Set Our Teachers FREE!

Seems like the news on the education front, which was languishing with the summer doldrums, has really picked up this week.

The trial of 16 year old Eric Hainstock, in Wisconsin, was rapidly concluded this week in his murder trial for killing his high school principal last September. Eric was tried as an adult, found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

On a happier note, a miracle happened this week for 17 year old Matthew Savage. He was vacationing in Myrtle Beach, SC and tried to snag a bathing suit off the hotel balcony. He fell SIX STORIES, bouncing off balconies and a slanted roof to land in the bushes. The miracle is that he suffered only scrapes and bruises on his back and legs, and though rescuers insisted he be checked out at a local hospital, he is just fine!

Finally, I was flabbergasted by a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about “Atlanta hip-hop sensation and actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges”. The paper reported that the third annual Ludacris Foundation Back to School Fair was held in Roswell, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. 200 low-income children came to the fair for free health, dental and vision screenings, free school supplies and a $40 coupon for Nike merchandise. But Ludacris himself was the big draw and he had powerful messages
to deliver to the 200 children attending.

“To kids looking up to me, I’d say try to be more than one thing in life so you always have something to fall back on.”

Finally, Ludacris encouraged the children to stay in school. He said:

“The music business is 90 percent business and 10 percent music. You gotta know how to write and do math and speak effectively. That’s why I’m so successful. I stayed in school.”

Admirable sentiments certainly, and perhaps the 200 students attending will listen to him. But what about the millions who listen to his “music”? Will they get that same message from him. I hardly think so.

As a grandparent, I am concerned about the messages being sent in his songs. Stories saturated with drugs, violence and rampant sex are selling in the millions to our young people. Women are portrayed as objects and inferior, good for only one thing. And in case you think I’m exaggerating about the dangerous messages being sent, take a look at the “lyrics” from just one of his hip-hop songs.

In “Grew Up a Screw Up”, the words are as follows:

“Whether gettin money legally or ILLEGALLY (capitalization is included in the lyrics)
We gotta do what we gotta do to survive man!”

Hardly an admirable message, but I’d be willing to bet that many parents don’t even know the lyrics to his records. And I’m not going to repeat the graphic images he portrays in other records.

Yes, it’s good that he helped 200 low-income kids in North Fulton county. It’s great that he gave them a positive message about staying in school. But the attendant good publicity will not compensate for the damage he and others of his ilk are doing to youngsters across the country, especially those who identify with and act-out the messages he broadcasts.

Get informed about the lyrics your kids are listening to!
Brennan

Filed under: Education News