Jason Whitlock column on Taylor

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by warriorzpath

Selling positive messages does not work - it does not work in the TV, Film, Sports, and Internet media industries. How will it work for hip hop? And we cannot control hip hop artists or anyone else, only ourselves. We can have an influence, depending on relationships and our political and economic power, on someone else, but not we may not be able to convince them to do anything. Of course, everyone thinks about their own well-being first and then maybe social issues.

I think you have hit on a major part of the solution. Grassroots involvement. Everyone needs to be involved in the lives of these teenagers / young men who are at risk. Volunteer at the local schools, talk to kids in your neighboorhood, be involved with extended family. Try to help single parents if they need it.

You are absolutely right, we will never change the rap/hip-hop lyrics or message beause there is too much money to be made by the "artists" (used losely) and because there is no such thing as a socially responsible corporation. Corporations by nature are concerned with only one thing, profits. The only time they make the appearance of being socially responsible is when it helps generate (or protect) profits.

We need to re-inforce to the young men in our country that the rappers, TV & movie personalities aren't "real". They are selling an image and writing lyrics that "gets them paid". They don't live in the projects or in low-income housing. They aren't on the corner "hustlin'". They may have at one point in their lives, but once they got a break and became successful, 98% of them get out of the "hood" as fast as they can.

We need to try to keep the energy these young men have focused in a positive way on sports & academics or whatever other positive activity can keep them interested. Most of all we can't ever give up on these young men or wait for someone else to come up with a solution (gov't, corporations, leaders).

I think about the kids I coach and am always concerned between the end of the season and pre-season workouts because I don't see them and can't give them some corny message or cliche about "doing their homework" or "staying out of trouble". I just pray that I don't get a phone call, letting me know we lost a young man to arrest or worse.

I know we won't be able to save every young man, but we will save some and that's why we need to keep re-inforcing the positive messages on a on-on-one level, get an education, learn to win/lose respectably, learn to work within a team and be good teammate, learn to be a leader. If we can connect one-on-one and stay involved in their lives and let them know we care, they will have something to live for other than "gettin' mine", their "cred", or being a "soulja". We just have to keep trying to show them the path Sean had already found with the birth of his daughter and hope they take it.