Please, Think of the Children.

As artists, we pride ourselves on our ability to speak the truth as we see it. We would never hold back to keep from offending others. But should we? Are we exposing too much? Are there young, impressionable minds who should cause us to cease our incessant madness?

No.

I'm not saying that all of our music should be necessarily be played directly to children. However, I don't feel that we should stop what we're doing just because children might at some point end up hearing it. Children hear a lot of things, and you know what? More often then not, they end up okay.

I just get frustrated with the whole decency argument when framed around children, because I think that paints a confusing picture. It's not up to gay hip hop artists to stop making graphic music. It's up to the parents to decide what their young kids should be listening to and when.

Most children learn about the real world at a very young age. I was a late-bloomer for swearing myself. I didn't say my first curse word until I was in third grade during recess. After school that day, I told my parents as soon as I got home and burst into tears. Most of my friends had probably been swearing since they started grade school.

When I hit fourth and fifth grades, kids were already starting to tease me for being Jewish, and some would call me a lesbian, even though none of us knew what that actually meant (and it clearly didn't apply since I'm not a woman, and I'm not into women either). So children grow up quite quickly, and it doesn't take long for them to learn to hate.

Kids also buy plenty of mainstream music that has explicit lyrics, as well as watching violence on TV, movies and videogames. They're exposed to quite a bit of intense material, so I don't see why it's okay for them to take in everything except for gay music and culture. If anything, children should be learning to love homosexuality and that it's okay, instead of learning that it's something disgusting that should be shunned.

I can understand people not wanting graphic music broadcast on radio stations or tv stations, where there are already restrictions for general content. However, I have seen people leave messages on artist websites and networks such as myspace and youtube, criticizing the music for being harmful for kids. No one is forcing your kids to wander over to these websites. If you're going to allow your children to roam the internet, then you should regulate what they can see. The world is a scary place, and I feel that we are the least of your problems.

In conclusion, please look after your own kids. They are eventually going to learn many things, so you should be the one to teach life fundamentals to them, before their peers teach them the wrong lessons. If they're going to take in everything else society throws at them, I think they'll be ready for some gay hip hop music soon enough.

Comments

[Khalil Amani]

Wonderfully written and truthful. Keep up the great writing!

[soce]

Thank you so much!! As a follow-up on how quickly children learn to be homophobic and the effects it has, please read this recent editorial.