Kanye West...

[waltappel 1]

I really don't like the idea of a homogeneous population. Variety appeals to me.

Walt

[kbordson 8]

As nice as that could be to eliminate injustices....

There will always be some way to notice difference. And with that difference, there will be one group that thinks it better... look at the sneeches.

You also have to understand that in the differences between the races, there is a diversity that needs to be appreciated. To blend it completely would be a horrid mistake (like throwing the baby out with the bathwater).... no more "Black Heritage" nor St. Patricks Day, Cinco de Mayo, Syttende Mai, Wicah'pi Cikala, Samhain and that Octoberfest is right out.

Yes, the color is different. Yes, the background is different.
But deal with it and make the best for who you want to be.

Life can be tough whether you grew up poor in the slum or if you grew up in "middle class" suburbia.
And before anyone fires back that I don't know what I'm talking about cuz I wasn't there, blah blah blah.... imagine being a 14 year old girl pregnant because she was raped by her father, or her brother or ... I have seen some sick things come from "normal" households. Does her race really matter?! And the household income doesn't determine whether there will be abuse. Just having money doesn't make the life better automatically. It does eliminate some challenges, granted.... but sometimes life can just suck.
There are "good" people out there and there are "bad" people out there.... just try to be more on the "good" side and remember that the SPIRIT of life is what is important. (and the SPIRIT doesn't have color)

k.

[happythoughts 0]

There is always the law of unintended consequences.

If they decide to take the references to drugs out of songs. Maybe also any imagery that may promote negative role models...

We'll probably never hear another country and western song. No more drinkin' and fightin' songs. Those darned white people.

Outlaw mythology is all over American literature. Outlaws are somehow stronger than "The Man". They live their own life and define their own rules.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
The James Gang.
Those whiskey runners, The Kennedy Family.

Cops shows with the live-by-the-rules old-timer partnered with the bend-all-the-rules youngster. (Lethal Weapon series, Steven Seagal movies, Chuck Norris)

"I've got friends in low places, where the whiskey..."

[busaunit 0]

a funny thing is he sounds like bush when he speaks.


he knows whats going but no one else does.

[Treejumps 0]

*** Here is what's up ,Walt.
Regardless of what is true the reality is that a large portion of the Black community are up in arms and fed up with their "lot in life".
They hold many percieved injustices against the establishment(white folks).
This is a cauldron that will boil over and it does in individual cases every day.

So how can we lower the heat?

Bush thinks that by bringing democracy to foreign lands he can stem the tide of terrorism.
Is there a similar plan to minimize the cultural divide here at home?

I find it strange to agree with one of your posts Cliff. Even stranger is that you made sense and wrote something clearly understandable.

OTOH, A violent overthrow of the US by black America is a joke. The US military can stop it with ease, and even if they couldn't most of the 300 million guns owned in this country are owned by non-blacks, so it would not be much of a fight.

I to have been waiting for the race riots to break out in all of the inner cities of America. Maybe if the economy slips it will begin, but as long as the workeing class can keep supporting the welfare class, the welfare class will stay put. Not doing anything for one's self is the hallmark of the welfare class, so a planned overthrow just isn;t in the cards. If they could plan that out they wouldn't be 5th generation welfare leeches.

But still, you made some very good points. Maybe there is hope afterall.

[billvon 2,400]

> If eveyone was half black/white or hispanic, asian...whatever.....How
> could we get pissed at each other . . . .

Then we'd base our hatreds on religion. Or nationality. Or eye color. Or height. There are some people out there who need to feel like they belong to the 'good' group and these other people belong to the 'bad' group. Whether that bad group is blacks, or arabs, or muslims, or jews, or japanese - that's a detail.

[rehmwa 2]

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>Whether that bad group is blacks, or arabs, or muslims, or jews, or japanese - that's a detail.

Just look at DZ.com history of posts about Freeflying vs Belly Flying. Not everyone is tongue in cheek in their comments. Some are completely serious.

Human nature to try and tie oneself to a special group.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[KATO33 0]

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Personally, he sickens me. He took advantage of a charity event to push his own agenda. Regardless of what his message was, his goal was not to help anyone in N.O., he was there solely for his own personal gain. Unfortunatly, because of all the media attention he is getting, it worked

What personal gain did he receive from his comments??? Media Attention ?

Blue Skies Black Death

[justinb138 0]

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What personal gain did he receive from his comments???

Lots of free advertising, which isn't bad in itself, but he took advantage of a charity event to get it.

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Media Attention ?

A ton of it.

[KATO33 0]

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As I recall, the issue in the trial was whether the police officers violated L.A. police department policy and the jury found that they did not.

Yes and thus the ensuing riots.
F*** it if that's police policy then there is no hope.

Blue Skies Black Death

[KATO33 0]

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Lots of free advertising, which isn't bad in itself, but he took advantage of a charity event to get it.

So it's your contention that Kanye planned the comments he made. in advance to further his professional career

Blue Skies Black Death

[justinb138 0]

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Lots of free advertising, which isn't bad in itself, but he took advantage of a charity event to get it.

So it's your contention that Kanye planned the comments he made. in advance to further his professional career

Pretty much. He knew he would get alot of media attention from it, so it certainly wouldn't hurt his career.

I don't have any problem with him making statements like that, even though they were pretty off the wall, and solely for the media attention. (And I still wonder how he could honestly use the word "us" in his rant.)

I do have a problem with him taking advantage of a charity event to do it. The event was supposed to be about helping the victims of the hurricane, he made it about his personal opinions instead.

[waltappel 1]

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Lots of free advertising, which isn't bad in itself, but he took advantage of a charity event to get it.

So it's your contention that Kanye planned the comments he made. in advance to further his professional career

Your question wasn't directed to me but I'll jump in here. I think he did loosely plan his comments as well as that "deer in the headlights" look that he had while delivering them.

His "...and they've given them permission to go out and shoot us" remark seems so incredibly disingenuous to me that I think it must have been marketing ploy.

The son of a college professor, he grew up in suburban Chicago, and has made his fortune as a successful music producer and performer. Equating himself to the welfare class is a huge stretch. I read somewhere than the shirt he was wearing while making those comments was a $400 Louis Vuitton shirt. Not exactly ghetto fashion.

Beyond that, who authorized who to shoot who?

I just don't buy it. At the very least his remarks were race-baiting. Nobody but Kanye West really knows whether they were calculated, but the fact that the comments were timed just after he got himself on the cover of Time Magazine and released a new CD, make it look to me like he took advantage of a bad situation. Smart for sure--his CD sales went through the roof--but I don't see his comments as being honest or completely spontaneous.

Walt

[eflynn 0]

Kanye grew up the son of a college professor but it's not as if he's from a wealthy family. He didn't grow up in the suburbs of chicago as you stated. He's from the South side of Chicago. How do I know? I met him in '94 while I was still in school at Morehouse through his current manager, Jon Jon aka Jon Monopoly, who lived down the hall from me. He grew up just like I did, the son of an educated parent not that far removed from those less fortunate. So while it may seem like a stretch to you it wouldn't be to either one of us. The fact that he's doing very well now doesn't mean he can't identify with those who aren't.