ETHOS

…by someone who CLEARLY has no handle on it, I will vomit.

Quotes from a recent piece of crap journalism in The Economist , an otherwise reputable publication:

“Consider the hot album of the moment: “Tha Carter III” by Lil Wayne. Its central message is that if you are a rap star, you will get laid. The song “Lollipop”, for example, celebrates a young lady who treats Lil Wayne as she might a lollipop.

That’s actually not true…at all. If anything, the central message is: Weezy F Baby…best rapper alive. Or does it have one? Half of the verses on there have the signature Wayne stream of consciousness flow…REGARDLESS, it is obvious this writer has not thoroughly listened to TC3. I mean, he cites the album’s first single that has been pillaging radio airwaves for months to substantiate his claim– great job, buddy.

“The Roots, a group from Philadelphia, are often cited as an example. Their message? “If I can’t work to make it, I’ll rob and take it. Either that or me and my children are starving and naked.””

DIDN’T YOUR HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER EVER TELL YOU THAT IT IS NEVER OKAY TO TAKE A QUOTE OUT OF CONTEXT TO MISREPRESENT YOUR SUBJECT? Have you even listened to ONE of their EIGHT studio albums? If i had been reading the actual print magazine, I likely would have ripped up the page.

Do YOU know who this man is? Lexington at The Economist doesn’t.

“But crime and starvation are hardly the only options. Even without a high-school diploma, a black man can probably find a job if he looks. And some manual jobs, such as plumber or cable technician, pay quite well.”

OH MY $*&@^!#(@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have nothing more to say; this one speaks for itself.

“Mr McWhorter summarises the message of hip-hop as: “Things will keep sucking until there is a revolution where the white man finally understands and does a complete 180-degree turn.” This was true half a century ago in the segregated South. But today, it is nonsense.”

First of all, Mr. McWhorter is farther from an authority on hip-hop than my forehead is from the ground (I mean, what other woman do you know who was 5 foot 11 when she was fourteen years old? But I digress). Don’t read his new book. Actually, what do I know? The Wall Street Journal, a foremost arbiter of all things Black American and hip-hop, calls it “splendid!” However, I haven’t actually read it, so I probably cannot recommend against it…but his recent article in The Root was more than enough for me.

This guy/gal probably graduated from the McWhorter school of hip-hop writers, which champions the following: constructing arguments utterly lacking in nuance, taking quotes out of context, making (predictably shallow and oft inaccurate) blanket statements about its body politic, arguing against an entire THREE people who are convinced that hip-hop today can “save Black America.”

Second, I just wanted to say that there is no segregation today in the South, North, Midwest, or in my diverse, sprawling hometown, Los Angeles, where I can drive for miles on end through COMPLETELY monochromatic neighborhoods. Clearly, the ever-so-swift end to de jure discrimination was a panacea for racial ills, particularly segregation.

Finally, really? It’s nonsense today? Let’s not go too far…I mean, true, “the white man” is not the only one to blame. And maybe you’re right, not 180 degrees…perhaps just…127. But it’s still kind of a far way to go, if you ask me.

“Civil-rights activists in the 1960s were inspired by protest songs, but the songs did not drive the movement. Political change requires hard and often tedious work…”

My high school English teachers always taught me to end my essays on the strongest note possible– so I’ll do that here. Above is the sole good point he made in the article.

Folks at The Economist are better off sticking to their trade. They usually churn out excellent pieces, but really dropped the ball on this one. For the same reason this should never have made it past all those editors and to press, you will never see me writing about textile prices in Bangladesh or the secret to preparing a tasty goulash (actually, I think it has to do with paprika).

And off I go.