Guns and teens

[Trumpton]

A couple of good ideas! Only problem with National Service is; how is it to be financed? We abolished NS in the early 60's when we introduced nuclear weapons - the nuclear deterrent, and it costs a bomb (no pun intended) to run!

I think we have a choice - maintain and upgrade Trident or reintroduce National Service?

[Sam Slater]

Seriously....

Music is a big issue here. Why were many youths in the 60's wearing short collar suits and riding Vespa's? Because it was glorified and hip.

Why were teenagers in the mid-late 70's so political? Because of the bands sang about political issues.

Why did some guys in the mid-80's wear make-up like girls? Because, again, the people they aspired to wore make-up like girls.

Now, why do young teenagers want to form gangs and kill people? Because the past 10 years of gangsta rap -and the films that go with the music- has glorified it.

It's easy to fall into violance and crime if you've been brought up in care all through your childhood. It's all you know, but we all have someone we look up to, and aspire to be like, and if those people are gun-toting drug dealers, and street robbers, then it makes that life not just a way of life, but an aspiration.

[Arginald Valleywater]

Part of the gun culture can be blamed on the fall of communism. I had a couple of friends on the Met who told me the amount of weapons that came into Western Europe after the wall came down was horrifying. You could buy a new Kalashnikov or Makarov for $20 in Berlin, criminals couldn't resist.

Also with our shit "immigration controls" every skank faced Serb, Turk, Kurd and ex KGB/Stasi thug can come to Britain on the Eurostar or Cheesyjet and set up shop. These twats have zero value for human life, only profit matters. Most organised crime in the Uk is now run by non Brits, our good honest criminals have been steam rollered by well trained heavily armed low life from the former Warsaw pact nations.

Time to fuck off the EU and go back to splendid isolationism. Rule Britannia fuck the rest.

[jj]

There was a fairly recent doco about the almost complete absence of any
serious check on UK arms-importers- they guns were coming in largely
through East coast ports.

[one eyed jack]

Hey Sam I dont think that is entirely true even if I see your reasoning. I wont discount it entirely though. Not all gangsta rap is negative in this way. As a matter of fact the stuff that I've heard if you understand the words is either telling a story of violence or just reflecting the state of the world as some of these rappers like to "keep it real" Case in point: Kanye West

I think the real negative gangsta rap is minor by groups who arent really heard or that well known. I cant even find a 50 cent track that glamorises it. If anything the music videos make it look glamorous. Not the songs itself With all the bling bling, big botty bitches, fast cars and "dead presidents" (money)

Although it can be argued that with a wicked head nodding beat that the lyrics point gets lost in the music itelf. ie Who would anyone want to listen to such depressingly real lyrics set against a lamely produced track?

[Pervert]

Human life is cheap. Murderers can expect to be out in eight years. Carrying a gun or a knife is seen as something admirable rather than cowardice. Hacking someone's head off while your minions hold the victim down just earns you disciples among the more extreme elements of some religions.

Life should be something to be treasured. Sadly, some see it as significant as dust. It takes years for a child to gain the communications skill it needs to cope with the world. Eleven or 13 years at school learning lessons needed for later in life. And all that can be snuffed out in a moment by some fuckwit with a gun trying to prove their "worth" in their own sad little clique.

Yeah, I'm a fucking keyboard warrior. And that's the way I want to keep it.

[Sam Slater]

Wasn't knocking rap. I love it. Grew up as a teenager listening to Snoop - now he did glamorise it!

The kids today don't listen to the words. Ok, they learn the lyrics, but are they hearing it? They just see some guy they admire, with lots of bling and pretty girls, with some big house on MTV cribs, and he's talking about gangbangin and growing up the hard way.

You're right in that you'd be hard pressed to find a 50cent track that encourages and glamourises in a literal sense, but 50cent went through it, and came out the other side still alive. He's looked up to now and a millionaire. These kids think they can do the same. Dodging bullets and 'carrying' is a game - they won't die, they're too good for that! 50cent did it so they can too.

Like you say, maybe the video's make it look more glamourous than the actual lyrics. Snoop's lyrics were far worse, but me & my friends didn't watch the video's. The tracks were enough.

Can't believe 'DoggyStyle' is 14 years old. I still sometimes listen to it if I go sparring. I feel old now, jesus christ.