Rapper Akon grinds an underage girl in front of spectators a few weeks ago during a Concert in Trinidad.
So now they are openly doing whatever they want to our young daughters, & sisters.
This is yet another story from the Rap World that will make Black folks proud i'm sure....
I don't expect Black men to react and reclaim their roles as men and vanquish this lunacy.... Black men (as a whole) have not been men for a long time now.
Black women??? They are part of the problem too.... Their absence from the debate is one big indication.
I often wonder if Black culture has degraded to such a low level that anything goes??? Are Black people at such a low level now that nothing shocks them into action....and anything is acceptable? Hip Hoppers feel comfortable enough now to grope women in public (PR Day Parade NYC.... remember that from a few years back?...among other events). Black folks have created an environment where these thugs feel comfortable and safe to do these things because they know that they will not be held accountable. Black folks have made them so comfortable now that they feel safe molesting underage children in public places (simulating rape).
When will negroes wake up? Do these people have to start moving to actual rape (intercourse) of your daughters before there is some kind of upheaval?
Black culture has been suffering from too much influence from Rap culture, and has in fact been co-opted by Rap culture. The result has been a Black culture that has lost many of its values.... family values in particular.
The question of parents? Let's just say that I agree 110% with Mr. Cosby....although many Black folks don't like him for his stance.... the man said what needed to be said.
This apparently happened in the Caribbean.... but it still will be associated with the genre started here... It is still a reflection of the same cultural ills.
And the father of the child, Dave Alleyne, should be arrested and charged with neglect. He has failed as a father...and failed again in terms of coming to her aid and standing up for her. He has not come out strongly against Akon or the Rap culture and popular culture that encourages this kind of activity.
And as for the young lady....Danah Alleyne...she also seems full of it. She says that the experience was horrible and she will never do it again. She claims that she didn't know what was happening....hmmm. She tried to play the completely innocent role. But the photos don't exactly match up with her portrayal. I am not saying that she was fully responsible... in fact, as a minor she is the least responsible of the three or four individuals who hold primary responsibility. However, she is not an angel. She apparently displayed a pattern of bad behavior.... which just adds to my bewilderment regarding how and why the parents did not see it and deal with it. Again... a lack of parenting.
It's a damn shame. Folks have been lulled into such a deep sleep that I don't think they will wake up in time...or wake up at all. The ship may have already been lost at this point. It's going to take 2 perhaps 3 generations to turn this thing around.... IF it's possible at all.
Now.... let the hair splitting and excuse making begin.... Blacks (for some reason) will always defend the worst of our race.... but when it comes to good causes, they are absent.
Akon and the Father of the child should both be shot.
WARNING....some links have video that may shock.
Report from Eurweb (link sometimes goes down temporarily)
Leechvideo
Report from Eurweb w/video (link sometimes goes down)
(The video that is circulating is footage from just one segment of the "contest"...the activity actually went on over a much longer period, and was more graphic than shown. At one point during the event, another male from Akons group joins in with Akon and the child).
From the San Francisco Chronicle Blog
Article from Trinidad Express
Post from Concrete Loop
Hollywood Grind (Photo Gallery At Bottom)
A Bloggers take on this story
From Pandagon
MediaTakeout
Water Cooler Music
Newsday article
Posts
9 comments:
Web Site Clearinghouse for Grassroots Efforts to Combat Misogyny in Music
I think there plenty of us that are equally outraged about the portrayal of African American women in popular culture . Following the Oprah Town Hall meeting I decided to create a website to serve as a clearing house of all of the grassroots effort out there to combat misogyny in music. Whataboutourdaughters.org. I think that it is time to DEFUND THE WAR ON BLACK WOMEN! Period. End of discussion. This isn’t about artistic expression. This is about capitalism. People have a right to basically say whatever they want to, but I don’t have to subsidize it in any way. Hence the term “starving artist.”
We started an online call-in talk show as well called “the Black Women’s Roundtable” Saturdays at Noon CST. Our topic this week is “Does Hip Hop Really Hate Black Women?” If you can’t listen live, you can always catch the archived show at
The Black Women's Roundtable
And
What About Our Daughters Blog
Hiya, Angry Independent.
Pelican 1 here.
I din't watch the video/pictures. I have been shocked and awed enough for several lifetimes, in the past several decades.
Sometimes, I have to say, "ENOUGH", for my own sanity. I think you will understand.
As a 58 year old white woman, I'm not sure I have much to say. I have never been black, that I can remember, so I don't know so much about critisizing black artiss.
I am a huge believer in free speech.
I can, however, tell you that Rap and Hip hop give me a headache, so I just don't listen. I know that I probably should listen. There is a group of people, trying to get a message out. I should at least hear it.
At 50, one starts becoming an elder. We need to hear our young people, of every race.
It may be highly presumptive of me to say this, but...
" When will we all understand that it really isn't about race anymore. Look at Condi. She may be many things, but she is not a "napi-headed ho." She is a good-looking woman, classy in appearance, an education that puts mine to shame, and she is lying to all of us for greed and blind loyalty.
Then take a gander at that Rutgers coach (women's basketball.)I know I want to be more like her. Even at my age, I want to learn from people like her.
This is a woman that doesn't just look classy, she is...down to the very depths of her soul.
She is everything I have always wanted to be. Thanks to her, maybe I will make it yet.
Angry Independent, I will be making a link from my blog to yours.
I wonder...is that anything like that bridge built by love, that the Judds Sang About?
Don't you think it's time....?
"I don't expect Black men to react and reclaim their roles as men and vanquish this lunacy.... Black men (as a whole) have not been men for a long time now."
Please don't get too down on Black men. I realize a lot of the ones that you tend to see in the media leave a lot to be desired. But they really do not represent the vast majority of us who are out here trying to be good fathers, good providers, and protect our families.
I recently had a Black woman say to a me and a friend that she wasn't sure if we would have come to her aid if a particularly aggressive panhandler had tried to harm her. We were sitting near her, watching the entire exchange. We would never have let that man harm her, and probably would have beat the brakes off him if he had done something ignorant. But he was a Black man, and I guess the real Black man is simply invisible enough in this society that no one believes we exist any more.
We are out here sista. We aren't usually the most visible specimen in the crowd, because we don't do bling bling, and flashy cars and clothes, and we don't thug out and scare you so much you keep your eyes on us and your hand on the cell phone (911 on speed dial). We kind of blend in with the background noise of America. But we are out there.
We don't step into many domestic disturbances, because women often turn on us to support the man the actually need protection from. We don't often step in to ask the thug to tone it down, because we realize that could turn into a life or death matter, and we don't want to have to kill our young misguided brothers over a dumb-ass discussion about their bad language. If they do anything that endangers an innocent person, well then we can feel justified in taking a life if need be.
We don't often try to rescue women in situations like the one with Akon. The ugly truth is that we could not stop Akon or any other celebrity in that situation, because everyone there was fine with what was going on. We would be ignored or worse, if we tried to interfere with people doing what they wanted to do. While we wish that Akon and his female fans would comport themselves with more dignity, we recognize that a combination of youthful exuberance and intentional miseducation have caused problems that will not easily be solved. There's no real defense for Akon's behavior, especially if you are of the opinion that the display would have been inappropriate between adults. But it is significant that the girl was in a place, at a time, and in circumstances where anyone would have been justified in believing that she was of legal age.
We do support our children and and our women. We do work hard and try to be a food example for those who choose to see us. We do make some attempts to make the world a better place, even though not many people choose to notice it. We don't do it for the fame, we do it because it is our duty and our privilege.
We are out there sista, hopefully you will see us someday.
"Black men (as a whole) have not been men for a long time now."
As a black woman I have to side with and agree with the previous poster. The number of black men who are rappers, are in jail or fit into your sterotype are less than 10-15 percent of the black male population.
I am very vocal about my displeasure with the hip hop industry but I don't being to beleive that this is a symptom of all black men.
As the daughter, sister, wife, friend, neice, cousin, etc to many wonderful black men I have to stand beside them and cannot allow them to be attecked so broadly with no basis.
"I don't expect Black men to react and reclaim their roles as men and vanquish this lunacy.... Black men (as a whole) have not been men for a long time now."
My point here was not to attack "ALL" Black men. I am well aware that there are plenty of Black men who are of good character, are family men, and are taking care of their responsibilities, etc. My problem is not with them. I am a 110% Black man myself.
My problem is with the segment of Black men who are not fulfilling their roles very well.... who are involved in this kind of negative behavior or who have not sufficiently stood to reject the negative images promoted by Hip Hop, etc.
I tried to make a distinction...but I think I failed (my apologies).
But my point was.... If Black men as a whole would take a stronger stance against this....and would stand up more strongly to deal with thugs in their communities, and come out and take a stronger stance against how black women are portrayed and treated in the Rap culture... then perhaps we would not have as many situations like the Akon fiasco.
Who helps to create the environment that allows Akon to feel comfortable and safe enough to do this kind of thing?
How do other rappers feel so comfortable and safe to do what they do? When I talk in those terms... I am talking about the failure of real Black men to deal with these damn knuckleheads.
If Real Black men were not nodding off on their watch....then Akon and others should not have been allowed to feel comfortable and safe perpetrating this behavior within their own community.
Real Black men should have made the environment for these rappers as uncomfortable as hell in July ....and they should have done that a long time ago. THAT was my point. And if that would have been done years ago... then these rappers would not feel so comfortable calling women B's and Whores...in front of our daughters... they wouldn't feel as comfortable parading Black women on screen the way they do in these videos, etc. Black men (until now) did not have a sufficient environment of consequences and accountability in place for dealing with these clowns. If that environment had existed within the "Black Community"...then there would be much less of this behavior over the years to begin with.
I was not intending to come down on ALL Black men.
Finally.... Sharpton is out marching...trying to deal with this issue.... But it is a little late... better late than never though.
Why did it take us so long? And to be honest... it will take another few years before we start to see some real results... It takes a few years to establish the culture of responsibility that should be in place.
Rappers should NOT be comfortable. They should not feel politically and socially and even economically safe at any time.... as long as they continue to engage in behavior that demeans women and the Black image....using the N-word etc etc etc...and providing a social Cancer for the "Black community"....especially when it comes to Black youth.
Something gives Akon, Snoop Dog and the rest of these clowns peace of mind enough to carry on with their antics.... peace of mind in knowing that nothing will happen to them from within the Black community and that their CD's will continue to sell. Where does that peace of mind and "comfort" come from? It comes from the lack of vigor from Black men up until this point (and women), to deal with them, hold them accountable, and to go upside their heads (literally and figuratively) when necessary. They should not be made to feel comfortable and safe doing what they are doing...and that's what Black folks...particularly (many...not all) Black men have done over the years.
If Black Men (not all...but many)had been doing their jobs over the years... then this stuff would not be as out of control as it is today.
That was the point I was trying to make. I was not trying to write a blanket indictment of the entire Black mens club...of which I am a member.
Anyway... I was glad to see Sharpton on the news today marching about this issue... I saw a lot of Black families and young folks in the March....looked like a good turnout too.
:)
AI, Thanks for keeping us informed. you responses are on point. Your AfroSpear post were timely as well. Keep on doing what you do!
AAPPundit
I really liked this post. And ICAM. We need to say that this garbage isn't acceptable. I relate to you not downing all Black men, but there are too many that COULD be stepping up to the plate that don't, because, why? These ' Brothers' are 'getting paid'. That getting a paycheck is an excuse for ANYTHING in our community, no matter how damaging.
I don't think so. They are poison, and why we don't step up to the plate and call them out, it shames me when I ask ' why' they don't.
Thanks AAPP!!
Always appreciate your support and input.
Actually there are more than a few black women that blogged about and call for protest about this an other related issues.
Just because you don't know about it doesn't mean it's not there.
I think we need to revamp what is considered black culture in black people's minds and the rest be damned. I am way more concerned with the way black people talk and deal with each other. Change that is caused by something like white folks opinions won't last whereas change based on a desire to do better for yourself and others like you is so much sincere.
Most black women learn that they are alone as far as street harassment. I on several instances as well as friends have been harrassed and damn near assaulted while other races of women and many people walked by. Only on one occasion has someone stepped in and helped and i was a child, about 9, then, and no they weren't black. It's totally acceptable in most black neighborhoods for young girls to be harrassed while they are in the schoolyards, but that's a whole nother topic.
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