Segway in Rap-Music Video

[Madison]

Originally Posted by TeknoBramha

David Kelly has a very strong point here, let's assume you are the kid watching the video, coming from a not-so good background. What would he/she do?

Well, it's obvious that they'd immediately drop out of school and start breakdancing to make ends meet. This video sends an unambiguous message to the impressionable youth that watch it that says, unequivocally, breakdancing is both acceptable and laudable in this society.

I completely agree that breakdancing such as that shown in this video is both immoral and reprehensible, and further, is responsible for a tear in the fabric of our society. This behavior cannot go on unchallenged. It is of vital importance that we continue to take steps in ensuring that our youth do nothing whatsoever to think for themselves, to examine different ideas, or to know different cultures. I applaud David Kelly and yourself, and those like you, for taking a stand against the indecency and immorality sweeping this nation like a plague -- standing up together to ensure that any human beatbox caught dropping beats be jailed, any child carrying even the smallest piece of cardboard be saved, and the gigantic corporations orchestrating all of this be punished. Congratulations and godspeed.

Seriously, are you kidding? Maybe I missed the boat altogether and it's not the breakdancing that you found offensive or immoral. I thought, for a moment, that it might be the woman wearing a bikini and massaging herself. After all, mainstream media and music wouldn't dare dream of objectifying women in the way that rap music does, right?

If some of you wonder how some families continue to be wealthy and honored for many generations, its because they have a continuing tradition, which has been kept going, and is hard to break.

I've always wondered why we equate wealthy with honorable. All along, that's what I thought FIRST was trying to change, but what do I know?

The moral of the story, kids, is that in no universe is Park Slope "gangsta rap," nor are any of the real "gangsta rappers" any more dangerous to the health and well-being of our children and our society than any of the myriad of really screwed up messages people from a "better-than-average" background send out daily. Really, what's more damaging than bombarding people with messages of moral superiority, anyway?

[Adam Y.]

Heheh I saw the video again thinking it was gangsta rap but it wasn't. This was a horrible horrible time to make any type of arguement against it. It was fairly tame. Personally I think gangsta rap is pretty dangerous though I really don't want to get into an arguement. It's just too ambigious. Some journalist said today that if you give mixed signals to adults they will cross the line. He was talking about the prision scandal. If adults can't cope with moral ambiguity then imagine how hard it would be for kids.

You want to know what I think is bad for kids? People who think that they know everything about what is and is not good for kids.

You mean parents??? Parents aren't good for their kids. Face it. Adults make force decisions upon us based on what is right and wrong all the time.

Morals are a sticky thing, mainly because man seems to have used the phrase to death to cover everything from whether or not I should swipe my next pack of gum to whether or not two men or two women should be married. Since everyone (in a generic, the whole world sense) seems to back their personal argument by saying it's morally right or wrong, I'm going to create a new phrase: Beneficial to Society.

There is no such thing that is solely beneficial to society. There is an economic term for it but I don't remeber it.

[Bharat Nain]

When I was watching this video I had my friends little brother around me, ofcourse I didnt notice. Then he comes up to me and asks me "What was that?"(pointing to a girl dancing). I said "It was nothing, don't worry about it". Today he comes up to me and starts acting all ghetto and stuff, in front of my parents and his parents. It was embarassing to me because I was the one who showed him the video, and his parents weren't to happy about it. Is that the influence that should be going around? Agreed, this is not a hardcore gangsta rap video, but still... this is not for kids. I am pretty sure that there are many kids around in the CD forum who have watched that video. I don't think its right, if you want to argue go ahead, I got my 5 minutes, you can have yours!!!

-Bharat

[Ryan Dognaux]

The above is an example of how much music, TV and the media in general influences young people today. Obviously, this doesn't apply to all people, but what does?

So I watched the video, and I do agree that there are parts of it that I would not like my little cousins watching... I don't see how people can think that if they let their daughters and sons watch these videos of girls with barely no clothes on at all that their views of women won't be skewed. I think that's one horrible thing that music videos are doing today.. mostly rap videos, but not entirely.

But if it sells more segways... I guess that's a good thing - because you know rap artists having their hunnies rub down a segway makes me wanna buy one even more

My $.02

[Madison]

Originally Posted by MattK

I might not agree with that kind of lifestyle but for someone to call a lifestyle "Bad" is a bit out of line in my opinion.

Its all a matter of perspective

What are the good parts of the lifestyle that you disagree with?

[Bill Gold]

This is stream of consciousness at 2am. I’ll re-read this when I wake up tomorrow and edit it if I see fit.

Ugh. Some of the posts in this thread (and to be honest a few other threads) make me cringe. Whether it’s people overcomplicating what should be a non-issue, people thinking they have a right to dictate how others live their lives, or people attempting to back up a weak standpoint with an even weaker corollary. Another thing I want to say with regard to this thread and other applicable threads… Give the “but the kids…” or “for the protection of the kids…” stuff a rest. Yeah there are kids who are screwed up or abused or who abuse others, but it’s sure as hell not because of the video games they play, the music they listen to, the movies they watch, or the television they watch. There are many kids whose parents let them listen to rap, watch gory movies, or even watch movies with nudity in them (you heard me) at young ages who end up being productive members of society. There (thankfully) isn’t one government mandated set of morals (unless you start reaching and find laws like don’t kill, steal, rape, etc. which are good rules, not morals). As long as I don’t break a law, you don’t have any right to tell me how I should live my life, or raise my (hypothetical) child. If you want to raise your kid differently than I raise mine, that’d your right as well. This whole “OMG why don’t you people have morals?!?” debate is a waste of time. I’m going to do my thing, David’s going to do his thing, Maddie’s going to do her thing (not that she was involved in the morality issue), Bharat will do his thing, etc. My guess is that morality was brought up tangentially because of religious reasons. Everyone has the right to worship whatever God or Gods they want to worship in whatever way they want as long as they don’t break a law. This also means people are free to not worship a God and be free from religion. Therefore, they shouldn’t be obligated to adhere to the strict morality of some religions. As long as we nonbelievers don’t break a law, we shouldn’t have to go to a church, pray, bow towards Mecca, do whatever it is people do with holy water, be forced to avoid premarital sex, read the bible, read the 10 commandments, pledge or swear not to lie in front of someone else's God, be forced to stay in a marriage that is or already has crumbled, or other things that certain religions require above the letter of the law. In (my frustrated, tired, and possibly incoherent) conclusion, keep your morals to yourself and live your life however you want to live it, but as long as I don’t break a law don’t tell me how I should live mine. I can decide for myself.

Btw, the Segway in the video was amusing, but it wasn't that big a deal to me.

Jim,
I agree with you about the meter maids

[Lisa Perez]

Sorry to interrupt the argument, everyone, but I still can't see the video for some reason or other. I open up the page, and it says "Downloading.." and such and such at the bottom, but then it goes straight to "Done" and I get nothing. Anyone know what to do?

[MattK]

Lisa PM me and I'll help you out

Originally Posted by Lisa Perez

Sorry to interrupt the argument, everyone, but I still can't see the video for some reason or other. I open up the page, and it says "Downloading.." and such and such at the bottom, but then it goes straight to "Done" and I get nothing. Anyone know what to do?

[Lisa Perez]

Ok, now that I've seen the video, I see where the debate is coming from.. Still, "That's pimp!"

It seems that this video is geared for audiences who are used to seeing the kind of behavior that is conveyed here because it is conveyed in other videos that they like (the kind that some people find offensive, I guess..).

Anyways, you know what would be awesome? If they made videos for every music genre, not just rap, with Segways in them. I'm talkin' Barney singing "I Love You" on a Segway for the kids, Jessica Simpson on a Segway for the pop fans, Trapt on a Segway for the alternative fans, etc. Hehe. Now that'd be some MAJOR exposure for the Segway.

[Billfred]

There's no such thing as bad publicity.

As to rap music being bad...

Originally Posted by Col. Sherman T. Potter, 4077th MASH

Horse hockey.

Morals are a sticky thing, mainly because man seems to have used the phrase to death to cover everything from whether or not I should swipe my next pack of gum to whether or not two men or two women should be married. Since everyone (in a generic, the whole world sense) seems to back their personal argument by saying it's morally right or wrong, I'm going to create a new phrase: Beneficial to Society.

Helping a lady across the street is BS.
Buying a candy bar is BS (I'll explain later).
Stealing that candy bar is NOT BS, unless it's the only way you'll survive (the reasoning behind that is later).

With those rough guidelines established, consider rap music again. The sweeping majority of rap music, for better or worse, seems to be in favor of displaying items of extreme value (see also: Cadillacs, Mercedes), intoxicants of various types (see also: alcohol, marijuana), and extramarital sex (see also: ....yeah.)

Items of extreme value seem to function like this: You buy a $100,000 automobile. Mechanically, it is pretty darn close to a $30,000 automobile. Your extra $70,000 will eventually get used by multiple people, from the honchos making all the bucks to the average workers who get extra benefits during richer times. That, and chrome is purdy. So items of extreme value, as a rule, are BS. It's also BP (beneficial to the person), since your backside is riding in leather-wrapped comfort.

Consumption of intoxicants is still spending money, which puts food on the table from the producer to the store owner. That's BS. Used in moderation, some yield health benefits for the individual, which is BP and BS, since people will live longer. In excess, you've got short-term BS (you're buying more of the stuff) and short-term BP (you get a buzz), but you'll probably shorten your life, which isn't BP (you're dead), and is only partially BS (you aren't spending money). Intoxicants currently outlawed in the United States of America generally yield the same effect as legal intoxicants in excess.

Finally, extramarital sex. Without getting into any details, it is generally accepted as short-term BP. Done unsafely, you risk health problems that are decidedly not BP, but could be BS since you're having to spend money on healthcare. If it ends up with pregnancy, the birth is BP_n (beneficial to the newborn) but probably not BP_m (beneficial to the mother) due to the physical demands involved and neither BP_m nor BP_f due to the financial strain of eighteen years of clothes, medicine, food, and et cetera. However, that same spending is BS. (Note that this all assumes the baby is cared for properly. If he/she dies of neglect, it's neither BS nor BP_n, but is financially BP_m and BP_f. Throw in the general dislike for it in society, and it isn't BP for either of them in the end.) Done safely, you're still having to get the protection, which has to come from somewhere. BS.

Overall, viewed this way (which, now that I think about it. is the thought process in Brave New World), almost all of the above are BS. Some are BP, some aren't. Man was born with a brain and develops a priority order for things, which allows man to determine if he or she is willing to accept the long-term BP effects for the short-term BP effects (or lack thereof). Since children don't really have this, they get parental guidance. With that guidance, they learn that things are or aren't BP. BP or not, it normally is BS.

Therefore, I believe that rap music is by and large BS and on occasion BP. How you want to judge BS and BP is your own personal thing. Besides, there is good rap music (see also The Fugees' "The Score" or Will Smith's "Big Willie Style" or pretty much anything by Wyclef Jean).

[Joshua May]

Originally Posted by Billfred

There's no such thing as bad publicity.

As to rap music being bad...

That's a load of BS, or is it BP???

Nah, I liked that, good logical induction.

[Ryan F.]

If I was kamen...I wouldn't be complaining about anyone using a segway.

[Lisa Perez]

Just wondering.. why can't I see it?

[FotoPlasma]

You want to know what I think is bad for kids? People who think that they know everything about what is and is not good for kids.

I thought this video was hilarious, and very good publicity for Segway. Yes, good publicity. I think that there is, in fact, bad publicity. When a company's product scrapes some pavement, causing sparks which ignite some storage tank of volatile chemicals, instantly causing an explosion killing a nice suburban family and their dog, who were on their way to grandmother's house, and the company whose product this was is found to be criminally negligent in the production and quality and safety assurance of the product, that, my friend, is bad publicity. (A gross overdramatization of something like the Firestone / Bridgestone fiasco of a few years ago. That was really bad publicity for them.)

Someone oughta call General Motors and tell them that their vehicles (the world famous Hummer H2s and Chevy Suburbans) are being used in immoral and offensive rap videos. We need to get these Evil-Doers corporate sponsorships and transportation taken away!

/me cuts through the sarcasm with a knife.

On the other hand, I'm just as evil because I listen to rap music. Don't listen to me.

<edit>
After listening to that song again, I'd like to quote it:
"We like to party. Don't cause trouble, and we don't bother nobody."
"Get on the floor, shake something shorty, and back it up. Don't hurt nobody."

Those are some of the most inoffensive lyrics I could possibly think of. I don't think this video promotes anything immoral, unless you consider hanging out with friends and having fun immoral. And honestly, who hasn't had torrid fantasies about meter maids?
</edit>

[Joshua May]

Originally Posted by FotoPlasma

I don't think this video promotes anything immoral, unless you consider hanging out with friends and having fun immoral.

<sarcasm>
That is immoral, they should be out being productive and leading perfectly ideal lives for the betterment of society.
</sarcasm>