blood diamonds
VH1 made a documentary called Blood Diamonds where they took rappers to Sierra Leone so that they could understand the diamond crisis in Africa.
I was watching it and I thought, good, now they'll see the wrongness of their ways. Now they'll stop.
Then it hit me.
VH1 is blaming poor people for imitating the wealthy. Paul Wall makes diamond grills. What about Ronald Winston? He's the current CEO of Harry Winston Jewelry, the jewelers that rent out rocks for the Oscars. Was he unavailable? What about Karl Lagerfeld and Donnatella Versace? They put Paul Wall on the spot like he's the only jeweler on earth.
And Raekwon has a few chains? Why didn't they send Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton with him?
Because they don't represent the poor trash.
You can't air shows like "The Fabulous Life of..." (a series examining the spending habits of celebrities and the very rich, to the dollar) and then turn around and send Raekwon and Paul Wall to Sierra Leone like the corrupt diamond industry is their fault.
I'm not suggesting that the bling obsession in rap music is not a problem, but even if every rapper, every video girl, every stereotypical "urban" (eg black and/or white trash) consumer boycotted the diamond industry, it would continue to thrive. Why? Because they make up a tiny portion of their customers. Materialism is something that has permeated every inch of American culture. Blame everyone.
I was watching it and I thought, good, now they'll see the wrongness of their ways. Now they'll stop.
Then it hit me.
VH1 is blaming poor people for imitating the wealthy. Paul Wall makes diamond grills. What about Ronald Winston? He's the current CEO of Harry Winston Jewelry, the jewelers that rent out rocks for the Oscars. Was he unavailable? What about Karl Lagerfeld and Donnatella Versace? They put Paul Wall on the spot like he's the only jeweler on earth.
And Raekwon has a few chains? Why didn't they send Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton with him?
Because they don't represent the poor trash.
You can't air shows like "The Fabulous Life of..." (a series examining the spending habits of celebrities and the very rich, to the dollar) and then turn around and send Raekwon and Paul Wall to Sierra Leone like the corrupt diamond industry is their fault.
I'm not suggesting that the bling obsession in rap music is not a problem, but even if every rapper, every video girl, every stereotypical "urban" (eg black and/or white trash) consumer boycotted the diamond industry, it would continue to thrive. Why? Because they make up a tiny portion of their customers. Materialism is something that has permeated every inch of American culture. Blame everyone.