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70% Of Americans Blame Hip Hop For Society’s Problems Instead Of The Real Causes |
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America has a long history of scapegoating art to avoid dealing with deep societal issues.
When conservative America was concerned about the wild behavior its sons and daughters developed in the face of the uncertainties of the Great Depression and the aftermath of World War II, jazz and rock music were blamed for “corrupting” America’s youth. Every school shooting brings with it the ridiculous question of whether the senseless violence was caused not by depression and isolation, but by video games or heavy metal music. Hip hop music, in particular gangster rap popularized by Biggie Smalls and Tupac and carried on by Eminem and Jay-Z, has been blamed for every problem in urban society, from drug use to womanizing.
Unwilling or unable to deal with the real issues at hand, the public often blames art for their failings. From Yahoo News:
More than seven-in-ten among the U.S. public, including large majorities of both blacks and whites, offer a negative assessment of rap music, with 71% of blacks and 74% of whites agreeing that rap’s societal impact is bad.
That’s an amazing statistic. Not only do they not like hip hop, but over two thirds of blacks and whites actually think it causes harm.
The original statistic comes from Pew Research. Diving into their methodology, the wording on the questionaire [pdf - page 85] clearly implies causation:
In general, is HIP HOP music having a good influence, a bad influence, or not much influence at all on society today?
Anyone who responded that hip hop indeed had a bad influence on society is failing to deal with the deeper issues in play. Come on, folks. The notion that a genre of music can negatively influence society is about as ridiculous as saying video games cause school shootings.
Art does not exist in a vacuum. Hip hop originated as a response to societal pressures; it did not cause those pressures by its appearance:
As the interests in rap music grew, so did its message. The collective message of rap told candid stories of the urban streets–stories of drugs, violence, and crime. No matter how hedonistic the message, urban youth found a platform to outwardly express their rage towards the system. To them, the police embodied the system; they were indeed a reflection of America’s attitude towards them. Hence, vicious verbal attacks on police behavior reflected urban youths’ most intimate conceptualization of the system.
Hip hop was a reaction, not a cause, just as all art is a reaction, not a cause. As Pablo Picasso said, “[Art] is just another way of keeping a diary.”
Of course, art is more than a simple record of what happened, and hip hop is more than just a history of street culture. It is an interpretive form, one that reveals even as it distorts. Picasso again:
We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies.
Everyone knows the exploits MCs rap about aren’t real; 50 Cent didn’t really kill all those people. They may be based in reality, but ultimately they are one person’s interpretation of the world around them.
Art cannot exist in a vacuum, and blaming hip hop for negatively affecting society misses the point. Negative elements were present in society long before hip hop was created. If hip hop was banned today, violence against women would still exist. If we crusade against hip hop instead of addressing the root causes of sexism, racism, and inequality, we are destined to be as successful in eliminating these problems as we are in eliminating drugs from the populace by trying to cut off the supply.
Scapegoating art in any form is a weak argument. Video games don’t cause school shootings, rock and roll doesn’t corrupt youth, and hip hop doesn’t cause “negative societal impact.” The problems these art forms are blamed for were preexisting conditions.
Art is a reaction and synthesis of the community from which is originated, not the other way around.
Hip Hop is responsible for our problems. Not our education system or the lack of adult role models in our communities. These people are right on, just like they were about Judas Priest being responsible for all those teen suicides. The music is to blame, not us. If people had an internal locus of control instead of blaming everything but themselves (anything to deflect blame and responsibility for the causes of these problems from themselves) this country and world would be in a much better place. Until then, lets blame a form of entertainment, and one genre of music, for our problems. Seems legit.
Oh My God Joey! I refuse to believe that you seriously think this way. You can not blame Hip Hop for the standing of America. That’s such a cheap shot.I actually found this article on wwww.globalgrind.com a website partnered by one of Hip Hop’s pioneers Russell Simmons. Hip Hop has contributed to this society in uplifting ways. There have been few criminals that admit to a crime because they listen to Hip Hop. I have heard of several criminals blaming their upbringing i.e lack of a father figure, gangs in their neighborhoods and violence. I am a recent college graduate who interns 5 days out of the week and volunteers on Saturday’s. I am a product of Hip Hop. Let’s stop the bullshit and lets become accountable for self.
I’m 100% certain Joey was sarcastic in his comments. Knowing him….
Really Joey? lack of adult role models? have you watched TNT lately? Does your kid need a good father figure? If so, I can send Roger over. Beyond the coke he’s got his shit together.
LGS,
Please do send him over.
Melz,
Obviously I don’t fucking think that way. I don’t volunteer nearly enough or post about it when I do.
You guys are really funny. This article has a lot of good information, and i myself am a teen. My father is a pastor and i am a “HALO” addict. Well, i know i can be if my father would let me play. I’m really good, and i would sneak behind his back, but he tells me it’s wrong and that all those other violent shooting games are very graphic….BUT ITS SOO FUN! Yes, i am a girl, and i love whoopin peoples butts on Halo, it’s sooooo much fun… But yea…
Look. Both hip hop and society needs to take some control over the situation at hand. While some rappers are corporate sell-outs, those who survive album after album is caused only because of the messages inside the music. Sure they curse; so do middle school students. Really listen to the music and the lyrics. Kanye West will say mother****er to catch the attention of the ignerant. After words he can sneak in his message and most will hear his comments. Yes, parenting is a HUGE reason why children make bad decisions. If you dont agree you are probably one of those parents who know nothing about your own child and are to busy with your own sh**. Hip hop is a mirror to society today but it also needs to go in the direction that shows the future. Look at it as a car driving at night. You need the rear-view mirror to look at what’s behind you but you need headlights to see what is up ahead of ya.
YOU ARE WRONG!
if hip hop causes societal problems, what are we going to do about it. There’s only two solutions to the problem. 1. dissolve the culture 2. restructure the culture. There are alot of hip hop heads out there that are tired of defending hip hop and does not want to hear anyone blame hip hop for society’s problems anymore. They will attack anyone who tries to criticize hip hop. They refuse to believe that hip hop is the cause of society’s problems and would rather ignore the social problems that exist. Hip hop when it was first birthed in the South Bronx started off much more positive, poetic, and intellectual.
Yep, evythang was mo’ better ‘fo dat hippity-hop. Buncha daggum long-haired freaks what I callum. ‘magine that..out deah singin “Let Da Sun Shine In”…and playin’ leap-frog…my word. A year or 2 ago all dem hippies was on a furm somewheh up in Nu Yawk. Dey sung, and dey leap-frogged…mo’ sangin’, mo’leap-frog…hippity-hop…hippity-hop…
Dey’s wun of um call hisself Snoop Deputy Dawg…or som’um like daT. I cain’t stan dat fool…alway’s got to be smokin’ dat ol’ stuff fo’ he takeS his turn at hippity-hop.,.
This is probably the last place I would think to look for the definition of art.
What would Mr. Wiggles think?
http://www.mrwiggles.biz/
Click Here …a link to Mr. Wiggle’s page on
the World Wide Web for the disenfranchised Googlist.
Seriously, this phobia is the present incantation born out of the CCC and their 1950s scare movement of race mixing and overheating white girls. The statistics only prove that EVERYONE is susceptible to rumor and intellectual laziness. Who is “They” SAMMY? Perhaps “they” refuse to believe in the evil of hip-hop because “they” are sane. No offense but all of your “solutions” are damaged. Even if you could wipe it out, what about it’s influences? They have to be dissolved, too? Hip-hop has become mainstream, in fashion, in pop music, in automotive styling, even in middle-aged slang. I heard a (gag#$&sputter@*^hack) FOX NEWS commentator speaking of “BLING”. It may be passe, but everything is by the time us ol folks (38btw) get it”…
No SAMMY, if you destroy all that mystifies you, you kill newness. You kill innovation. And you never accomplish your goal because the art has a life of it’s own that will simply mutate to become the young’s latest ADULT-PROOF craze…and it will push the envelope further than Hip-Hop…It has to…by it’s nature…
[quote comment=Well ...No disrespect but it IS NOT rappers faught for your flaws! If one chooses to be easily influenced and quickly misled by the WRONG images and idols...Then shit thats their problem.DONOT blame hip hop artist for the stupidity of society!
i for one am a child of struggle, grew up where 3 bodies dropped in my yard., listening to hip hop was my escape, i could relate to it. runnin from cops, causin havoc, hip hop was neva to blame for my own mistakes, i made the decision to fight, smoke, and chill wit killas. once people can take responsibility for their own mistakes is when we livin the hip hop culture can rest. im tired of it, the blamin, the ignorance, the judgments. how bout country, blues, and all otha genres of music, they all have their good and bad. its not influence, its choice, when you got a gun in ya hand, you make the choice to shoot or not, influences are forgotten, they are only an excuse for a child. even then at a certain age you know right from wrong. im ashamed of the human race, granted theres still hope alive and hip hop is just that for those proverty stricken. its a culture not a fad. this shit is pitiful, yall blamin hip hop is pitiful, but i still got love for u. ignorance is bliss.
Isn’t it the case that when something bad happens people always blame the thing they don’t like or whatever reinforces their prejudices about the world.
Everyone does it.