http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/171353p-149525c.html
A Ludacris choice
This time, it's Budweiser rewarding bad behavior for profit
A couple of years ago, I chastised Pepsi for hiring gangsta rapper
Ludacris as a pitchman. There was a public outcry, Pepsi folded,
Ludacris was sacked.
Now, incredibly, Anheuser-Busch has done the same thing. The company
will pay this guy Ludacris big bucks to push beer.
My basic objection to this is simple: Some American corporations are
rewarding bad behavior in pursuit of more profit. Ludacris puts out
rap that celebrates criminal activity (such as selling narcotics),
general debauchery and violence against women. There is no question
about that. Does Anheuser-Busch believe that kind of exposition is
good for the USA? Does the company realize that millions of children,
many of them unsupervised, digest the garbage Ludacris puts out? Does
the company care?
Lest you think Ludacris is some kind of Ozzy Osborne, here are some of
his lyrics:
I got my twin glock .40's cocked back/Me and my homies, so drop that.
My shotguns are cold and hard . . ./My triggers are always talking
about some squeeze me, squeeze me.
Hollow bullets I pull it,/I'm about to live in vain/And then I drill
'em, refill 'em,/make sure they feel the pain.
Talk to most educators in poor neighborhoods and they will tell you
that the debasement of our culture, of which gangsta rap is a big
part, has coarsened children in general and put high-risk kids in a
dangerous place. Taking drugs, carrying guns and disrespecting human
beings is now not only socially acceptable in many situations, it is
downright glamorous.
Anheuser-Busch has a gleaming headquarters in St. Louis. It is a place
of wealth and power. But a few miles east across the Mississippi lies
East St. Louis, a devastated city where drug gangs rule entire
neighborhoods. Children as young as 10 work as their lookouts, and
13-year-olds sell heroin and crack cocaine. Violence is as common as a
garbage pickup.
Ludacris sells big in East St. Louis and other dangerous
neighborhoods. His rap is something criminal kids can identify with.
He encourages "the life."
Isn't it time Americans demand corporations stop polluting the
country? Whether it's dumping PCBs in waterways or promoting
degenerate CDs, corporate chieftains should be held responsible by
consumers. Hiring a person like Ludacris to push beer is reprehensible
to me, and so I will exercise my right not to do business with
Anheuser-Busch, which, by the way, owns a series of family theme parks
across the country.
On his latest CD, ol' Ludacris has a rap song called "Hoes in My
Room." It's a harsh diatribe about, well, women the man does not
respect but who somehow inhabit his "space." The last few lines go
like this:
Then it got to my head, and somethin' reminded me
I know who let 'em in, it was Bill O'Reilly (faggot).
So add a gay slur to the list of crudities Ludacris embraces as he
dances down the road to millionaire status. Anheuser-Busch should be
very proud to be in business with a guy like this.
A Ludacris choice
This time, it's Budweiser rewarding bad behavior for profit
A couple of years ago, I chastised Pepsi for hiring gangsta rapper
Ludacris as a pitchman. There was a public outcry, Pepsi folded,
Ludacris was sacked.
Now, incredibly, Anheuser-Busch has done the same thing. The company
will pay this guy Ludacris big bucks to push beer.
My basic objection to this is simple: Some American corporations are
rewarding bad behavior in pursuit of more profit. Ludacris puts out
rap that celebrates criminal activity (such as selling narcotics),
general debauchery and violence against women. There is no question
about that. Does Anheuser-Busch believe that kind of exposition is
good for the USA? Does the company realize that millions of children,
many of them unsupervised, digest the garbage Ludacris puts out? Does
the company care?
Lest you think Ludacris is some kind of Ozzy Osborne, here are some of
his lyrics:
I got my twin glock .40's cocked back/Me and my homies, so drop that.
My shotguns are cold and hard . . ./My triggers are always talking
about some squeeze me, squeeze me.
Hollow bullets I pull it,/I'm about to live in vain/And then I drill
'em, refill 'em,/make sure they feel the pain.
Talk to most educators in poor neighborhoods and they will tell you
that the debasement of our culture, of which gangsta rap is a big
part, has coarsened children in general and put high-risk kids in a
dangerous place. Taking drugs, carrying guns and disrespecting human
beings is now not only socially acceptable in many situations, it is
downright glamorous.
Anheuser-Busch has a gleaming headquarters in St. Louis. It is a place
of wealth and power. But a few miles east across the Mississippi lies
East St. Louis, a devastated city where drug gangs rule entire
neighborhoods. Children as young as 10 work as their lookouts, and
13-year-olds sell heroin and crack cocaine. Violence is as common as a
garbage pickup.
Ludacris sells big in East St. Louis and other dangerous
neighborhoods. His rap is something criminal kids can identify with.
He encourages "the life."
Isn't it time Americans demand corporations stop polluting the
country? Whether it's dumping PCBs in waterways or promoting
degenerate CDs, corporate chieftains should be held responsible by
consumers. Hiring a person like Ludacris to push beer is reprehensible
to me, and so I will exercise my right not to do business with
Anheuser-Busch, which, by the way, owns a series of family theme parks
across the country.
On his latest CD, ol' Ludacris has a rap song called "Hoes in My
Room." It's a harsh diatribe about, well, women the man does not
respect but who somehow inhabit his "space." The last few lines go
like this:
Then it got to my head, and somethin' reminded me
I know who let 'em in, it was Bill O'Reilly (faggot).
So add a gay slur to the list of crudities Ludacris embraces as he
dances down the road to millionaire status. Anheuser-Busch should be
very proud to be in business with a guy like this.
.
