In lieu of the attention that my "Ladies, Don't You Feel Disrespected?" post has received, I felt that it was vital to clarify exactly what "My Thoughts" are.
I have received a bunch of different comments that I attempted to address under the comment portion of my post, but I couldn't get to all of them without a long comment. So I will use this post to address all of the things that i didn't get to.
First things first, my question that I posed as the title of this post was what I was trying to get at. I might have strayed away from this, but none of you answered this question. I feel like these songs are offensive, but if I see you jammin' to them, it's telling me that you like and support this song. Even if you say, "I only listen to the beat." Those words will creep up in your subconscious. (yes I paid good attention in Psychology class)
Second, I was asked why do I support this music and expect women not to. Ladies, you can support whomever you like. I'm not here to stand on my high horse and judge you for the music you listen to, because yes sometimes I do dance to it in the club. If I came off as judgmental, I deeply apologize. My thing is, as women, if you don't fight for what you believe in, who am I to fight your battle? It would be a lost cause if I ran out here and boycotted dancing to these songs and you all are still in the club shakin' your ass. The DJ's will continue to spin what YOU want to listen to because YOU are who they are marketing to at clubs. Don't believe me? Pick up a club flyer, and even though it has a naked lady on it, I'll be damned if it doesn't say LADIES FREE B4 12 and FELLAS DISCOUNTED B 11...They want YOU in the club, so they play what YOU want to hear.
Third, the comment about my perception of a woman dancing to this music. I feel like my perception of a woman isn't formed until the first conversation. Now, I won't lie, I admire the shape of a black woman, especially while they're winding. So I can look at you dancing all seductively and fawn over you all I want, but it doesn't cause me to make a snap judgment about you as a person.
Fourth, the question of, "How do we get women to respect themselves?" My response would be to first start setting the example. Everyone's parameters for respect will be different of course, but be the example setter. I just saw something very interesting. I was waiting on my FIRST GRADE class and I heard them singing the lyrics to "Low" by Flo Rida. Now those lyrics aren't the worse out there, but they are hardly appropriate for FIRST GRADERS. This means that their parents are allowing this ENTERTAINMENT to influence them. My suggestion is that some of you ladies need to mentor these young girls. Show them that they are worth way more than ENTERTAINMENT leads them to believe they are. Then maybe they won't aspire to be video girls and strippers. (not to knock anybodys hustle)
Final comment: I debated whether I was going to address this statement because if the degree of ignorance it possessed. But Anonymous #2, I have to say that if you believe that entertainment is just entertainment, then you have a skewed view of the world. Entertainment has a profound affect on almost ever facet of American culture. So the statement "Let entertainment be entertainment" is a part of the problem we have. We want to turn a blind eye to the problem and pretend that it doesn't exist. But where exactly will that get us?
For all of the people that commented, I appreciate you. I like how you pushed my mind to the limit with this post. I just hope that the discussion of this topic will continue to live on in your lives so that we can find a solution. If I omitted someones comment, please leave me a response in the comment box. I usually end off my posts with the title of this blog, but I hope all of you (even those of you that don't agree with me) continue to read and comment on "My Thoughts." I don't claim to know everything, but I am willing to educate myself on the things that I don't know. And I know that some of you can provide some valuable insight to further my education. Thank You
3 comments:
It all starts with you and me. It starts with the writers, it starts with the listeners, it starts with men, it starts with women. Until we are willing to put the VALUE of respect ABOVE the VALUE of the almighty dollar...things are going to continue down this same path...unfortunately. It all comes down to what's more important...what is more valuable.
I really appreciate your original post...it's a subject that needs this kind of dialogue!
Just yesterday I came across an interesting article about a Jamaican dance, "daggerin", whose reach has gone way past the dancehall into the bedroom. As a result, the Jamaican Broadcasting Commission has placed a ban on all songs of this nature. To be specific, "...the commission announced a ban on all 'daggerin' songs, which in the dancehall sphere is a popular reference to the simulation of aggressive or violent sex. The commission also imposed a ban on bleeping and beeping, which are editing methods used to expunge material thought unfit for airplay." (Jamaica Gleaner)
Like many islands in the Caribbean, Jamaica has always monitored the songs played on the airwaves, but this hasn't stopped artists from producing songs of this nature or their popularity in the dancehalls.
I think this article provides interesting insight into the dilemma of trying to regulate and/or influence music content.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090210/lead/lead2.html
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