Hey, we’re famous!

Check out James Lawrence’s piece on Gangsta Rap:

As for the naysayers, on the Rochesterturning Web site, our campaign has been snidely tagged an “anti-rap jihad.”

But the critical point of the piece is that the 3 year old campaign is starting to gain national attention and the piece seems to take credit for a national movement:

(July 1, 2007) — The Editorial Board’s campaign against gangsta rap, now in its third year, is not only continuing to generate support across the Rochester region, but it’s starting to attract national attention and backing.

You can read the rest of James Lawrence’s piece if you want. I’m sure James is well intentioned and is trying to do something constructive about his view of the way things are. Ultimately, however, his piece is a self-serving and promotional piece that addresses a symptom, not the root cause. And it gets called out in the “storychat” comments by reader JWilliams:

Most importantly - James - yet again, you are missing the point.

Certainly, as with all things that fall into the broadly defined “arts and entertainment” category, there are questionable lyrics, undesirable content, and some merit in discussing these issues. But - are these the most important issues of our times? The most important issues for Rochester? The nation?

Fine, rail against “gangsta rap”. Put pictures of CEOs on simulated playing cards in a newspaper that look eerily like the Saddam playing cards.

Those Gangsta Rap kids aren’t reading your column, the artists, companies are making the music because, well, someone buys it.

The point here, of course, is you are taking an easy path. Railing against something that really isn’t fighting back. You may as well rail against the weather. Here are some suggestions - just off the top of my head, where to focus your incredible passions.

1. Provide Hope: How about you put your energy into a program that actually gives all residents of Monroe County hope that they can work w/in society and be successful? This means jobs, housing, and some sense that there is fairness in administering these to the population.

2. Sound Education: Well, how about putting your energies into strengthening education at all levels in our community?

3. Building and reinforcing our Community: Why do we have multiple communities that are played against each other? Rochester vs Suburbs, Towns vs County - Heck, Republicans vs Democrats? We finger point as we discuss who’s side of the lifeboat the hole is in. How about working to bring people together?

4. Accountability: We vote for our elected officials. They shouldn’t be corrupt and, if they fail, they should be called on it.

5. Motor Vehicle Safety: How about starting a campaign to ensure driver awareness - along the way working towards weeding alcohol, cell phones, unbuckled seat-belts, and for lack of a better term - stupidity - out of driving? Maybe we could save some lives?

There are many issues we can focus on. But don’t just take my word for it. This is a snip from an essay by James Peterson off your very own web site. The entire essay is worth a read:

We could assassinate all of the so-called gangsta rappers and we would still have too many guns in our neighborhoods; we’d still have structural, curricular and economic challenges in our education systems; and we’d still have rape, domestic abuse, teen pregnancy and American patriarchy and misogyny with which to contend as a community.

Henry Thoreau once said, “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.”

Go find the root - Mr Lawrence. Your activities, well intentioned I’m sure, are off base. Get to the root of the problem and the rest will follow because after three years into this program I’m not sure you are getting a good return on your activities.

Or, as D&C storychat poster JWilliams says in response to your piece,

Wouldn’t it be of bigger benefit to rally against things with a known, obvious injurious effect? Teen smoking? Teen pregnancy?

Gangsta rap is a symptom, not a cause. Don’t you get that yet?

Yep.