American Youth & Identity Crisis

[enzfan]

This reminds me of the Chappelle episode with Clayton Bigsby the blind black white supremacist. On the way to speak at the brotherhood meeting they pull up next to a convertible full of white kids dressed as you mentioned with the rap music blarring. Clayton hangs out the window and tells them "turn that music down niggers". After Clayton leaves the light the kid driving turns to the others and says "did you hear what he said to us?", "he called us niggers, cool" they proceed to high five each other.

[phillyidol]

There is a far more scary side to this. Dressing and talking like rappers is one thing. But acting like them is another. Like it or not, rappers are major male role models for alot of people in our country. What do they show kids? Money is the most importand thing in the world. Women are bitches and whores. Bust a cap and get respect. They actually teach these things. That is why so many younger people have no problem hurting, robbing, or killing others. This is what they are taught. Not to sound corny but they need positive male role models.
As far as Brooklyn? I get passed by huge Lincoln Navigators all the time with blasting rap music. Turn around and who is driving? Whity white bread. With the clothes chains and attitude.

[coop41]

[quote][i]Originally posted by phillyidol[/i]
<br>As far as Brooklyn? I get passed by huge Lincoln Navigators all the time with blasting rap music. Turn around and who is driving? Whity white bread. With the clothes chains and attitude.
[/quote]

I have never driven by your house!!![;)][:D]

I am "whitey white bread" and do have a Navigator but I'm blasting some new Emo music and I am naked[:0]!!!!
[;)][:D][:D]



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[phillyidol]

LOL!

[stella]

Kids do stuff to stand out, They go to extreams Hippy's, punks rappers, jets whatever. Some people never move on but most do. They are kids. Hate your kids hate yourself.

[SwampThing]

[quote]Like it or not, rappers are major male role models for alot of people in our country. What do they show kids? Money is the most importand thing in the world. Women are bitches and whores. Bust a cap and get respect. They actually teach these things.[/quote] Replace the word "rappers" with "mobsters" and replace the year 2007 with yesteryear and nothings changed other than the ability to market the image to a wider audience. And the mobsters were *gasp* white!!!!

<font size="1">"I've been playing the joker and dumbass for too long here, out of pity for the intellectually challenged that frequent this site" -- Hutter</font>

[ben_at_work]

What is the deal with the Youth in Asia?

[plagiarism]

They're humanely killing each other in droves. I blame their Goth lifestyle. [:o)]

[MARV]

[quote][i]Originally posted by stella[/i]
<br>Kids do stuff to stand out, They go to extreams Hippy's, punks rappers, jets whatever. Some people never move on but most do. They are kids. Hate your kids hate yourself.
[/quote]

I find this to be an over simplified point of view. While it is true that many youths behave in ways that may stand out to many adults, I would'nt blanketly say that there is'nt a method to any of their "madness". As a teenager, I certainly borrowed looks from some of my idols but I admired them for what I thought were pretty positive messages. Questioning government, seeing the warped values in greed or politics, respecting all peoples, having sensitivity to the environment and a general sense of poetic beauty when addressing matters of the heart...to name a few. (Out of sheer happenstance, my parents were cleaning out their attic the other day and just dropped off some of my notebooks from high school. I chuckled to myself at all the blurbs I doodled about the whales, the forests, racism, whatever [:D] ) But anyway, I did'nt emulate these artists "just to stand out". I truly believed in the messages I got from some of the music or that went along with the artist as spokesperson. When I see a young person (or anybody, for that matter) who stands out, I don't automatically assume they're doing it just to "stand out" but that they may have some personal cause or interest that they stand behind. And I totally respect that. But it is this sense of purpose that I find devoid in gangster/thug cultural icons. Maybe I don't get it, maybe it's over my head...maye I'm too old...maybe because I'm not black...who knows. I am open to the fact that I may be missing something though. But honestly, I don't see what message they could be adressing to white kids who come from money. Or could it be a rebellious reaction for these kids to being rich and white? Does the desire to be different override common sense? I dunno...the more I think about it, the more I am at a loss for words. But I would'nt say that hating my kids is hating myself.

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">I dig whales.</a>

[Bitter Almonds]

Marv, I think that's what a lot of teens think they're doing nowadays too in regards to their choice of music and clothing.

[MARV]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SwampThing[/i]
<br>Jamie Kennedy's movie "Malibu's Most Wanted" isn't that far of the mark.....

Edit: The media and fashion industry take part of the blame. Hip-hop/Ganster would have remained an undeground "scene" if corporations never latched on and created a mass marketing campaign aimed at todays youth. Marv, your part of the fashion industry, they did it with grunge in the early 90's and they've been doing it with hip-hop for the good part of 10 years now. What's your take on it?[/quote]

I'd like to see that movie actually, Swampy. It sounds good.

I don't know if I would blame the media and fashion industries - certainly not wholly or entirely - for the spread of thug culture into white suburbia. When it comes to business, there really is no guide book for any of them to follow, dictating what they can market to who so it's kind of hard to say that they're "wrong". It's really a kind of catch twenty two. Companies like Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, etc. really did'nt set out to make inner city product. It's the inner city kids that sought to emulate the lifestyles of yuppies or athletes that made them pick up on these companies. The apparel companies in turn began to develop (some) product to satisfy this market. Supply met demand, so to speak. Just as as aside...these fashion lines get really diverse, often times creating offshoot brands and being licensed out to other companies to develop. For example, Polo Jeans Co. has a much more urban feel and is not under the same roof as Ralph Lauren proper, which has a far more sophisticated look and pricepoint. Companies do this in order to not dilute their brand or lose their customer base. Let's face it, the attorney who wears his $400 Ralph Lauren cashmere sweater while golfing does not want to be associated with the kid on the six o'clock who got busted for selling crack. He's wearing the sweatshirt with the huge logo embroidered onto it. DKNY is not the same as Donna Karan New York. Then you have Donna Karan Collection which is even more expensive. Kind of like Ralph Lauren Purple Label.

Anyway, getting back to what I was saying about supply meeting demand. In addition to all your WASPy holdouts like Nautica or Tommy Hilfiger creating segue lines for the inner city kids, we started seeing brands like FUBU or Mecca catering [i]only[/i] to this market. So there certainly are companies that raise the profile of "the life". By contrast though, there are many companies that don't even address them at all. Brands like Diesel, Replay, True Religion, Rogan, G-Star or Seven. The fashion industry is very vast and I have difficulty making such broad statements, especially being a part of it. What I'm saying is that you're part right in that regard.

All that said though, there are so many other choices out there for youth to latch onto. I know that these companies in part propogate the lifestyle by selling product and in the case of the media, delivering news to the masses. This really gets into a very gray area, who to blame. What about the responsibilties of parents? Personally, I think we owe it to our kids to help them make good choices and that includes how they look. Our appearance is a direct reflection of what we think of ourselves and by short extension, what others think of us. Steering them away from making negative stereotypical choices begins with thought processes that start at birth if you ask me. A parent is a child's first teacher and role model and while they're young, kids are paying more attention than most people realize. Be aware of what you say and do around them to the point of paranoia, lol! But therein lies some of the issue I think. Alot of parents just don't have the skill to recognize their own negative behaviors that could be duplicated. Or they don't realize that they have the power to control what their kids are exposed to in the media. Am I sounding preachy enough yet? [;)][:D] Education plays a major role also. But in the case of these rich white homeboys at my gym...there's just no excuse - [b][i]I[/i][/b] don't think. That's just me.

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">I dig whales.</a>

[MARV]

[quote][i]Originally posted by XXX[/i]
<br>Marv, I think that's what a lot of teens think they're doing nowadays too in regards to their choice of music and clothing.[/quote]

I just fail to see the positive message in thug life. What's the "thing" that they latch onto? What's it about? What do they stand for? You're scaring me dude! I really feel like I'm old and just don't "get it" anymore [:(][;)]

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">I dig whales.</a>

[plagiarism]

Marv,

Imagine you are your current age, but the year is somewhere between 1980 and 1985. On the music scene, there's all these [b][i]punks[/i][/b] who are encouraging anarchy and open rebellion to the democratically and legitimately-elected Reagan and Thatcher governments. There's all these gender-bending freaks like Boy George and Pete Burns being completely repulsive, while Madonna struts around proclaiming she's like a virgin. Goths are also starting to show up, looking like Death with black mascara. Where's the positivity in any of this?

I don't see any positives in today's rap culture, nor the grunge scene a decade ago. But it seems to be the duty of each generation to find something negative to glom on to. No, I take that back. It seems to be the duty of the music industry to push something more negative to the current generation than the previous. Most kids just eat it up with little or no exploration outside the popular artists or the canon in established genres. There's not much incentive to do so, since most teens have an innate need to fit in somewhere, even if it's the lowest rung socially.

[Bitter Almonds]

[quote][i]Originally posted by marvymarv[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by XXX[/i]
<br>Marv, I think that's what a lot of teens think they're doing nowadays too in regards to their choice of music and clothing.[/quote]

I just fail to see the positive message in thug life. What's the "thing" that they latch onto? What's it about? What do they stand for? You're scaring me dude! I really feel like I'm old and just don't "get it" anymore [:(][;)]

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">I dig whales.</a>
[/quote]

Well, that Rap and Hip Hop stuff with the white affluent kids... I have no idea what that is about. There's definitely something amiss there, but with inner-city folk, it's kind of a lingo they understand. That musak speaks to them more than stuff by, say, Jewel or The Cranberries. I mean, I don't expect you to like Spanish Folk music or J-Pop right off the bat, but I like the way some of it sounds, and the lyrics translate to some really cool figurative language, which I sometimes find lacking in Germanic languages. I remember when I used to live in the hood as a kid (the real hood - in Bell Gardens, CA) and Rap really gave the urban, violent setting a sound. It fits. I could easily listen to NWA while cruising down Firestone blvd. or driving down the LA river. It's not a positive message, but music and art is not all about positive messages. Sometimes, you just hone in on what you know. If I were in rural Kansas, out in a cornfield, I bet it would be nice to hear some Tobey Keith[8D] That sort of thing, you know?

[MARV]

That's it! I knew it! Marie, you were right.....I became my parents [:p] I got old [:D][:D][:D]

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">I dig whales.</a>