Congress Wastes Opportunity to Discuss Serious Issues
Taking another time-out from the serious issues of the day, Congress held a hearing to complain about music lyrics that "exploit violence and sexism for profit." As if television doesn’t. Here’s a voice of sanity:
At least one performer at the hearing told lawmakers that rap music had been unfairly singled out as a scapegoat for deeper social problems. "Gang violence was here before rap music," said David Banner, a rapper who records for Universal Music and whose real name is Levell Crump. "I can admit that there are some problems in hip-hop, but it is only a reflection of what is taking place in our society. Hip-hop is sick because America is sick."If Congress wants to be taken seriously, it should focus on the underlying societal problems of racism and sexism and inequality and poverty, not on the reflection of those problems in rap or hip-hop.
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