As deplorable as I find the lyrics of some hip hop songs, the incessant need for the media to place all of the blame for rampant misogyny on the genre is myopic and racist.
Thumb through the annals of US history and you will find ample examples of misogyny and sexism that occurred long before anyone spit a verse (suggested points of interest: voting rights, property rights, domestic abuse rights, inequitable healthcare, sexual harassment circa 1970s-'80s...). Hell, look around you today and you can see how women are constantly thought of as less than rational, respectable human beings: the pull back on abortion rights (because you know the little woman needs the great big supreme court to tell us what to do with our bodies), the fact that we still only make $0.80 to every dollar a man makes, the lack of adequate, affordable day care (a ploy to shove us out of the workforce to stay home with our children)...
By no means am I excusing the behavior of brothas (and sistas in some cases) who spit trite, misogynist vile and peddle soft-core pornographic videos. We must deal with them as well, but let us not forget that these suckas are products of a culture in which the contempt for women in the media is only undercut by that of the law.
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Imus Incident Sparks House Hearing on Discrimination
Feminist Daily News Wire
September 26, 2007
The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection held a hearing yesterday to discuss the impact of sexist, misogynistic and racist themes in the media, with an emphasis on Hip-Hop music and culture. Members were joined by corporate executives, Hip-Hop artists, and scholars specializing in the effects of discrimination in media on women.
Philippe P. Dauman, President and CEO of Viacom- the owner of MTV, BET and numerous other media outlets- said that ultimately the responsibility lies with parents and the consumer to avoid explicit content, such as music containing the "N," "B," and "H" words. Hip-Hop artist Levell Crump, aka "David Banner," said his music- including the song "Like a Pimp" -lets him express the frustrations of a difficult youth and gave him an outlet other than violence. When asked if he thought his misogynist and violent lyrics were having a negative impact on women, he replied "It’s still just a song," later adding, "I actually call my music the Bible with a 'Playboy' cover."
Vanderbilt University professor and scholar in both feminist and black theory, Dr. Tracy Sharpley-Whiting argued that explicit material only portrays the negatives of the culture and is being taken by many to represent the norm. This results in the misinterpretation of hip-hop and black culture, particularly among white listeners, who compromise perhaps as high as 70% of the industry’s consumers.
Exposure to images of females as sex objects has significant impact on girls: the 2007 APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls report cited the negative link between the exposure to these images and mental performance, eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression, physical health, and healthy sexual development.
While the hearing was an important start, explained Dr. E. Faye Williams, the National Chair of the National Congress of Black Women, who also testified, more pressure must be placed by Congress on the FTC and FCC to make clear that "Along with the right of freedom of speech goes the responsibility not to bombard those airwaves with filthy, derogatory, offensive, indecent language that crosses the line of decency."
Media Resources:Testimony of Philippe P. Dauman 9/25; Testimony of Levell Crump 9/25; Testimony of Dr. Tracy Sharpley-Whiting 9/25; 2007 Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls; Testimony of Dr. E. Faye Williams 9/25
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