Thought-Provoking Article by John McWhorter
I just came across an older writing from the summer 2003 by John McWhorter titled "How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back."
Since early hip-hop served as a large portion of the soundtrack to my early years, it's disheartening to see it descend into the vulgarity and base ignorance that defines too much of hip-hop music and culture today. Maybe it was always there and I just didn't want to see it...but I doubt it. An excerpt and link follows.
Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back
John H. McWhorter
Not long ago, I was having lunch in a KFC in Harlem, sitting near eight African-American boys, aged about 14. Since 1) it was 1:30 on a school day, 2) they were carrying book bags, and 3) they seemed to be in no hurry, I assumed they were skipping school. They were extremely loud and unruly, tossing food at one another and leaving it on the floor.
Black people ran the restaurant and made up the bulk of the customers, but it was hard to see much healthy “black community” here. After repeatedly warning the boys to stop throwing food and keep quiet, the manager finally told them to leave. The kids ignored her. Only after she called a male security guard did they start slowly making their way out, tauntingly circling the restaurant before ambling off. These teens clearly weren’t monsters, but they seemed to consider themselves exempt from public norms of behavior-as if they had begun to check out of mainstream society.
http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_3_how_hip_hop.html
Since early hip-hop served as a large portion of the soundtrack to my early years, it's disheartening to see it descend into the vulgarity and base ignorance that defines too much of hip-hop music and culture today. Maybe it was always there and I just didn't want to see it...but I doubt it. An excerpt and link follows.
Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back
John H. McWhorter
Not long ago, I was having lunch in a KFC in Harlem, sitting near eight African-American boys, aged about 14. Since 1) it was 1:30 on a school day, 2) they were carrying book bags, and 3) they seemed to be in no hurry, I assumed they were skipping school. They were extremely loud and unruly, tossing food at one another and leaving it on the floor.
Black people ran the restaurant and made up the bulk of the customers, but it was hard to see much healthy “black community” here. After repeatedly warning the boys to stop throwing food and keep quiet, the manager finally told them to leave. The kids ignored her. Only after she called a male security guard did they start slowly making their way out, tauntingly circling the restaurant before ambling off. These teens clearly weren’t monsters, but they seemed to consider themselves exempt from public norms of behavior-as if they had begun to check out of mainstream society.
http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_3_how_hip_hop.html