in from drugs are few and far between. the reluctant gangsters report puts the average wage of a shotter at max 25000pounds a year assuming 300-500 pounds per week income, untaxed (obviously). put that way its a little less convincing to say that people get into the drug game to emulate hip hop tv videos, most probably get into it for only a decent wage.

 

[nomadologist]

I don't understand... Doctors have been prescribing downers as a cure for housewife boredom for decades.

You used to be able to buy morphine over the counter for about 10 cents per half ounce. Pure morphine. The west used to be full of lifelong opiate addicts and no one saw anything wrong with it.

Then they criminalized it and everything went to hell.

 

[nomadologist]

Well, naturally. But it's still important to realise that "gangsterism" and high crime within certain sectionis of society isn't a comment on deprivation or poverty, but a reflection of a culture that normalises and justifies these behaviours. And, yes, it's our culture too.

From what I can tell, "gansterism" in the UK is nothing but a ludicrous, staged, mimed-from-MTV-watching shadow of the grim reality that was LA in the 1990s.

 

[nomadologist]

just what I wanted to type. this is why rap is good in many ways because it acts (or has always acted) as a mirror of society however distorted. you may not like the reflection but you can't blame the mirror for that

Tactics, it nevers ceases to amaze me how many people utterly miss this in hip-hop.

 

[Mr. Tea]

From what I can tell, "gansterism" in the UK is nothing but a ludicrous, staged, mimed-from-MTV-watching shadow of the grim reality that was LA in the 1990s.

"Our thugs are much better than your thugs" - Christ, you just can't resist, can you?

 

[nomadologist]

That's not my point. My point is that it seems hilarious to read these articles in the BBC where people are seriously frightened by the predominance of hoodies and white suburban kids throwing gang signs. Here, hoodies are the least of anyone's problems, and around the time "gansta rap" was at its height, in the early 1990s in LA, there were very serious problems with race riots and gangs.

Rodney King, anyone?

 

[IdleRich]

"From what I can tell, "gansterism" in the UK is nothing but a ludicrous, staged, mimed-from-MTV-watching shadow of the grim reality that was LA in the 1990s."

Maybe so, but the people who've mimed being killed have done it pretty convincingly.
Anyway what are you wasting your time in this thread for Nomad? People have said stuff in the abortion thread that are surely perfect for you to miss the point and come out with your trademark badly argued and emotive posts.

 

[nomadologist]

Christ, you just can't resist missing the point that for some countries, urban gang culture is a serious problem and threat to the social good, can you?

 

[nomadologist]

Maybe so, but the people who've mimed being killed have done it pretty convincingly.
Anyway what are you wasting your time in this thread for Nomad? People have said stuff in the abortion thread that are surely perfect for you to miss the point and come out with your trademark badly argued and emotive posts.

Yes, my posts are just terrible. Yours, on the other hand, are brilliant.

 

[nomadologist]

Maybe so, but the people who've mimed being killed have done it pretty convincingly.
Anyway what are you wasting your time in this thread for Nomad? People have said stuff in the abortion thread that are surely perfect for you to miss the point and come out with your trademark badly argued and emotive posts.

If there are seriously killings going on, then that's bad. I haven't really read about any. There are dozens and dozens a day in the U.S. tho.

 

[nomadologist]

I love how people think that if you disagree adamantly with someone, it's because you "missed the point" of what they said. That there is brilliant in and of itself.

 

[nomadologist]

And the day I have an "emotion" about anything I've typed hastily on a message board while at work will be a cold day in hell.

 

[nomadologist]

Oh wait, is IdleRich holding a grudge against me because he was one of those "poor people are poor because they choose not to get rich" people in that one thread weeks ago?

 

[Mr. Tea]

Christ, you just can't resist missing the point that for some countries, urban gang culture is a serious problem and threat to the social good, can you?

Whereas people in Britain just love getting stabbed and shot. I'm sure the parents of the eleven-year-old killed by a gunshot to the neck this week are besides themselves with mirth...

For fuck's sake, please grow out of this "I/my city/my country have/has infinitely worse problems than anyone else" schtick.

 

[IdleRich]

"Oh wait, is IdleRich holding a grudge against me because he was one of those "poor people are poor because they choose not to get rich" people in that one thread weeks ago?"

Not really, I was arguing the same point as you in fact....but you seem to have missed it.

 

[vimothy]

From what I can tell, "gansterism" in the UK is nothing but a ludicrous, staged, mimed-from-MTV-watching shadow of the grim reality that was LA in the 1990s.

...unless you get actually shot or stabbed, then it probably seems slightly less ludicrous.

 

[nomadologist]

An 11-year-old getting shot is awful. But do you know how many times that has happened here? I find this thread interesting only because this is a cultural problem that's been around for decades here, and I find it strange that hip-hop gets blamed so often.

Do you really think that in the UK, hip-hop is *causing* this violence? Do you really think that 11-year-olds getting killed/killing is simply a matter of pop culture gaining influence?

The jury's still out on that in the U.S. In my opinion, it's not that simple, and I think you were right when you pointed out that most kids have no parental guidance in general anymore.

 

[nomadologist]

Not really, I was arguing the same point as you in fact....but you seem to have missed it.

I was just guessing why you may have wanted to attack a person personally for no reason. I honestly couldn't care less about who said what, let alone be bothered to remember what you'd said then.

 

[Mr. Tea]

And the day I have an "emotion" about anything I've typed hastily on a message board while at work will be a cold day in hell.

Ahahahahaha!!!!

Ahahaha!!

Hahahaha!

hahaha.

 

[rockypoppy2]

That's not my point. My point is that it seems hilarious to read these articles in the BBC where people are seriously frightened by the predominance of hoodies and white suburban kids throwing gang signs. Here, hoodies are the least of anyone's problems, and around the time "gansta rap" was at its height, in the early 1990s in LA, there were very serious problems with race riots and gangs.

Rodney King, anyone?

nomadologist, the problem is in relative infancy in britain thanks to our much stricter gun laws, fairly well integrated (dare i say less racist) society, and that poverty in britain isnt a patch on what poverty can mean over in america. however that doesnt mean it should be trivialised for the precise reasons of the horrors of LA you talk of. nobody wants a descent into that - so thats why its worth talkign about it, seeing what we can do - to see if we can prevent having more race riots (brixton/bradford) and not getting hysterical over hoodies, no sensible people are doing this.