Soulja Boy's recent Faux Pas

Well, a few years ago I wrote a blog post criticizing rap in general. It was stereotypical and did not fairly address that each rap artist is an individual. Many of them fall into a pattern, but not all. I would like to take this moment to apologize to those who use their music to bring about positive change. Good for you.

Moving on, recently a rap artist released a song that seems to have incited a wildfire on facebook, twitter and the like. The controversial lyric is as follows:

F*** the F.B.I. and f*** all the Army troops
Fighting for what, b****? Be your own man

-Lyric from http://rapgenius.com/Soulja-boy-lets-be-real-lyrics
*Please note, I know that starring out the letters to these words does not make them any less inappropriate or any less offensive. I felt it necessary to include them exactly because they illustrate the offensive nature of the song I'm addressing.

I am going to brush over the fact that whatever PR staff works for Soulja boy made a terrible mistake (such that they should probably rethink their career choice) in letting their client release this song in the week preceding the 10th anniversary of September 11th. More importantly, I want to address why Soulja boy should have thought twice before singing these lyrics in the first place.

First of all let's address the irony that Soulja boy chose an invented homophone of the word Soldier, connecting him directly to the very people he insulted. Whether he chose this association or not, he should be aware of it. Many people either are unaware he spelled solider incorrectly or unaware that he did it on purpose to indicate that he is separate from them. When I call myself a soldier, it is because I am proud to be associated with the U.S. Army. It is a duty and an honor. This deep emotion connected with the label "soldier" is espoused in the Solider's Creed:

I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States and live the Army values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

When actual soldiers call themselves soldiers, it is not something they take lightly. The association with Soulja boy who simultaneously labels himself a solider and disgraces other people who do so is extremely offensive, and confusing for those unaware of his spelling issues.

Secondly, Soulja Boy (SB from now on, because the misspelling is annoying my spell checker) should be aware of the huge power he has been given. Millions of people hear his music within hours of his releasing it. The power to reach so many people so quickly is unimaginable to the average person and probably unattainable. I would like to think that if people such as Paul Farmer, Peter Godwin, Valentino Achak Deng, and Ernie Steury had access to such a platform, the world would be a better place. Needless to say, everyone should reflect on how they want to affect the world, especially if your effect is as far reaching as that of the celebrities in modern-day america. SB managed to tick off people who are stationed on FOBs halfway around the world. I think it is time to rethink your words and choose wisely.

His diction was a poor economic choice, even if he doesn't agree that he chose poorly in other ways. Many of his customers are soldiers. The majority of the army is young men, same population of those who buy his music. His music also has the effect of pumping up the listener, something the soldiers sure could use.

The last reason that SB should have thought twice before releasing these lyrics is that the soldiers are in a precarious position where morale on the home front is crucial. PTSD is at an all time high and suicide among soldiers is becoming more and more commonplace. The army is learning the importance of equipping their soldiers with strong families, strong support systems and reliance on other members of their unit as family to give soldiers the strength they need to persevere. The Vietnam war reflected a low point in American History where the people's anger with the war was taken out on soldiers. As a result, soldiers suffered far more than they should have both overseas and returning home. Support at home is crucial to soldiers overseas, it helps us win wars and helps us bring home our brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, friends, etc. in one piece.

The values of the Army are far higher than those espoused by the figureheads we have in popular culture today, they are not self serving, do not idolize money, alcohol or sex, and aren't about making sure you get the best to yourself. The army values are: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, Personal Courage. In my opinion, all of these values are worth supporting whole-heatedly.

SB responded to the wave of criticism directed at him with this:

When I expressed my frustration with the US Army, not only did my words come out wrong, I was wrong to even speak them. So, I write this to give my sincerest apology to all members of the United States military services, as well as their families that were offended by my most recent lyrics."

As a young man who grew up in the post-9/11 era, I have watched our country fight two wars that seem like they are never going to end. I have seen thousands and thousands of our brave men and women get killed in battle and often times, I think for what? A lot of people in this country are struggling to make ends meet and I think a lot about what if we had never gone to war. Where would our economy be? Our schools, our after-school and work programs, our streets? I mean, d***, 48 people got shot in New York City just this past weekend … in 3 days … I’m not saying that it is just because of a bad economy, but at a certain point we have to take care of our own people.

In no way would I ever want to offend those who are protecting our freedoms... a lot of homeboys who I grew up with, a lot of people who come from the neighborhoods we live in... In no way do I want to hurt any of our honorable soldiers who put their lives at risk, regardless of how they feel about the two wars we fight in.

Source: http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2011/09/06/soulja_boy_apologizes_for_his_antiarmy

I think the final point he made is especially important, and should be emphasized. Soldiers should never be confused with army policy. They are individuals who have given up a large part of the control of their own life and have little say over where they go, when they go, who they will go with. It is laughable to think that over 1 million people who make up the US armed forces got together and decided to occupy Iraq. It is sad to think that soldiers are sometimes punished by the public for decisions they did not make, decisions that put them into situations that risk their lives.

I think it should also be addressed that SB attributes the poor economy in part to the army. Fighting a war is expensive, but probably less expensive that rebuilding our cities after repeated terrorist attacks would be. The war also provides millions of dollars to civilian contractors and DA civilians in the form of jobs, contracts, etc. which are extremely important in the current economy. More importantly than the fact that the economy is also supported by the troops is the fact that, even if it weren't at all economically beneficial to have involvement in countries overseas, it would still be worth it. Regardless of where they live, people are people with certain rights, of which the most fundamental is freedom. I am blessed enough to live in America, where that is often taken for granted. Around the world it is not. Injustices are committed against entire populations. The armed forces of the United States of America are trained to fight for the rights of anyone who needs it. They sacrifice comforts, freedoms, relationships, time, etc. to ensure that. Yes, it uses funding that could have been allocated elsewhere. Yes , it is worth it.

SB's frustration with the war itself and the lives it is taking is shared by many people, myself included. War kills people. Yes, this is a valid point and a source of anger and frustration for many people, even those in the army. Again, it is an issue of priority. Some people are able to decide that their life could be sacrificed for something greater. It is a personal choice that each soldier must make at some point or another. Many are not willing to die for freedom, and that is fine. There are many in the service who never intend to die for freedom… however, they still sacrifice many of their freedoms for it. It is an honorable and deeply personal choice and commitment that each soldier must make. No one, soulja boy included, should feel entitled to belittle that choice simply because they chose differently.

So what is the conclusion to this issue? We live in America and with freedom of speech comes the fact that someone, somewhere will always be offended. The popular suggestion by people who aren’t as offended is simply, "Don’t buy his music". To which my response would be, duh. Thank you, but I have figured that much out on my own. The issue is far more reaching that that. Someone who by name is associated with soliders has equivocated joining the armed forces as not being “your own man”. As a figure who is widely listened to by the youth of America, this quote could greatly influence people who are the potential next generation of armed forces. While not buying his music is a start, soulja boy needs to understand and explain that he was wrong, that his words carry the meaning they say directly, not whatever meaning he implied, and that the population he offended deserves his support.

This lesson could be useful to all of us - words are powerful, even when you apparently don't mean them, and especially when they reach the ears of millions of people. Be careful.

That, however, is just one soldier's opinon.

Pictures in Uniform

My PT Injuries

Me in Uniform (mostly)

Nick in Uniform

Email about Day 1 of Army Training

Hello All!

I just wanted to establish a group email so that I could update everyone all at once with how Nick and I are doing. Feel free to forward this to anyone who asks!

We just got into San Antonio today, it was only upper 90's today, so not too bad. We got here around 11:30, and went to pick up our baggage. After we had been standing there staring at the carousel while it carried the same three bags around several times, Nick stated that he hoped the airline hadn't lost our luggage. I reassured him by pointing out that over half of our flight was still standing there in the same fashion. Almost as if on cue to prove me wrong, the loudspeakers then announced that this was, in fact, all of the luggage from flight 555, and if we did not have our luggage, we should make a single file line to baggage claim, and they will deal with us one by one. So, around half of the people on flight 555 headed over and formed an orderly, disgruntled, and long line. Apparently, the pilots of flight 555 didn't notice that the plane was several hundred pounds lighter than it should have been, and the people loading the plane weren't too perplexed by all of the empty space, go figure.

Anyways, after waiting in that line for an hour, we finally reached the front, and gave our claim, only to be told that the next flight from Dallas had already arrived, so it would really be better if we just sat and waited for our luggage to show up. Which we did. Then we walked over and waited for another half hour to get on a very warm school bus. Then we arrived at the hotel on base at Fort Sam Houston, where we waited, in line, outside, for a little over 5 hours to get our room assignment. (This was not a pleasant experience... in our rush to get to the plane quickly this morning we had very little to eat, lunch was lost with the baggage, so we were hot, hungry and one of us was pretty grumpy). However, we survived and got to know some of our fellow students, and most importantly, NICK AND I WERE PERMITTED TO ROOM TOGETHER!! :) Which was very exciting!

After all of that excitement, we simply got to our hotel room (with two twin beds... I miss the Hilton in Niagara!), unpacked as quickly as possible, and went to find food. This trip was a fail... the mexican restaurant that we attempted put meat in my cheese enchiladas. Not cool. We did hit up a grocery store, so for the worried parents, I have plenty of soymilk and protein now. We also met an interesting cab driver, who, along with his wife, is going to treat us to dinner at an authentic Filipino restaurant north of the city...? He seemed like a nice guy though.

Sorry for the long email, not all will be this detailed, but I'm settled in, waiting for Nick to finish unpacking, so I have the time. It has been a very, very long day. We're up and at 'em at 0400 tomorrow again.

Please pray for our health, strength and courage... And that I don't see any tarantulas, and that if I do, my first reaction will be to step on them with the indestructible army boots and not shoot them with whatever weapon I happen to be holding at the time! :) Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

Love,
-- Katie (& nick!!)

Frienships and relationships: Part 1

I miss my childhood. Not specifically being a kid, but living my life in such a way that my friends were limited to the people on my block, students in my classes and other kids from my church. Something about limiting my friends to people that I was forced to see on a daily basis made friendships significantly easier. No effort was required to spend time with friends and no effort was required to maintain friendships with people who I did not see on a regular basis. People who I might not know at all.

Now, however, times have changed. People who mean the world to me have become strangers to me. It may seem that claiming that these people are still very important in my life is hypocritical. It may seem that I am simply trying to hang on to memories... wishing for the "good old days". I don't think this is the case. I would like to have a relationship with these people now, and I understand that it would be a relationship with a dynamic different than any we have had. So what? I don't want to have the relationship we had when we were 7 and boys had cooties... I just want to know that you still care enough to share what is going on in your life and want me to share what is going on in mine.

It is weird to be a girl and have friendships with girls. Because it is our tendency as girls to give our hearts away to any boy willing to take it. But, once this happens... what is left over to give to the friends who have been by our sides all along? Not a whole lot. In my experience, I got completely wrapped up in the first guy I dated. Friends, family and other relationships of all sorts fell by the wayside. Then we broke up. Then what? Then you're just alone... and there is alot to catch up on with the friends you abandoned. While we all experience the same things... it sucks to be the friend getting abandoned. To watch your friends change completely to fit the guy they're dating and to realize that they have become someone you don't even know anymore, and more painfully, that they don't even seem to care.

In my experience again, they do care. I did. Without people by your side who truly know you before you date someone, it is easier to convince yourself that you are exactly the person that your significant other wants you to be... even if you're not. I have put up with far more from guys relationships than I ever would have if I had been close enough with my girl friends to tell them what was honestly happening. Close enough that I didn't need to pretend to be happy (pretend because I wanted the time that I wasn't spending with them to seem like a valid sacrifice). I needed these people who could see through me. And when those friendships were repaired, the dysfunctional relationships usually ended shortly thereafter.

This post took a turn from where I thought it was going. It started with me missing the people who aren't in my life, and ended up at the people who still are in my life, people for whom I am extremely grateful.

I think that this will be continued sometime when I can better organize my thoughts. As of now, I am too busy being hurt by friends who have decided to exclude me from their lives and too busy regretting ignoring the company here in this room with me. So, I am off to laugh my head off at a funny movie, surrounded by people who love me enough to keep me involved in their lives, even when our communication is restricted to texts, facebook, phone calls and emails and our visits are limited to once or twice a year. To the people currently in the room with me, oblivious to my current post: I love you.

Who is better, Kanye West or 50 cent? Explain your position.

I do not blog very often at all. My general reason is that it is hard to find the time to write while still maintaining my grades, not to mention eating and sleeping. One would think that this same argument would be applicable to an even greater extent now that I am in the midst of the last week of classes and have 3 pending finals of doom. Well, yes. One would be right. Perhaps I should be using my time more wisely right now… (That honest admission will probably make my mother nervous when she reads this.)

However, sometimes life just presents opportunities where I simply cannot resist giving my commentary. Even in the midst of my last week of classes and 3 pending finals of doom.

I just left Biology Lab, which was often a significant waste of time over the course of the semester, but I liked the group I worked with so it evens out. Anyways, we just took our lab final. The bonus question on my biology lab final was as follows: Who is better, Kanye West or 50 cent? Explain your position.

Well, such is my devotion to the “music” I am about to verbally attack, I felt that I should share my response.

In all honesty, I find the rapping community as a whole to be just annoying. Apparently, I am not as quite enamored by the slight lisps of overpaid marginally talented recording artists as the rest of my demographic.

Perhaps my disillusion from the rapping community stems from my disillusion with the idolized “gangsta” lifestyle. From my interpretation of various rapping songs, the important values to a gangsta are as follows; money, frequent sex with complete disregard for the partner apart from how she “looks in them jeans”, rebellion, and violence. While the rare rapper might have some artistic songs with significant meaning hidden deep within the last tracks of their CD, the songs that are popular and that they are known for are those revering the values just listed.

Money is idolized by every capitalistic culture, so that is excused.

Frequent sex with complete disregard for the partner is not only morally wrong but also plain stupid. According to the American Social Health Organization one in two sexually active people will contract an STD by the age of 25. It is estimated that as many as one in five Americans have genital herpes, a lifelong (but manageable) infection, yet up to 90 percent of those with herpes are unaware they have it. With more than 50 million adults in the US with genital herpes and up to 1.6 million new infections each year, some estimates suggest that by 2025 up to 40% of all men and half of all women could be infected. Avert.org estimates that 33 million people are living with AIDS in 2007. Still seem like such a good idea to have sex with everything in a miniskirt?

Rebellion is actually an acceptable value. Often, rebellion is necessary to spark much needed social and institutional change. Jesus was technically considered a rebel in his day. Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” Rebellion can be a valuable tool, as long at it is used in a manner that is worthwhile. I am sure Oscar Wilde would agree with me when I say that rebelling against the authority by driving intoxicated serves no worthwhile end. [My original intent was to include the lyrics to “Ridin” by Chamillionaire here to illustrate my point, but the whole song is relevant, not just one quote. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/chamillionaire/ridin.html]

A lot of comments that rap increases violence have been made and generally disregarded. I will simply say that rap tells its listeners that violence is a necessary tool to produce a desirable effect in the people around you. “Respect”. A better way to describe it is fear. When people fear you, no one questions you or dares to do anything besides your wishes. I could see how that end would be desirable, but not the fear that comes with it or the violence that precedes that.

The rapping community also promotes the objectification of women through their lifestyles, lyrics and music videos. I missed the memo where lyrics such as

“Smack that, all on the floor
Smack that, give me some more
Smack that, 'til you get sore
Smack that, oh ooh”

When sung about me are supposed to be flattering. For the record, I don’t like being referred to as your b****, Shorty, baby, Pussy, Hoe, etc. [Discussion of the exploitation of women in hip-hop culture http://www.mysistahs.org/features/hiphop.htm]

Also, the rapping community uses a disproportionate number of apostrophes. Despite looking through various sources on rules governing the use of apostrophes I have yet to find one that says an acceptable use is to end every word with them. [Pickin’, Stickin’, Ridin’, F***in’, Sayin’, Doin’, Wantin’, wit’, makin’, droolin’, kickin’, tryin’, pickin’, buggin’… all from only 3 songs.] I understand that in creative writing this use of the apostrophe is implemented to convey dialect and accent of the speaker. For the record though, they’re not real words. You may pronounce it as ridin’, but the word you should write down is still riding.

For that matter the overuse of “yo” and largely every swearword in exsistence in one song makes the song itself less enjoyable. I am impressed by the talent some people possess for rhyming on the spot but when every third word is “yo” the magic wears off.

Good songs are not quite as good once you talk through them. For instance Nas’s “I can” has a background of Beethoven’s Für Elise. Beethoven was one of the great composers and Für Elise is probably his most well known work, but I am sure that rapping over it really gave it the attention it deserved.

Gunshots don’t add anything either. We get that you are a gangsta who is tough and probably has a gun. In fact, you probably told us in your song. Repeatedly. The point has been adequately emphasized and gunshot sounds do not add anything to your music.

That said, if I had to pick between 50 cent and Kanye West, I would choose Kanye for this reason only. As far as I can tell (largely because I have not seen otherwise) he can spell the number fifty and understands the concept of plural words. Words that are plural (as in, representing a value of more than one) get an “s”. Fifty is spelled as shown. With two “f”’s. Clearly these are concepts beyond Fidy Cent.

Wait, is it just that Fidy Cent is a cool name? No, trust me, it is not.

My advice to aspiring rappers who want to make me dislike the industry less: you have the spotlight, say something worthwhile.

Something to capture your heart

I have seen some pretty terrible and heart-wrenching things. But this story, this place especially has stolen my heart.

Comments on my shortcomings

I happened to have a small amount of free time tonight, mostly thanks to my immense talent for procrastination and during that small amount of time I somehow stumbled upon my blog. Actually, I stumbled upon it from a more regularly updated and better-written blog. (My Brother's).
Unfortunately, the time to write has lined up with the rare problem of nothing to say. Not that I could not come up with anything to say... in fact my life, as of late, has been filled with things to do, memorable moments and entertaining anecdotes. I want to say something important. Something that matters.
The other night, at Campus Focus, the Pastor was giving a sermon in which he brought up a story. I do not remember the exact details of it, but I remember what is important... In the early 1900's, The Times invited several prominent authors to respond to the question "What is wrong with the world?" Many different responses were returned to this prompt. Some said greed, others exploitation, theft, child labor and so on. G.K. Chesterton, one of the few Christians to respond, did so uniquely, not as an essay, but in letter form.

Dear Sirs,
I am.
Sincerely yours,
G. K. Chesterton

His point was, while it is easy to point fingers and determine where the problems lie in others, we often forget the much harder task of looking carefully on our own shortcomings. I am too selfish to give all of my time for others. Too brainwashed by capitalism and materialism, not to mention greed to give all of my money. Too not-trusting to give all of my heart. I offer... nothing. Nothing notable anyways, I give only the leftover portions of me after I have satisfied my own desires. Even immediately after hearing of humanitarian crises around the world I get distracted and forget the horror that just grabbed my heart.
I have nothing to say, nothing to give and I cannot fix the world. The point though... is that despite all my shortcomings I keep trying. I am the worst of the sinners. I have the best God. I may have nothing to say, but I can always love. And... (outside of the world of blogs anyways,) that is far more important to me.