Black Leaders Outraged at Ghettopoly Game

[adios]

Black Leaders Outraged About Ghettopoly Game (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031009/ap_on_re_us/ghettopoly)

Black Leaders Outraged at Board Game
Wed Oct 8, 9:02 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!


By BILL BERGSTROM, Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA - Cheap Trick Avenue instead of Boardwalk? Hernando's Chop Shop instead of Reading Railroad?

Black leaders are outraged over a new board game called "Ghettopoly" that has "playas" acting like pimps and game cards reading, "You got yo whole neighborhood addicted to crack. Collect $50."


Black clergymen say the game, the brainchild of a Pennsylvania man, should be banned, and have called for a boycott of Urban Outfitters unless the company stops selling Ghettopoly in its chain of clothing stores.


Urban Outfitters has not publicly commented on the issue, and did not return a call seeking comment on Wednesday.


"If we are silent on this issue there is more of this type to come," the Rev. Robert P. Shine Sr., president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Vicinity, said at a sidewalk rally Wednesday in front Urban Outfitters' corporate headquarters in Philadelphia.


Shine displayed the game board, with properties including Westside Liquor, Harlem, The Bronx, and Long Beach City, and squares labeled Smitty's XXX Peep Show, Weinstein's Gold and Platinum, and Tyron's Gun Shop.


Players draw "Hustle" and "Ghetto Stash" cards with directions like, "You're a little short on loot, so you decided to stick up a bank. Collect $75," and "Steal $$$ if you pass Let$ Roll."


The creator of Ghettopoly, David Chang, did not immediately answer e-mails or phone calls seeking comment about the game.


On his Web site, Chang is unapologetic, and promises that more games — Hoodopoly, Hiphopopoly, Thugopoly and Redneckopoly — are coming soon.


"It draws on stereotypes not as a means to degrade, but as a medium to bring together in laughter," Chang maintains, adding, "If we can't laugh at ourselves ... we'll continue to live in blame and bitterness."


But the Ghettopoly board depicts figures labeled "Malcum X" and "Martin Luthor King Jr." — intentionally misspelled — noted Rev. Glenn Wilson, pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.


"This is beyond making fun, to use the caricature of Dr. King in this regard," Wilson said. "There's no way that game could be taken in any way other than that this man had racist intent in marketing it."


The Philadelphia black clergy and Men United for a Better Philadelphia were just the latest to protest the game. In Chicago, the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church, called for a boycott of Urban Outfitters. In Florida, the St. Petersburg and Hillsborough County chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (news - web sites) urged the company to stop carrying the game.


"I was outraged. We called Outfitters, we wrote them a letter, we held a press conference, but we've had no response," Pfleger said Wednesday

If this game is banned I wonder if the ACLU will go to bat for the inventors and makers of the game. Seems like the game is probably in bad taste but I haven't seen it so I can't really say.

[angry young man]

I read this story and looked at the game board expecting to be amused but I actually thought it crossed the line past funny into offensive. Not clever, just insulting.

[brad]

yeah, cia admits they ship in cocaine to inner cities and this is what so called 'black leaders' are upset about. ok ...

[TAFKAn]

Rush Limbaugh gets fired for bringing up the old "black quarterback" issue and what is the ESPN headline today: "First black hockey coach". Why aren't black people furious that race is an issue with this coach?

[scalf]

/images/graemlins/mad.gifmany blacks are angry because if more americans (who happen to be of african origin) succeed; then the call for reparations for slavery will not be as likely....

black leaders play this for all they can...

jmho..gl /images/graemlins/shocked.gif /images/graemlins/confused.gif /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

[AmericanAirlines]

Hi Scalf,
Well... unlike the SSRI issue elsewhere I agree with you here.

Or let's consider...

White cop arrest black motorcyclist... Breton Harbor riots. Lots of news.

Black in Compton shoots one of the Williams sisters coaches... no reaction at all.

Or black shoots white teacher in Lake Worth Fla... no redneck riots?

MTV has "Sucka Free Sunday"... but suggest "Nigga Free Saturday" and *you're* a racists.

Black Caucus in congress... *that's* OK. Suggest a *white* caucus... *you're* a Nazi.

Hmm.... see a pattern?

The trend in racism today is anti-white.

Oh great, let's "africanize" America. Brilliant...

Look at any black majority county. For the most part they are all a mess. Haiti, Somalia (just about all of africa really)... And yet they want to blame whitey for everything.

Then add in crap like AGOA and Carribean Economic recovery act.. and you can't even by a pair of slacks that doesn't have something to do with africa.

I'll be the first to say, everyone, bar no one has a right to a great life. But the apparent push for africanization is just unmistakeably obvious. And I can't even figure out why. Somebody must be making a mint off of it somehow. (Well at least Levi Straus and other clothing sellers are for sure... Dominican Republic labor is reputed to be very low cost.)

Sincerely,
AA

[daryn]

reparations is easily the stupidest idea i've ever heard.

[Boris]

So I guess this means you're gonna buy the board game? David Duke is looking for a few right minded individuals like yourself. I think it's time for you to break out the linens and starch.

[MMMMMM]

I met a Vietnamese woman a few months ago at a place where people were partying. She was telling racial jokes. Black, Mexican, Jewish, Vietnamese, Chinese, you name it. She said to one partyer, "Don't mind me; I'm not racist; I hate everybody!" She was actually being pretty funny, and she did it all with a nice spirit. She even did an exaggerated eyebrow thing, and imitated an Oriental accent that made Charlie Chan sound like he was King of England.

I think she's one of few who actually get it right.

All these offended people need to learn how to laugh at themselves.

Also, if they don't want people imitating pimp rolls and pimp clothes and pimp hats and such, well hey, maybe the Black leaders should do more to tell their brothers that drugs and rap ain't where it's at, and they they should hit the goddam books instead of the crack pipe. I'd like to hear Jesse Jackson get up and make that speech.

Our society has come a long long way and EVERYONE has a chance today. Nobody is truly and irrevocably held back by race in America. The biggest thing holding anybody back today is themselves. Jesse should tell the pimps and drug pushers and crackheads to stop being scum and clean up their acts and hit the books and work hard, if he really wants to do something for blacks today. And just about every other group, racial or not, needs more of the same message, and to also be told loud and clear that if they can't take being offended they shouldn't step outside their front door.

[andyfox]

"I'd like to hear Jesse Jackson get up and make that speech."

I believe he does, all the time, calling for a resurgence in "family values" and education in the black community.

"Nobody is truly and irrevocably held back by race in America"

Of course people are held back by race. We might disagree over the extent and seriousness of it, and no doubt, as you say, we've come a long way, but to deny that racism exists is to be, well, colorblind.

I dont quite understand what's pretty funny about someone saying she hates everybody, and proving it, but I guess that's just me.

[MMMMMM]

I'm sure Jesse says what you say he does, but does he tell the pimps to stop being SCUM and treating women worse than dirt? Does he YELL at the crackheads?

Also I said "nobody is truly and irrevocably held back by race." You argued that racism exists. Of course, but it doesn't truly stop anyone today from succeeding.

Also I guess you missed the point of what she was doing and saying. I don't think she proved she hates anybody. And as a matter of fact she seemed a nice person. Maybe in your world you have never net a nice person who thinks some racial jokes are funny. If that's the case I feel sorry; you've missed out. And it's all in the spirit that is what matters; a guy at Foxwoods a year ago was telling a Jewish joke. He was Jewish, and it was a damn funny joke. If you think that's all bad maybe your sense of humor could use a slight tune-up.

[MMMMMM]

If the black leaders are so outraged by the game they should be outraged many times over by the people who provided the fodder for the stereotypes in the first place. Specifically, the pimps and rappers, etc. Therefore they should be yelling at them way more than at the makers of the game. Let's see them call a press conference and denounce all black pimps and rappers for promulgating the stereotypes that give blacks a bad name.

[adios]

M writes:

"I'd like to hear Jesse Jackson get up and make that speech."

Andy responds:

I believe he does, all the time, calling for a resurgence in "family values" and education in the black community.

I comment:

This is the exact message that Republicans like George Bush are sending. Yet blacks as a group vote overwhelmingly Democratic. I commented once that Republicans care about the welfare of blacks in this country and you responded something like how so. Well here you have it, Republicans want a resurgence in "family values" and education in the black community yet the Republican party is generally perceived as being insensitive to blacks and their needs. No I think their must be something else at work here regarding why black voters vote overwhelmingly Democrat in elections and I don't think it has anything to do with family values. I'm not certain of this but I'd be willing to wager that the more affluent a US black citizen is, the more likely they are to vote Republican. The demographics of the black community show that there are a disproportionate amount of blacks that are in poverty and are disenfranchised. I'd also bet a lot of money that this is the "core" constituency of the black voters who vote Democrat. My assertion that if this is true, then Democratic leaders have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo to get re-elected which means maintaining this cyycle of poverty and disenfranchisement. Jesse Jackson didn't get the nickname of "shakedown" for nothing. If he's willing to exploit one group of people, I certainly don't see why he wouldn't be willing to exploit another. During the recent Democratic party presidential "debates" Al Sharpton stated something to the effect that he expected the eventual Presidential candidate to do something for blacks. What could that possibly be? The Republican party doesn't supprot discrimination and does support improving the lot of the disenfranchised. The big difference I see between the Democratic party and the Republican party is their positions on affirmative action. There are Republicans who do support affirmative action btw such as Colin Powell. So it's not unanimous among Republicans either. Believe it or not I see instances where affirmative action is a good thing. I can elaborate in some other thread but my point is that I believe that black Democratic leaders such as Jesse Jackson are actually exploiting blacks more than they're helping them.

[DanS]

[ QUOTE ]
Scalf,
Well... unlike the SSRI issue elsewhere I agree with you here.



MTV has "Sucka Free Sunday"... but suggest "Nigga Free Saturday" and *you're* a racists.
Sincerely,
AA

[/ QUOTE ]

Frank,
I don't watch MTV much ever since they stopped playing music videos, but FYI "sucka" is hardly an antonym of "the n-word," unless things have really been spun askew by MTV.

Dan

[andyfox]

" . . . who vote Democrat. My assertion . . ."

I was in agreement until that period between Democrat and My. While I am usually the first to agree that most, if not all, politicians cannot be trusted, I don't think either political party wants to deliberately hurt its core constituency. I think we both agree that the core constituency of the Republican party is more affluent than that of the Democratic party. So why wouldn't the Republicans, then, try to keep their constituency from realizing their goals (e.g., lower capital gains rates or lower income tax rates at the higher income levels)? No, I think both parties want to do what they think will help their constituencies to help get them reelected. If they were as disingenuous as you suggest, eventually they'd lose those very constituencies. (Never thought I'd find someone more cynical than I am, Tom /images/graemlins/wink.gif.)

You say the Republican Party doesn't support discrimination. But it has always had to be dragged kicking and screaming into supporting anti-discrimination measures. The Republican Party is the party of Scalia and Helms and Lott. The Republican Party's policies would benefit those at higher income levels more than those of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party's policies would benefit those at lower income levels more than those of the Republican Party. While there may be some myth in this, there's plenty of substance too.

[andyfox]

"it doesn't truly stop anyone today from succeeding."

I'm not quite sure what the "truly" means, but if I take that word out or your sentence, you're wrong. Of course it stops people from succeeding. It stops them from being able to get an apartment, from being able to get a job, from being able to join a club . . . There are many people who triumph over adversity, but many more who do not.

As for the jokes your fellow-party-goer told, why don't you repeat one or two of them here, and I'll tell you if you think they're funny.

[andyfox]

What about if there were a game called Jewopoly, and it featured characters called "hook nose" or "moneygrubber" or "banker" or "Arab killer"? What do you think the reaction of the Jewish community would be, and do you think such a reaction would be justified?

[daryn]

i am gonna go out on a limb and say that i think stereotypical jokes are hilarious! i can only speak the truth.

[adios]

I talked to my step daughter about this game. She thought it was funny and pointed out that Chris Rock and Jamie Fox make lots of jokes about the ghetto. She also pointed out that BET Tv has many comedy programs including movies that make jokes about the ghetto. Lastly she stated that she would have no problem breaking out the game, showing it, and playing it with black friends of hers. She did say that the Martin Luther King square and the Malcom X square were possibly negatives but that she'd buy it. This to me lends a lot more credibility to the inventor of the game that it is intended to be funny instead of demeaning.

[MMMMMM]

So being stopped from gettin A job or AN apartment or from joining A club stops them from succeeding? Methinks they need to knock on a few more doors then.

If a salesman stops after failing his first few tries I guess he's stopped all right.

As for the jokes, I have a terrible memory for jokes but I will repeat one. I won't be able to do it with the same style over the internet, but I am fairly bad at telling jokes anyway so perhaps that's a blessing.




Q: Why do Jewish men like watching porno videos backwards?




-






-






-






-






-






-





A: They like to see the part where the prostitute gives back the money

[MMMMMM]

The difference here is that frugality is actually a virtue, whereas being a crackhead or a pimp or a gangsta is not. Being a banker is an honorable profession, whereas being a drug dealer is not. So it makes no sense to castigate Jewish bankers for promulgating good stereotypes, but it does make sense to castigate rappers and pimps for promulgating bad stereotypes.

Those who look down on the Jews for their virtues of frugality, study and hard work, are essentially adopting a stupid redneck sort of attitude born of ignorance and envy. However those who look down on pimpery and smoking crack are quite justified in so doing. Looking down on virtues is ignorant; looking down on vices is sensible. So looking down on the stereotypical bad aspects of black culture is appropriate, while looking down on stereotypical good aspects of Jewish culture is moronic. This is obvious to me and I'm not even Jewish. What amazes me is how easily the common people can invert a virtue into a derogatory attribute in their minds. This is an example of why people need to be taught how to think more logically.

[daryn]

frugality may be a virtue but being a cheapo is not!

[MMMMMM]

hm ok but what's the difference?

Spending less at a restaurant is virtuous, but leaving a tiny tip for the waitress is not--I guess that's an example?

[Ray Zee]

for any kind of slur to make some one offended it has to have some element of truth to it or everyone would just say huh, whats that all about. so when people get mad at these stupid things they are really saying please dont talk or make fun of our deficiencies.

[nicky g]

My wife's family are Jewish and they are extremely generous and not remotely tight, or noticeably more careful than most, with money. They certainly aren't cheap. Further evidence that these "cultural characteristics" are a load of hooey.

(Unless you're talking about the English. They're tight b*stards /images/graemlins/blush.gif)

[MMMMMM]

Cultural characteristics are not hooey; they're just not set in stone. Of course there are exceptions, even many exceptions, but that does not mean there is nothing to the notion of certain cultural habits. Such things may be weakly correlated but there is usually some correlation. Irish do drink a bit more than many other cultures (don't they, nicky? /images/graemlins/grin.gif). So do Russians for that matter, perhaps more than the Irish, but they generally prefer vodka. Jews do tend to be more studious and thrifty than most other cultures. Dutch also tend to be quite thrifty and businesslike.

It's only hooey if you say ALL the members of these groups possess such habits or cultural attributes.

[nicky g]

"The Irish do drink a bit more than many other cultures (don't they?;grin:). "

Apparently they do now, but didn't until very recently:

"The Irish have long been stereotyped as heavy drinkers, but past surveys have suggested the reputation was undeserved and Ireland was actually one of Europe's more moderate drinking nations. In the past decade, however, figures show that has changed and Ireland has become a leading alcohol consumer.

The surge coincides with Ireland's quick-changing fortunes in the 1990s, when it went from an economic backwater of Europe with double-digit unemployment to a booming economy. The boom boosted stress levels and disposable income in a country where the pub remains the social hub. "

Which just goes to show that these supposed cultural characteristics are in fact caused by socio-economic etc factors in the country/region.

Irish and drink (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/19/world/main554664.shtml)

[MMMMMM]

"Which just goes to show that these supposed cultural characteristics are in fact caused by socio-economic etc factors in the country/region."

No, it just goes to show (if correct) that in this case the supposed cultural characteristic was in fact caused by socio-economic factors in the country/region.

Precision, nicky, conceptual precision...please.

[adios]

"No, I think both parties want to do what they think will help their constituencies to help get them reelected. If they were as disingenuous as you suggest, eventually they'd lose those very constituencies."

Andy I think some time down the road the Democrats will lose this solid block of votes from the "black" constituency as it will gradualy erode. It will take time but it will happen.

"You say the Republican Party doesn't support discrimination. But it has always had to be dragged kicking and screaming into supporting anti-discrimination measures. The Republican Party is the party of Scalia and Helms and Lott. The Republican Party's policies would benefit those at higher income levels more than those of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party's policies would benefit those at lower income levels more than those of the Republican Party. While there may be some myth in this, there's plenty of substance too. "

Point well taken. I don't know if I'd throw Scalia in with Helms and Lott. However, the Republicans didn't fool around with Lott, they got rid of him ASAP when his statements came to light. Can't wave a magic wand and say that Republicans were really on the right side of civil rights issues in the past, they weren't. But IMO this has been tacitly recognized. I don't think that Condi Rice and Colin Powell represent tokenism for instance. Even someone like George Wallace can change their viewpoint and admit they were shamefully wrong way back when. This is because of the positive difference the civil rights movement made and rightfully so. IMO that a major battle has been won, time to move on to the next stage. What is that stage? To recognize that cultural problems do exist among those that are poor and that the a great deal of the responsibility in overcoming those prolems lies with those that are in that condition. IMO this is already happening.

[nicky g]

Lol. OK, in this case; it's an instance of evidence for what I've been arguing all along, however. It also goes to show that the stereotype, in this case, was wrong.

[John Cole]

M,

I don't know about the jokes, but I damn near peed by pants when I got to the word "pimpery." /images/graemlins/grin.gif

John

[John Cole]

[ QUOTE ]
As for the jokes your fellow-party-goer told, why don't you repeat one or two of them here, and I'll tell you if you think they're funny.

[/ QUOTE ]

Andy,

I didn't quite realize you had this sort of power.

John

[andyfox]

Neither did I.

Want to hire on as my proofreader?

[MMMMMM]

What can I say, John, you're the best.

Call it poetic license, I guess--though it never occurred to me when typing that it was not a word. If it isn't, it should be, shouldn't it?

I met a pimp some months ago, but he didn't play play my table. Actually I am not sure of that, but I had it on pretty good authority that he was a pimp.

[nicky g]

"Neither did I."

Yes you did.

[andyfox]

"I had it on pretty good authority that he was a pimp."

Now that's funny.

/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[angry young man]

I was about to give up on this forum forever, your post gives me hope. As for some others I've read, Ray--> just because their may be some truth to the "joke" doesn't mean it isn't insensitive. Next time you meet someone in a wheelchair be sure to call them a cripple repeatedly, see how that goes over. To everyone else who's claiming that black leaders need to be less sensitive and encourage their people to stop robbing banks and hitting the crack pipe (and listening to rap, apparently), I'm pretty sure black leaders aren't encouraging their communities to take part in those behaviors, and I'm also pretty sure the people taking part in those behaviors aren't the ones getting offended by this game. As for the rascist asian woman, offensive and stupid doesn't sound like getting it right to me.

[Ray Zee]

mr. angry, i wasnt condoning the jokes just making the point that these kind of things have a root in fact as well as perception. and your analogy to speaking to someone directly as opposed to making fun of a group is two different things. both can be insensitive. but also what is the amount of sensitivity that we are supposed to abide by. who makes the line for us not to cross. you.

[Ray Zee]

john cole,


if you were to relate pimpery to blackery
you might seem to be insentive to racery
but all of this discussion is in poor taste matter of factery

[Terry]

[ QUOTE ]
The difference here is that frugality is actually a virtue, whereas being a crackhead or a pimp or a gangsta is not. Being a banker is an honorable profession, whereas being a drug dealer is not... This is an example of why people need to be taught how to think more logically.

[/ QUOTE ]

The idea that frugality and banking are virtuous and that pimping and drug dealing are not is actually an assumption, not a fact. This is an example of logical thinking reaching incorrect conclusions because it follows from a faulty premise.

[baggins]

" but to deny that racism exists is to be, well, colorblind."

isn't that the point? to make an issue of color is to be racist.

[MMMMMM]

It is an assumption indeed, but that doesn't mean it isn't also a fact.

[andyfox]

To make an issue of race to deny equality is racism. To not make an issue of race to perpetuate inequality is also racism.

[AmericanAirlines]

Nah Boris,
I think the game and the idea sucks. It's clearly inflamatory and a cheap shot at capitalizing on racial stereotypes.

I don't support the idea at all. (Honestly) And if I had a retail outlet, I wouldn't stock it. Intentional antagonism like that just doesn't solve anything.

There's just no point in antagonistic crap like ghetto-opoly or whatever it's called.

And FWIW, I'm not a KKK fan, nor a Nazi fan either.

Sincerely,
AA

[AmericanAirlines]

Well, Marshall Mathers withstanding "Sucka Free Sunday" is an all rap (aka "Hip Hop") Sunday.

So in context the implication seems to be "Black Music Sunday"

So the reverse would be "White Music day". Which I just dashed off as "Nigga Free Saturday", just to emphasize the point.

Seems to me the media is mucho pro black these days, as well as other venues of entertainment.

My favorite is the one about how blacks are upset that only 4% of NFL coaches are black while the population is 12% black.

Gee, how come no one's upset that the players are 51% black and the population is only 12% black. Seems blacks are over represented in those upper echeclon salary jobs.

So the rule seems to be... if black are under represented, have to have affirmative action. If the are over represented... well then it must just be a meritocracy.

And geez, how many cameo shots of blacks do you see worked into commercials? Not Asians, not Native Americans, just blacks.

And of course, the fact that the head of Columbia Records A&R is black has *nothing* to do with the rise of Rap? (Which somehow got renamed "Hip Hop" and somehow lumped in as "Hip Hop and R&B"... geez I thought the Rolling Stones was R&B music.... talk about... dare I say it "white washing" Rap.)

Sincerely,
AA

[MMMMMM]

So I guess you must think Tom Haley's stepdaughter should break out the linens and starch and join the KKK too, eh, Boris?

I'm not going to buy the game, but I'll say this: if anyone's prejudiced, it appears to be YOU: you seem to be prejudiced against anyone who doesn't share your near-militant vision of political correctness. Tell me, what do you think all those black comedians who make fun of 'niggas' and 'ho's'?

[daryn]

right, what's up with mcdonalds new marketing campaign? i'm lovin it. how bad, it's an obvious attempt to appeal to inner city stereotypes

[andyfox]

"how many cameo shots of blacks do you see worked into commercials?"

I don't know. How many?

[daryn]

many more than indians

[Boris]

My near militant vision of political correctness? What are you talking about? I'm not trying to suppress anyone's views. I'm just calling a spade a spade.

I am a little bit disturbed by the tone of many posters in this thread, including you. The moral leaders of Philadelphia's black community organized a protest denouncing a product that is slightly humorous but that definitely serves to normalize deviant and anti-social behavior. These are the same leaders that I'm sure are fighting against drug abuse, whoring and other social ills affecting the community. You and others seem to take this as an attack against your ability to make bigoted jokes without fear of public disapproval.

AA was distraught over the spread of rap music and the fact that there's not a nigger free time slot on MTV. I was merely suggesting where he might find some like minded individuals.

[J.R.]

Does anyone else find the ironic calls for a resurgence in family values by jesse jackson, an admitted adultered who fathered a child out of wedlock, humorous?

[Boris]

[andyfox]

Most calls for "family values" are made by such people. It's usually the emptiest barrels that rattle the loudest. (Thomas Jefferson, for example.)

If we got rid of all the important people on the political scene who didn't practice what they preached, there wouldn't be too many left in place.

[MMMMMM]

I strongly suggest that those same black leaders who are outraged at this silly game express their true outrage at the low-lifes who make the stereotypes for the game possible, namely the pimps, ho's, etc.

Also, rap music glorifies and normalizes violence, pimpin' & whorin', beatdowns, etc.--and those same black leaders ought also to vilify the rappers who are making a bundle by playing upon and encouraging these depraved behaviors among their highly impressionable youth. In other words if these leaders are sincere they have much more to express outrage about than merely some dumb game, and I don't hear them doing it.

[AmericanAirlines]

Just about every commercial I see.

[AmericanAirlines]

Hi Boris,
I'm not really distraught over the spread of Rap music. I'm distraught over what the spead of Rap music is indicative of.

Sincerely,
AA

[andyfox]

Seek and ye shall find.

And, if indeed every commercial you see contains an African person, of what import is this?

[adios]

Not up on my rappers. I heard that Jayz is popular. Here's a link to lyrics of some of his rap music.

Some Jay-z Lyrics (http://www.lyricsxp.com/artist/j/jay_z.html)

blueprint by Jay-z about his formative years.

blueprint
Jay-z
(The Blueprint)

Yeah, yeah..
Uhh, right, right, right
Right, right, right, right

Uhh uhh uhh, feel me now, listen
Momma loved me, pop left me
Mickey fed me, and he dressed me
Eric fought me, made me tougher
Love you for that my nigga no matter what brah
Marcy raised me; and whether right or wrong
Streets gave me all I write in the song
Hootie babysitted, changed my diapers
Gil introduced me to the game that changed my life up
East Trenton grew me, had me skippin school
Valencia's boyfriend Vovo had me makin moves
Momma raised me, pop I miss you
God help me forgive him I got some issues
Mickey cleaned my ears, and he shampooed my hair
Eric was fly - [censored], I used to steal his gear
I was the baby boy, I could do no wrong
Yeah it's goin past fast - let's move along
Kitchen table - that's where I honed my skills
Jaz made me believe the [censored] was real
Labels turned me down, couldn't foresee
Clark sought me out, Dame believed
Primo laced me, Ski did too
"Reasonable Doubt" - classic, shoulda went triple
Momma loved me, pop left me
Grandma dressed me, plus she fed me
banana puddin, what's in the hood then
Puffin on L's, drinkin pink champelle
Ty rolled with a nigga, V.A. spot
Tone, Mike 'Zo and them niggaz, V.A.'s locked
Vigs [censored] with a nigga, whassup ha?
(?) high hated the fact I put rap to the back
Money pourin in, clientele growin now
Birth of my first nephew, time to slow it down
October 21st, Lavelle came to the world
Followed by three more boys and then a baby girl
Momma loved me, T.T. Uncle Jay
loves you to death won't let no trouble come your way
Oh, can't forget my man down in Maryland
He's gone 'til November, how can I not remember?
Tell your moms I'm there for her and Tiembra
And your son too - there's nothin I won't do
Unless you was me, how could you judge me?
I was brought up in pain, y'all can't touch me
Police pursued me, chased cuffed and subdued me
Talked to me rudely; cause I'm young rich and I'm black
and live in a movie, not livin by rules
New rap patrollin the city, follow my crews
Bleek you're still with me - nigga what did I say?
The time is comin; you one hit away
Beans I ain't tryin to change you - just give you some game
to make the transition, from the street to the fame
My momma loves me..

[MMMMMM]

I'm not up on Rap either, and it can't be all bad, but check these lyrics out: COP KILLER by Body Count:

-------------------

Body Count
Body Count (1992)
Cop Killer

COP KILLER! YEAH!

I got my black shirt on.
I got my black gloves on.
I got my ski mask on.
This sh*t's been too long.
I got my twelve gauge sawed off.
I got my headlights turned off.
I'm 'bout to bust some shots off.
I'm 'bout to dust some cops off.

I'm a COP KILLER, better you than me.
COP KILLER, f*ck police brutality!
COP KILLER, I know your family's grieving,
(F*CK 'EM!)
COP KILLER, but tonight we get even, ha ha.

I got my brain on hype.
Tonight'll be your night.
I got this long-assed knife.
and your neck looks just right.
My adrenaline's pumpin'.
I got my stereo bumpin'.
I'm 'bout to kill me somethin'.
A pig stopped me for nuthin'!

COP KILLER, better you than me.
COP KILLER, F*CK police brutality!
COP KILLER, I know your momma's grieving,
(F*CK HER!)
COP KILLER, but tonight we get even, yeah!

DIE, DIE, DIE PIG, DIE!

F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!

F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!
Yeah!

COP KILLER, better you than me.
I'm a COP KILLER, F*CK police brutality!
COP KILLER, I know your family's grieving,
F*CK 'EM!)
COP KILLER, but tonight we get even, ha ha ha ha, yeah!

F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!

F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!
F*CK THE POLICE!
Break it down.

F*CK THE POLICE, yeah!
F*CK THE POLICE, for Darryl Gates.
F*CK THE POLICE, for Rodney King.
F*CK THE POLICE, for my dead homies.
F*CK THE POLICE, for your freedom.
F*CK THE POLICE, don't be a pussy.
F*CK THE POLICE, have some muthafuckin' courage.
F*CK THE POLICE, sing along.

COP KILLER!
COP KILLER!
COP KILLER!
COP KILLER!

COP KILLER! Whaddyou wanna be when you grow up?
COP KILLER! Good choice.
COP KILLER! I'm a muthafuckin'
COP KILLER!

COP KILLER, better you than me.
COP KILLER, F*CK police brutality!
COP KILLER, I know your momma's grieving,
(F*CK HER!)
COP KILLER, but tonight we get even!

[MMMMMM]

"Kill the white people; we gonna make them hurt; kill the white people; but buy my record first; ha, ha, ha"

"Kill d'White People"; Apache, Apache Ain't [censored], 1993, Tommy Boy Music, Time Warner, USA.

"Niggas in the church say: kill whitey all night long. . . . the white man is the devil. . . . the CRIPS and Bloods are soldiers I'm recruiting with no dispute; drive-by shooting on this white genetic mutant. . . . let's go and kill some rednecks. . . . Menace Clan ain't afraid. . . . I got the .380; the homies think I'm crazy because I shot a white baby; I said; I said; I said: kill whitey all night long. . . . a nigga dumping on your white ass; [censored] this rap [censored], nigga, I'm gonna blast. . . . I beat a white boy to the motherfucking ground";

"Kill Whitey"; Menace Clan, Da Hood, 1995, Rap-A-Lot Records, Noo Trybe Records, subsidiaries of what was called Thorn EMI and now is called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.

"Devils fear this brand new [censored]. . . . I bleed them next time I see them. . . . I pray on these devils. . . . look what it has come to; who you gonna run to when we get to mobbing. . . . filling his body up with lead, yah; cracker in my way; slitting, slit his throat; watch his body shake; watch his body shake; that's how we do it in the motherfucking [San Francisco] Bay. . . . sitting on the dock of the dirty with my AK";

"Heat--featuring Jet and Spice 1"; Paris, Unleashed, 1998, Unleashed Records, Whirling Records.
"These devils make me sick; I love to fill them full of holes; kill them all in the daytime, broad motherfucking daylight; 12 o'clock, grab the Glock; why wait for night" [Audio]

"Sweatin Bullets"; Brand Nubian, Everything Is Everything, 1994, Elektra Entertainment, Warner Communications, Time Warner, USA.

"A fight, a fight, a nigger and a white, if the nigger don't win then we all jump in. . . . smoking all [of] America's white boys";

"A Fight"; Apache, Apache Ain't [censored], 1993, Tommy Boy Music, Time Warner, USA.
"I kill a devil right now. . . . I say kill whitey all nightey long. . . . I stabbed a [censored] Jew with a steeple. . . . I would kill a cracker for nothing, just for the [censored] of it. . . . Menace Clan kill a cracker; jack 'em even quicker. . . . catch that devil slipping; blow his [censored] brains out"

"[censored] a Record Deal"; Menace Clan, Da Hood, 1995, Rap-A-Lot Records, Noo Trybe Records, subsidiaries of Thorn EMI; called The EMI Group since 1997, United Kingdom.

This cover is interesting. Click for a larger view. Notice who the intended audience is.
"Now I'm black but black people trip [become upset] 'cause white people like me; white people like me but don't like them. . . . I don't hate whites, I just gotta death wish for motherfuckers that ain't right" [Audio]

"Race War"; Ice-T, Home Invasion, 1993, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"To all my Universal Soldier's: stay at attention while I strategize an invasion; the mission be ssassination, snipers hitting Caucasians with semi-automatic shots heard around the world; my plot is to control the globe and hold the world hostage. . . . see, I got a war plan more deadlier than Hitler. . . . lyrical specialist, underworld terrorist. . . . keep the unity thick like mud. . . . I pulling out gats [handguns], launching deadly attacks" [Audio]

"Blood for Blood"; Killarmy, Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, 1997, Wu-Tang Records, Priority Records, The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"Lead to the head of you devils" [Audio]

"Lick Dem Muthaphuckas--Remix"; Brand Nubian, Everything Is Everything, 1994, Elektra Entertainment, Warner Communications, Time Warner, USA.
"This will all be over in '99, so, niggas, give devils the crime; gonna be more devils dying" [Audio]

"No Surrender"; Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Creepin on ah Come Up, 1994, Ruthless Records, Epic Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony, Japan.
"Won't be satisfied until the devils--I see them all dead. . . . my brother is sending me more guns from down South. . . . pale face. . . . it's all about brothers rising up, wising up, sizing up our situation. . . . you be [censored] with my turf when you be [censored] with my race; now face your maker and take your last breadth; the time is half-past death. . . . it's the Armageddon. . . . go into the garage; find that old camouflage. . . . cracker-shooting nightly" [Audio]

"What the [censored]"; Brand Nubian, Everything Is Everything, 1994, Elektra Entertainment, Warner Communications, Time Warner, USA.
".44 ways to get paid. . . . I'm through with talking to these devils; now I'm ready to blast" [Audio]

"44 Wayz--featuring Mystic"; Paris, Unleashed, 1998, Unleashed Records, Whirling Records.
"Like my niggas from South Central Los Angeles they found that they couldn't handle us; Bloods, CRIPS, on the same squad, with the Essays [Latino gangbangers] up, and nigga, it's time to rob and mob and break the white man off something lovely" [Audio]

"The Day the Niggaz Took Over"; Dr Dre, The Chronic, 1993, Interscope Records, under Time Warner in 1993.
"Bust a Glock; devils get shot. . . . when God give the word me herd like the buffalo through the neighborhood; watch me blast. . . . I'm killing more crackers than Bosnia-Herzegovina, each and everyday. . . . don't bust until you see the whites of his eyes, the whites of his skin. . . . Louis Farrakhan . . . Bloods and CRIPS, and little old me, and we all getting ready for the enemy" [Audio]

"Enemy"; Ice Cube, Lethal Injection, 1993, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"Devil, to gangbanging there's a positive side and the positive side is this--sooner than later the brothers will come to Islam, and they will be the soldiers for the war; what war, you ask; Armageddon; ha, ha, ha, ha, ha"

"Armageddon"; RBX, The RBX Files, 1995, Premeditated Records, Warner Brother Records, Time Warner, USA.
"Subtract the devils that get smoked. . . . we're people, black people; steal your mind back, don't die in their wilderness. . . . let's point our heaters [handguns] the other way"

"Dial 7"; Digable Planets, Blowout Comb, 1994, Pendulum Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"Get them devil-made guns and leave them demons bleeding; give them back whips, and just feed them bullets"

"Wicked Ways"; Sunz of Man, One Million Strong: The Album, 1995, Mergela Records, Solar/Hines Co., Prolific Records.
"It's time to send the devil to the essence. . . . this is a must because there ain't no reform or trust; you got a Glock and you see a devil, bust. . . . they'll be calling us the trigger men, the nappy-knotty red-beard devil-assassin; Lord make a law; at midnight I'll be bashing. . . . field niggas [are] locked in until 2005"

"Field N#gguhz in a Huddle"; Professor Griff, Blood of the Prophet; 1998, Lethal Records, Mercury Records, PolyGram, Philips' Electronics NV, Netherlands. PolyGram merged with Universal Music Group in 1998, the parent being The Seagram Company of Canada.
"He prays on old white ladies [who] drive the Mercedes with the windows cracked. . . . you should've heard the bitch screaming. . . . sticking guns in crackers' mouths. . . . the cops can't stop it. . . . remember 4-29-92, come on; Florence and Normandy coming to a corner near you, cracker; we've been through your area, mass hysteria; led by your motherfucking Menace Clan"

"Mad Nigga"; Menace Clan, Da Hood, 1995, Rap-A-Lot Records, Noo Trybe Records, Time Warner, USA.
"The black man is god. . . . buy a Tec [and] let loose in the Vatican. . . . I love the black faces; so put your Bible in the attic"

"Ain't No Mystery"; Brand Nubian, In God We Trust, 1992, Elektra Entertainment, Warner Communications, Time Warner, USA.
"Rhymes is rugged like burnt buildings in Harlem; the Ol Dirty Bastard. . . . I'm also militant. . . . snatching devils up by the hair, then cut his head off" [Audio]

"Cuttin Headz"; Ol Dirty Bastard, Return of the 36 Chambers: the Dirty Version; 1995, Elektra Entertainment, Time Warner, USA.
"Listen to this black visionary, bringing war like a revolutionary. . . . go on a killing spree, putting devils out their misery; hearing screams, sounds of agony; my hostility takes over me. . . . camouflaged ninjas avenging" [Audio]

"Under Seige"; Killarmy, Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, 1997, Wu-Tang Records, Priority Records, The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"Swing by on the pale guy. . . . break him in the neck. . . . the guerrilla with the poison tip. . . . shaking pinky up on a dull-ass ice-pick . . . this is Lench Mob. . . . devil, what you want to do; when you see the boot, knew your head is hoohoo "

"King of the Jungle"; Da Lench Mob, Planet of da Apes, 1994, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"Dropping verses, casting curses, throwing these hexes on the devils. . . . respect to Farrakhan, but I'm the jungle-don, the new guerrilla, top-ranked honky killer. . . . what do blacks do; they just keep on blowing devils away. . . . evil [censored] cracker. . . . I'm tightening up the laces to my steel-toed boots, so I can walk, stomp; we stomp this devil down in the park"

"Planet of da Apes"; Da Lench Mob, Planet of da Apes, 1994, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"We're having thoughts of overthrowing the government. . . . the brothers and sisters threw their fists in the air. . . . it's open season on crackers, you know; the morgue will be full of Caucasian John Doe's. . . . I make the Riot [censored] look like a fairy tale. . . . oh my god, Allah, have mercy; I'm killing them devils because they're not worthy to walk the earth with the original black man; they must be forgetting; it's time for Armageddon, and I won't rest until they're all dead"

"Goin Bananas"; Da Lench Mob, Planet of da Apes, 1994, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"The crackers ain't [censored]; chase them out of the jungle; now raise up off the planet. . . . we get the 12 gauge; shot to the chest. . . . we hitting devils up. . . . Da Lench Mob, environmental terrorist. . . . I gripped the Glock and had to knock his head from his shoulders. . . . I got the .30[6] on the rooftop; pop; pop; so many devils die. . . . make sure I kill them. . . . lynch a thousand a week if it's necessary"

"Environmental Terrorist"; Da Lench Mob, Planet of da Apes, 1994, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"Like an armed struggle. . . . I come with the New Wu Order. . . . waging war on the devils' community. . . . whipped cardinals and one Pope" [Audio]

"Universal Soldiers"; Killarmy, Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, 1997, Wu-Tang Records, Priority Records, The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"Swinging out of the trees, is the blood-spilling, devil-killing, nappy-headed g.'s. . . . blacks and Mexicans must take a stand. . . . I'm down with Chico, and not with the man"

"Set the [censored] Straight"; Da Lench Mob, Planet of da Apes, 1994, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"[censored] them laws, because the Mob is coming raw; nigga, is you down because it's the Final Call. . . . grab your gat; know the three will start busting; I'm trying to take them down. . . . the war of wars with no [censored] scores. . . . April 29 was a chance to realize . . . the g.'s are out to kill. . . . we got crackers to kill; sending them back in on a ship to Europe. . . . they deserve it. . . . a nation-wide riot across America. . . . this is the Final Call on black man and black woman, rich and poor; rise up"

"Final Call"; Da Lench Mob, Planet of da Apes, 1994, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"I come with the wicked style. . . . I got everybody jumping to the voodoo. . . . I got a gat and I'm looking out the window like Malcolm. . . . April 29 was power to the people, and we just might see a sequel"

"Wicked"; Ice Cube, The Predator, 1992, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"Deal with the devil with my motherfucking steel [handgun]. . . . white man is something I tried to study, but I got my hands bloody, yeah. . . . I met Farrakhan and had dinner" [Audio]

"When Will They Shoot"; Ice Cube, The Predator, 1992, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"Actual fact you need to be black. . . . everyday I fight a devil. . . . I grab a shovel to bury a devil. . . . the battle with the beast, Mr. 666. . . . my mind rolled to a 7th level; grab my bazooka and nuke a devil. . . . with black, I build; for black, I kill"

"Fightin the Devil"; RBX, The RBX Files, 1995, Premeditated Records, Warner Brother Records, Time Warner, USA.
"I pledge allegiance to only the black. . . . black, you had best prepare for the coming of war. . . . look at you devil; now you're sweating; I'm telling you: you can't run from the hand of Armageddon. . . . he eats his pig-steak rare so he can taste the blood"

"No Time"; RBX, The RBX Files, 1995, Premeditated Records, Warner Brother Records, Time Warner, USA.
"Killing devils [and] scatter they ashes over the sea of Mediterranean. . . . open your eyes to the revolution. . . . unite with the black coalition" [Audio]

"Wake Up"; Killarmy, Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, 1997, Wu-Tang Records, Priority Records, The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"My own kind blind, brain-trained on the devil-level. . . . chasing down loot, Dole or Newt, who do you shoot. . . . rough stuff to the babies, spread like rabies"

"Niggativity . . . Do I Dare Disturb the Universe"; Chuck D, Autobiography of MistaChuck, 1996, Mercury Records, PolyGram, Philips' Electronics NV, Netherlands. PolyGram merged within Universal Music Group in 1998, the parent being The Seagram Company, Canada.
"Buck the devil; boom. . . . shoot you with my .22; I got plenty of crew; I take out white boys. . . . we got big toys with the one-mile scope, taking whitey's throat"

"Buck tha Devil"; Da Lench Mob, Guerrillas in tha Mist, 1992, Eastwest Records America, Elektra, Atlantic, Time Warner, USA.
"Little devils don't go to heaven. . . . the AK forty . . . hold a fifty clip, and I'll shoot until it's empty. . . . I'm killing only seven million civilians. . . . one dead devil"

"Freedom Got an AK"; Da Lench Mob, Guerrillas in tha Mist, 1992, Eastwest Records America, Elektra, Atlantic, Time Warner, USA.
"Grab your deep-ass crews. . . . we gotta make them ends, even if it means Jack and friends. . . . now you're doomed, hollow-points to the dome; once again it's on. . . . out comes my .22. . . . I'm the cut-throat; now I got to cut you . . . '94 is the season for lynching; from out of the dark is the South Central g., ready-hand steady on a bloody machete. . . . a devil is on my shoulder; should I kill it; hell yah. . . . I slice Jack. . . . took an axe, and gave that bitch, Jill, forty wacks. . . . with my hip hop . . . it don't stop, until heads roll off the cutting block"

"Cut Throats"; Da Lench Mob, Planet of da Apes, 1994, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
"A young fugitive soldier. . . . soon to make the devil kneel"

"Not Promised Tomorrow"; Sunz of Man, Sunz of Man: The Last Shall Be First, 1998, Threat Records, Wu-Tang Records, Red Ant Entertainment, BMG Distribution, BMG
Entertainment, Bertelsmann AG of Germany.
"Camouflaged for the mission. . . . become Bonnie and Clyde; carry .45's in these last days. . . . an original black man with a plan to run these devils off our motherfucking land. . . . the Sunz of Man war track. . . . kept gun in hand, stalking the land"

"Can I See You"; Sunz of Man, Sunz of Man: The Last Shall Be First, 1998, Threat Records, Wu-Tang Records, Red Ant Entertainment, BMG Distribution, BMG Entertainment,
Bertelsmann, Germany.
"I may die in the scuffle but I'm taking forty devils" [Audio]
"The City"; Wu-Tang Clan, Wu-Tang Forever, 1997, Loud Records, Wu-Tang Productions, RCA Records, BMG Distribution, BMG Entertainment, Bertelsmann, Germany.
"Roping up the devils, have them hanging from my testicles" [Audio]

"Nowhere To Run"; Gravediggaz, 6 Feet Deep, 1997 reissue of a 1994 album, Gee Street Records, BMG Distribution, BMG Entertainment, Bertelsmann AG, Germany.
"Devils get baked. . . . devils are all defeated. . . . breaking devils down" [Audio]

"Blood Brothers"; Gravediggaz, 6 Feet Deep, 1997 reissue of a 1994 album, Gee Street Records, BMG Distribution, BMG Entertainment, Bertelsmann AG, Germany.
"I love black women and I hate [censored] crackers. . . . I destroyed a whole city like Sodom and Gomorrah or Babylon. . . . devils choke from the gunsmoke. . . . I'm swelling devils' melons. . . . send your asses to Kings County; solo pro-morgue supplier" [Audio]

"Graveyard Chamber"; Gravediggaz, 6 Feet Deep, 1997 reissue of a 1994 album, Gee Street Records, BMG Distribution, BMG Entertainment, Bertelsmann AG, Germany.
"I'm hanging devils' heads on a evergreen bush" [Audio]

"Dangerous Mindz"; Gravediggaz, The Pick The Sickle and The Shovel, 1997, Gee Street Records, BMG Distribution, BMG Entertainment, Bertelsmann, Germany.
"Cloud, which means to overshadow the other man, mess up his game plan. . . . South Park Black Panther coming at last. . . . I need more brothers to roll over the government. . . . I got the nine [millimeter pistol], the mind, and the time to unwind new-school pro-black dope [great] rhymes. . . . there's 10,000 of us; how you gonna stop this bum-rush, fool. . . . talk is cheap; you best believe that, black; actions speak louder than words, and that's a fact"

"Cloud on Suckas"; The Terrorists, Terror Strikes: Always Bizness Never Personal, 1991, Rap-A-Lot Records, Priority Records, Thorn EMI, United Kingdom. Rap-A-Lot Records was owned by Virgin Records for about four years before 1999, when it joined back with Priority. Thorn EMI changed its name in 1998 to EMI Group.
"I'm black with a bat, swinging at the head of a honky. . . . The Terrorists about to murder your ass"

"Blow Dem Hoes Up"; The Terrorists, Terror Strikes: Always Bizness Never Personal, 1991, Rap-A-Lot Records, Priority Records, Thorn EMI, United Kingdom.
"Squeeze your nostrils tight and gag your mouth with a Bud Light; peace to all the blacks. . . . The Terrorists kicking political rough [censored] and we won't quit until the other man's throat slit from one ear to the other"

"Bomb Threat"; The Terrorists, Terror Strikes: Always Bizness Never Personal, 1991, Rap-A-Lot Records, Priority Records, Thorn EMI, United Kingdom.
"A fight, a nigger and a white, if the nigger don't win then we all jump in" [Audio]

"Ghetto Mentalitee"; Onyx, All We Got Iz Us, 1995, Rush Associated Labels Recordings, PolyGram Group Distribution, Philips' Elecronics, Netherlands.
"Waiting for the crackers; smuggle; his mug is in the gutters. . . . so we need your participation in the Caucasian assassination; time is wasting. . . . so who is in association with the nigger retaliation; it needs your total cooperation. . . . a confrontation will be fought by the younger generation; because we got determination; all we need is organization" [Audio]

"Purse Snatchers"; Onyx, All We Got Iz Us, 1995, Rush Associated Labels Recordings, PolyGram Group Distribution, Philips' Elecronics, Netherlands.
"The real black army is in jail. . . . come on my fellow prisoners, time to go to war. . . . what we need to do is point the guns in the right direction, aha. . . . me and my piece came to claim the brown man's cut. . . . infiltrate until it burns down. . . . what we need to be talking about is what we gonna do to them; I'll get revenge if it's the last thing I do. . . . they got us brainwashed to be the minority, but when we kill them off we gonna be the majority. . . . if the whites speak up, then I'll lead my people, because two wrongs don't make it right but it damn sure make us equal; I'm inciting riots, so let's start the looting. . . . in this revolution I loathe my enemy" [Audio]

"2 Wrongs"; Onyx, All We Got Iz Us, 1995, Rush Associated Labels Recordings, PolyGram Group Distribution, Philips' Elecronics, Netherlands.


http://www.amren.com/rap.htm

[daryn]

wow, M you have done your homework.

[Terry]

[ QUOTE ]
It is an assumption indeed, but that doesn't mean it isn't also a fact.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is not a fact. It is your opinion, founded on some religion based (though I doubt you'll see that fact) moral code with which I firmly disagree.

[MMMMMM]

What the heck are you talking about? I'm really having trouble understanding what you are trying to say here. I don't see what religion has to do with it either.

If you think pimping and drug dealing are not less moral than banking and frugality (though I find that hard to fathom, and it has nothing to do with any religious moral code IMO), how about mugging and street violence? Street violence is greatly glorified in rap lyrics. Same essential point, different example. Rappers glorify shootings etc., while the black leaders raise hell over a silly board game instead of over Body Count rapping about being a Cop-Killer, or about all the rap lyrics that talk about shooting whitey. That's the comparison I am trying to make: those outraged black leaders ought to have a lot more to raise hell about than a silly board game, and I don't hear them doing it. When was the last time Jesse Jackson castigated all those rappers?

By the way I think drugs should be decriminalized but that doesn't mean that dealing drugs is not a destructive act.

[trillig]

Should have Whinopoly!

It's a friggin game not real life FOOLS! <use Mr. T voice for full effect>

There are tons more offensive things in this world that really need looked at then some silly game, focusing on this type of stuff to me is just FOOLS trying to get their name in the papers.

Clean up the ghettos! Do something useful ya Dirty 'Ol Bassturds <Mr. T again>

With joblessness in this country GROWING, things that matter like FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER should come first.

-t

[MMMMMM]

Thanks, Daryn.

I got tired of all the nonsense from people on this board who don't believe what I have been saying about various subjects.

Without those links it would be 10-1 that ACPlayer, andyfox, nickyg, and others would have pooh-poohed my assertion that a great deal of rap music is incredibly violent and glorifies violence, or they would have said it does a bit but it's not that big a deal. But as those lyrics show, and as the rappers who get killed demonstrate, it really is a big deal. Some of those lyrics are so strong and racist and violent as to make today's Klansmen look almost like flower-children by comparison.

(other topic) Also, as I told ACPlayer, there are many more enjoinments to violence versus non-believers in the Koran than there are in the New Testament and even the Old Testament. He apparently doesn't believe me. But you know it's a pain looking this stuff up just to satisfy people who think they know in advance all the answers, even on topics where they are truly ignorant.

Sorry for giving you more than you asked for with this post;-)

[jokerswild]

Please spare us your Bush brown nosing, goose stepping prejudice. What do you think of people who out intelligence officers? You think they should be re-elected (or should I say appointed). Your hyochcrisy aand ugliness are showing, and smelling more foul every post.

[jokerswild]

Tell that to the thousnads of lynching victims' ghosts. You are a disgusting pig. I believe that calling someone an "MMMMM" is the worst insult.

[jokerswild]

They don't. Only racial pigs like the disgusting MMMMM make light of discrimination and torture. Of course they support torture directed against their political enemies.
they are "MMMMMMMMMMMMM"s.

Why does an "MMMMMMMMMM" tell racial jokes?
Answer: because it makes him or her feel racially superior.

[blueboles]

I don't need to tell racial jokes to feel racially superior. I am racially superior. See if you can guess which one.

[MMMMMM]

I think you missed the point too, jokerswild. Also, it's MMMMMM not MMMMM.

[MMMMMM]

I don't think our political enemies should be tortured. Whatever gave you that idea?

I also very rarely tell racial jokes, and if I do, I try to pick ones that are in good taste. People like you who take them too seriously make me want to tell them more, though.

Also, I don't believe in racial superiority, but I do believe in the superiority or inferiority of various cultural practices. If you don't agree then you are not thinking clearly. You must practice thinking with your intellect instead of with your emotions.

Just for one day, jokerswild, try this:

Whenever you are confronted with a difficult decision on that day, ask yourself this question: what would Mr. Spock do in this situation? I think you may find this to be it an enlightening exercise.

Sincerely, MMMMMM

[MMMMMM]

Dear jokerswild,

I haven't been following the CIA analyst/officer/whatever outing case, so I really can't comment on it at this point. I also therefore can't think that whoever did it should be re-elected or re-appointed, or not, since I haven't yet formed any opinion whatsoever on the case in question.

Given that I haven't yet offered an opinion on the case, why would you think that I am showing ugliness and hypocrisy with regards to it? Are you sure you haven't confused me with someone else, perhaps?

Try that little exercise I gave you in an earlier post and let me know whether it helps or not. I will be eagerly awaiting your response.

Best Regards, MMMMMM

[daryn]

you must be italian

[MMMMMM]

Dolphin?

[adios]

One thing that screams out to me in Blueprint is the lack of a father figure and male role models. Even black leaders like Louis Farrakahn recognized this problem long ago witness the "Million Man March" he organized in 1995. Theme timely, but organizer is controversial (http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/nman004.htm)

Note this excerpt:

The concept strikes a chord: A million black men march on Washington to declare that they will be responsible for themselves and their families, not to demand that government bail them out.

I don't agree with Farrakahn's viewpoints on many things including is own version of racial predjudices. But this particular stance is one that seems to be a valid response to a cultural problem that existed and still does. I dare say that you won't see Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton or other black leaders within the Democratic party calling for such action anytime soon. Allow we to change that to any leaders within the Democratic party anytime soon.

[MMMMMM]

Interesting, and I did not know so much about of the Million Man March before reading your post and the article.

The stance of responsibility rather than dependency does seem to be a valid response, as you say, and I'll go further and say it (or similiar) is probably quite necessary if widespread problems in the black community are to be overcome. I think such things are far more important than government programs or affirmative action.

As I've mentioned before, when I read Booker T. Washington's autobiography Up From Slavery I am always amazed at the incredible hardships and obstacles that human being overcame, and overcame with dignity and honor, to rise to a highly successful and fulfilling position in life. And as I've said before, it humbles me to think that my own obstacles, which at times have seemed so great, are so little by comparison, and that he did far more with less than I have managed to do with more. I think everyone in junior high school should be required to read this book, and to read it again in high school.

[adios]

Good points and I think it supports my contention made in my discussion with Andy regarding exploitation. If you want to maintain the status quo of having the solid block of votes, encourage dependency on that status quo if you will.

[blueboles]

nope. the other "I"

[daryn]

had to be one or the other. i suppose /images/graemlins/ooo.gif

[elwoodblues]

[ QUOTE ]
for any kind of slur to make some one offended it has to have some element of truth to it or everyone would just say huh, whats that all about.

[/ QUOTE ]

Come on, that is just an insane comment. The reason people are offended by such comments is not that they are true, but because other people's belief that it is true has significant negative consequences. I'll give you a concrete example. Let's assume that some white guy in a militia blew up a federal building using some fertilizer. Then in he is labelled as some "right wing extremist." Now, anytime you want to discredit someone on the right, you can call them a "right wing extremist." You might even find a bunch of people on the right claiming that this is an unfair characterization. They would claim that lumping in the Oklahoma City Bombers with the rest of the right is unfair, they might even call for a more correct characterization of the bomber, in a political sense; they would claim that such characterizations lead to negative stereotypes about the right.

Is it true that people on the right routinely go about blowing up buildings...absolutely not. Is it true that some individuals on the right might be crazy enough to do so...absolutely. However, the negative characterization of "right wing extremist" brings to mind unfair/nasty connotations that do nothing but slur the individual labelled as such.

I guess "politically correct" goes both ways.

elwoodblues

[Ray Zee]

it would be an exact characterization. a right winger that does that stuff is indeed a right wing extremist. and if you call someone that you arent implying he is a bomber but implying he is out out on the fringe. and extremists are out there. theats why they are called that. simple from someone who makes insane remarks.

[Mano]

Well here you have it, Republicans want a resurgence in "family values" and education in the black community

This is just lip service if they are unwilling to provide the funds to promote these values and education. The current administration has shown that giving large tax cuts to the richest segment of the population is a higher priority than funding education.

I'm not certain of this but I'd be willing to wager that the more affluent a US black citizen is, the more likely they are to vote Republican.

People generally vote in what they percieve to be their best self interest, especially in their best financial self interest. The Republican party has historically given priority to the financial needs of the affluent, hence I am also sure that regardless of race, the more affluent a person the more likely they are to vote Republican.

I am not going to argue that all of the black or Democratic leadership is always acting in the best interest of their constituentcy. Neither do I believe all the Republican leadership is racist (although there have been some such as Helms, David Duke, etc.). I believe you are correct in your assertion that there are a disproportionate amount of blacks that are in poverty . If the Republicans wish these people to vote for them they need to give them tangible reasons to do so. If they were to shift their priorities from tax cuts for the rich to funding education and job programs for the poor they would certainly capture some votes. Rhetoric is meaningless unless it is backed up by tangible benefits.

[MMMMMM]

"If they were to shift their priorities from tax cuts for the rich to funding education and job programs for the poor they would certainly capture some votes."

The best job program for the poor is for the economy to be strong, taxes low, and employment opportunites (including the chance for self-employment) abundant.

The best education program for the poor is to ignore race and provide more consideration and financial aid to low-income applicants--regardless of race.

The best way for certain races to do better scholastically is to study harder: witness the Asians who at one time were every bit as poor and disadvantaged as the blacks or Hispanics, but who, through dint of sheer hard work and persistence, rose to become the greatest scholastic achievers by group in the USA. More homework, less television: that's 90% of it at least. Is it any surprise that the group that studies hardest does the best.

[adios]

"This is just lip service if they are unwilling to provide the funds to promote these values and education."

Federal outlays for education have increased from $57,143,000 in 2001 to $86,252,00 for 2003 estimated (probably more actually). An increase of over 52% in two years. I'd call that a very big increase wouldn't you?

Federal Budget Data (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2004/pdf/hist.pdf)

"The current administration has shown that giving large tax cuts to the richest segment of the population is a higher priority than funding education."

From an op ed piece in the Wall Street Journal awhile back about the Bush tax cuts and who pays taxes.

As you may have noticed, the critics of President Bush's new tax cut package claim it is a sop to the rich. This charge makes us wonder if they've even read the plan. The truth is that the Bush proposals would make the tax code more progressive, not less. And this isn't altogether a good thing.

The soak-the-rich facts, if any journalists cared to look, are contained in the income distribution tables on the plan compiled by the Treasury Department. Looking at the impact for 2003, Treasury finds that the average reduction in income taxes is a touch more than 12%. But for those who make less than $30,000 the average reduction is about 17%, while for those who earn more than $100,000 it is 11.4% or less. (See the table below.)

There's even better news for modern Robin Hoods. Because the percentage reduction for families with incomes under $50,000 is greater under the Bush plan, those families would pay a smaller share of the total income tax than they do under current law.

Tax Cuts for the Poor
Lower earners would get a larger percentage income tax cut on average under the Bush plan.
Income Percentage reduction
0-$30,000 17.0%
30-40,000 20.1%
40-50,000 14.5%
50-75,000 11.4%
75-100,000 13%
100-200,000 11.4%
200,000-plus 11.2%
Total 12.3%
Families with incomes over $100,000 would end up paying a larger share of the total income tax. These families would pay 73% of all federal income taxes. Not to put too fine a point on this income redistribution, but taxpayers with incomes over $200,000 could expect on average to pay about $99,000 in taxes under Mr. Bush's plan.





How could this happen? Mr. Bush would relieve 3.8 million lower-income taxpayers from paying any income taxes. The chief tax remover comes from his proposal to accelerate the increase in the child credit to $1,000 from $600, bumping a touch more than three million taxpayers right off the rolls.
No doubt the Bush team proposed this tilt toward lower income taxpayers to mute the class-warrior critics, not that we've noticed any lower decibel level. But one certain consequence is that the plan exacerbates the growing problem of a bifurcated tax system.

We raised this issue several weeks ago, pointing out that the unceasing addition of exemptions, deductions and credits to the tax code was shrinking the tax-paying base. And, as more lower-income people saw tax liabilities fall to zero, more upper-income people shouldered a larger part of the tax burden. We did not, by the way, suggest that lower income people should pay higher taxes. We even went out of our way to flog our favorite horse that everybody should pay less in taxes.

We are merely pointing out the (apparently heretical) truth that the current tax system is very skewed against upper-income Americans. According to IRS data from 2000, the top 5% of tax filers paid more than 50% of total income tax revenue, and the top half of tax filers were responsible for almost all revenue--96% of the total take. This burden on the upper-income holds even when the payroll tax is included in overall distribution tables. (The payroll tax includes the regressive Social Security levy and the 1.45% Medicare tax that applies to every dollar of income.)

The Congressional Budget Office has looked at the distributive impact of various taxes for 1997. The income-tax share of the lowest-income family quintile (the bottom 20%) was negative 1.2% and the share of the highest family quintile was 73.3%. The difference in payroll-tax share was somewhat less dramatic at 3.9% for the lowest quintile and 40.6% for the highest. But when all federal taxes were thrown together, the share of the lowest quintile was 1.6%, while the share of the highest quintile was 60.2%. Karl Marx, call your office.


Here is the whole piece if you care to read it.


Lucky Duckies Again (http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110002938)

Here's an article about who pays taxes and what proportion.

The Non-Taxpaying Class (http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110002937)

From the op ed piece:

Even the barest of glances at tax data reveal a system that is steeply progressive. Tax revenue has been increasingly squeezed out of top earners. According to the most recent data, from 1999, the richest--with income above half a million dollars--constituted 0.5% of taxpayers but accounted for 28% of total tax revenue. Simply put, a tiny group of people (553,380) were responsible for more than one-quarter of the income tax take of $877 billion.





Well, maybe you're saying--so what? They can afford it. Then take a look at those who aren't Richie Rich. The most recent data from the IRS, in 2000, show that the top 5% coughed up more than half of total tax revenue. Specifically, we are talking about folks with adjusted gross incomes of $128,336 and higher being responsible for 56% of the tax take. Eyebrows raised? There's more. The top 50% of taxpayers accounted for almost all income tax revenue--96% of the total take.


The top 96% of all income tax is paid by the top 50% of the wage earners. You can't give a tax cut to people who pay ZERO taxes.
"If the Republicans wish these people to vote for them they need to give them tangible reasons to do so. If they were to shift their priorities from tax cuts for the rich to funding education and job programs for the poor they would certainly capture some votes. Rhetoric is meaningless unless it is backed up by tangible benefits."

Want to rethink that statement in light of the data? Listen to the Democratic party presidential candidates Lieberman and Kerry. They want to KEEP the middle class tax cuts acknowledgeing that yes there's others than the very rich that received a tax cut.

[Mano]

More than half the wealth in the country is owned by the top few percent, so your statistics are very misleading. Redo the tax cut numbers in terms of actual dollars and not percentages, and it is very evident whom the cuts benefit.

[adios]

Your original post:

"This is just lip service if they are unwilling to provide the funds to promote these values and education."

Which I responded that the current Republican administration has increased spending by over 50% from the previous Democratic administration. Misleading statistic? Nope.

"The current administration has shown that giving large tax cuts to the richest segment of the population is a higher priority than funding education."

To which I responded showing figures that on a percentage basis those in with incomes between 0-$100,000 got a bigger tax cut. Is that a misleading statistic? Nope.

You answered this with a non sequiter:

"More than half the wealth in the country is owned by the top few percent, so your statistics are very misleading."

Doesn't mean a thing regarding your contention that the Republicans are short changing education by giving tax cuts to wealthy tax payers.

You further responded:

"Redo the tax cut numbers in terms of actual dollars and not percentages, and it is very evident whom the cuts benefit."

That's an absurd statement. People that get a higher percentage of their income to use as disposable income benefit more.