wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Charles Bunstine is right. Though I'm not fan of Don Imus or today's rap music, it's troubling that saying a denegrating word or phrase, whether to make a reasonable point or not, has become taboo. Ergo, thought regulation has become "cool"

But thought regulation, let alone censorship, is a social disease, just like racism and bigotry. Once that disease spreads, no one is immune, no one will be able to write an eulogy for humanity and good intentions be damned in the end. To be afraid of a word is to be afraid of one's soul, let alone shadow. These are times where social cowardice is a moral value. It shouldn't be. More free speech is needed.

I appreciate that Mr.Dyson addresses the fact that so many popular hip-hop artists have love for their mamas but not their baby mamas. That is a very important thing to address: the way women are talked about and treated in such a powerful, cultural force.
It just disgusts me that it got to this point, and it wasn't something that was openly discussed until Imus's comments.
If people talked about any other group the way women are talked about on a daily basis, they would be attacked right away. But women are still continually degraded, violated, and disrespected in a casual and accepted manner.

In a country of free speach, I find it amazing that words used have become so damning as opposed to words used, their context, and most importantly, their intent.

Is language used in Hip Hop used with the intent to degrade? Do the words used retain their rigid definition and harsh connotation in this casual use? When the language becomes familiar, does it lose its fixed definition or does it evolve to a definition defined by current use?

It seems we live in a world where we allow a specific word spoken by someone else about us to characterize us, or at minimum, to create a postion we must defend. While everyone can speak freely, can't we use our own words to define ourselves and accept others about us as either considered and informed or careless and uninformed?

Brian,

Shout out for Talib Kweli, real NYC Hip-Hop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iiu3eViGvi8

Greg

Giants have declared Poetry, novels, Jazz, Classical Music, Visual Art and Hip Hop to be dead. THis is all just defeatist nonsense or possibly just quotes from bitter greats past their prime or critics looking to cause a stir. Commercialism poses a challenge to us all,but the new generation must meet these challenges despite this discouragement from our heroes.

haha, sorry, but Hip Hop is Dead is not one of the best albums of recent years as your guest commented.

it is interesting that this guest brings up how racist comments actually "injure black womens hearts," but he doesn't comment on how black women are portrayed constantly in "hip-hop"

don imus's comments were ridiculous and inappropriate, however i think the way black women are portrayed in hip hop is just as damaging.

How is the commercialization of Hip-hop any different than what occurs with any art-form or musical expression that becomes popular?

Dr. Dyson's claim that the gentleman who insulted the Rutgers women as "ugly" exhibits a counterproductive double standard by placing "who" said something offensive before the offensive language itself.

Does he really propose to give people of color a special pass for the phenomenally offensive and degrading language used in much of rap music simply because they are black?

Yes hip-hop is dead, or at least gone republican. Most artist want to be heard but hip-hop artist now have watered their music down in-order to generate ring-tone revenue.