ill
Page A4
1 IJnrtlanh COhseruer
November 22. 2006
O pinion
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
Hip Hop - It’s in the Game
Industry profits on negative messages
Miyt ei J ohnson
ga m in g in du stry. A fric a n A m e rica n h ip
to the yo u th today is how to k ill each other,
they both use each oth er to m ake m oney.
H ip hop and th e g a m -
hop artists arc being portrayed as thugs
how to steal cars, how to run fro m the
A rtis ts pu l th e ir bad stories in to these top
in g each o th e rs zones o f p riv a c y w ith
in g /v id e o games such as
and h o 's and so-called pim ps that have
p o lic e and how to use bad language.
s e llin g games to prom ote th e ir records.
t it illa t io n and no respect to one a n o th e r
because o f w h a t the song says.
by
w ith o u t a c tu a lly h a v in g sex and v io la t
X B o x and Play Station
nice cars and lots o f m oney. F ro m these
I f you take tw o c h ild re n and g ive them
The g a m in g in d u s try is m a kin g m oney as
are a big part o f what
images and language, young people be­
tw o separate games to play, one game
w e ll because the m ore h ip hop m usic is in
y o u n g p e o p le are in ­
g in to th in k it's ok Io use the same negative
( irand T h e ft A u to , w here people are steal­
a game the m ore it draw s m in o ritie s to get
p o s itiv e them es lik e S uper M a rio B ro th
in v o lv e d w ith the ga m in g in du stry.
ers w hen M a r io and L u ig i w o u ld try to
v o lv e d in. But are the h ip
language and behaviors that they hear in
ing cars, ru n n in g fro m p o lice and do in g
hop and the g a in in g in d u s try 's in flu e n ce
the m usic and see on the v id e o games.
ju s t about w hat ever they have to do to gel
on you th p o sitive o r negative? W hat is
"B a n g bang, pow -p o w . Jay Z. hop in the
the message that is being relayed to these
car let's go k ill them. O h shit. I c a n 't run no
yo u n g people?
m ore I ju s t been shot by them fo o ls .”
W hat ever happened to h ip hop fro m
Those are the w in d s I heard being played
the days when it was okay to listen to the
by m y little bro th er and his cousin outside
ly ric s in fro n t o f m om m a and daddy w ith ­
in the fro n t yard.
A g a in , re m e m b e r back in the day
R e m em be r w hen the v id e o gam es had
rescue the p rin ce ss by s m a sh in g the
d u m m y d o lls . N ow the gam es them es
The games themes are whack. They have no
moral value. All they do is talk about killing,
stealing and shooting.
are w h a c k . T h e y have no m o ra l value .
A l l the y d o is ta lk ab o u t k illin g , s te a lin g
and sh o o tin g .
A lth o u g h
today's g a m in g
in d u stry and
h ip hop m usicians prom ote negative in flu ­
out h a vin g to turn d o w n the song when a
I said to th e m . " Y o u k n o w , i f m om
a car — then you g ive the other chi Id a game
w hen the m essage th a t the h ip h o p a rt­
curse w o rd came on. and when the m usic
cam e out here and seen y 'a ll p la y in g
that has to do w ith le arn ing and how to
ists b ro u g h t to the ta b le was o k fo r
th in g but m a kin g m oney and d o in g w hat
bro ug ht p o sitive messages to th e ir a u d i­
the m gam es both o f y ’ a ll w o u ld be g e t­
read but in a fun w ay - vv hich c h ild is m ore
y o u n g c h ild re n to lis te n lik e " I g o tta get
eve r it takes to sell an a lbu m o r game.
ences lik e the ea rly h ip hoppers T a lib
tin g a w h o o p in g ." O ne o f th e ir re p lie s
lik e ly to grow up to be the school pre si­
hom e and cle an m y ro o m b e fore m om m a
Is n 't there a better w ay to pro m ote an
K w a le b a n d M os D ef.
was, " N o we w o u ld n 't because Ju stin
dent and w h ic h one is m ore lik e ly to g ro w
gets h o m e ". O r songs lik e E le c tric S lid e
a lb u m o r sell a game than using pro fa nity
g o t tha t s t u f f on his X B o x and m o m let
up to be the leader o f a gang?
H ip hop and ga m in g have m any things
in com m o n. Both have big im pacts in the
w a y you ng people liv e there lives. In the
us p la y the X B o x g a m e s ."
I he message these games are b rin g in g
ences, it's lik e they don't care about any
w h e n w e w e re h a v in g fu n ju s t d a n c in g
and k illin g ?
A n o th e r th in g that h ip hop and g a m in g
and s in g in g . N o w it's m ore lik e bu m p
have in co m m o n w ith each oth er is that
and g rin d w h e re pe op le are b e in g sexual
Miquel Johnson is a 19-year-old stu­
dent at Portland Community College.
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Fostering Change Starts Here
Most kids just want a good home
by
. Martin Luther
When?
Monday January 15th, 2007
12:00P.M.-6:00P.M.
Where?
NEW LOCATION!
Highland Center
7600 N.E. Glisan
Portland, Oregon
f Who?
Guest Speakers
Musical Guests
Entertaining Performers
Community Figures & More
Donation: $3.00
or 3 cans of non-perishable food
Live Broadcast/Sim ulcast
Portland Com m unity Media (PCM ). KBOO 90.7 I M
SPONSORS:
Safeco Insurance, Portland Association of Teachers, McDonald's of Oregon and SW Washington, Dignity Memorial Locations,
Oregon Education Association, Providence Health System, Enterprise Rent A Car, Concordia University,
Portland General Electric, Portland Community College, African American Chamber of Commerce,
Portland Community Media, KBOO RADIO
F ay S chuler
C hanging a life can be an easy choice. In the w ords o f Sean, a foster
youth "I want to be believed and given hope, and a fam ily to love and
have fun with. "H is wishes arcsim ple. and yet poignant. Like most kids,
he ju st w ants a good hom e.
Sean is not alone. He isone of more then 7.(XX)children who are living
in O regon's fostercare system . Due to fam ily substance abuse issues,
the rate o f youth being placed into foster hom es has risen to levels that
are straining our state's system . As adult alcohol and drug addictions
become more prevalent and treatment options less accessible, more and
m oreehi Idren are left vulnerable. Many youth, unable toretum home to
healthy families, will stay in fostercare longterm, u p to th eag eo f 18. The
emotional and financial costs to youth and com m unities are staggering.
An increasingnum berofO regonians are familiar with thechallenges
the state faces in responding to this foster care crisis. However, most are
not aware o f the key role the Boys & Girls Aid Society continues to play
in addressing the issue. The Boys & G irls Aid Society pioneered the
original concept of foster care back in the early 19(X)'s. W eare uniquely
qualified and prepared to meet this acute need for reliable foster care.
As O reg o n 's oldest and m ost experienced private non-profit child-
welfare agency, we del i ver fosteri ng services that commuti i ties deserve.
W e offer the therapeutic care kids need, while supporting our foster
parents with am ple attention and resources.
The Boys & Girls Aid Society has cared forover5(X)displaced youth
in the last year alone. W e know firsthand the value and satisfaction of
quality foster care. O ur success is built upon ourenduring partnerships
with local foster families. Working together, we strengthen communities,
w hile giving kids like Sean a second chance. Please choose to impact
yourow n com m unity by becom ing a Boys & G irls Aid Society foster
p a re n t.
C o n ta c t
us
to d a y
a,
5 0 3 -5 4 2 -2 3 1 1
or
fostercare@ boysandgirlsaid.org to find out how you can "be the
change” for achild.
Ff/v Schuler is a foster fam ily recruiter fo r the Boys and Girls A id
Society.
For program information & event schedule log onto:
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