Minstrelsy Or Trying To Reach The Unreachable

I recently viewed this little ditty on YouTube. The language is a little blue, but hey, this is an adult blog.
 

After viewing the piece, I was left wondering: is this exploitation of the hip-hop culture, minstrelsy and lampooning urban life, or is this video an attempt by the author to push some valuable messages using a medium that is accessible to the masses? Or is it all of the above?

My initial reaction was that this was one of the most ignorant things I'd seen on YT, and as I'm sure you're aware, there is plenty of ignorant nonsense on the 'Tube. I'm torn because the language isn't appropriate for younger viewers, but the message is one they need to absorb. "Yes, but Tony, these kids have heard and probably said way worse," you'll say to me. And you're right. But I can still be disappointed that such valuable messages are delivered potty-mouth. Still, if one can get beyond the gratuitous use of the "N" word and the profanity, the video makes some valuable recommendations for its target demo, the hopelessly ghetto.

Read a Book.
Spend wisely.
Properly hydrate oneself.
Take care of your kids.
Practice proper hygiene.

All fantastic messages. But are these nuggets of wisdom lost because of the medium? I am reminded of when I first heard Kirk Franklin, thinking that he was doing irreparable harm to gospel music with his new "hip-hop" style of presenting The Word in song. In retrospect, I believe that he wanted to be a messenger in the way he knew how, and in the vernacular of the day.

So to, is the author of this video using the vernacular of life today as his vehicle for change.

This video's refrain "Read a book, read a book..." hits home in an immediate way.

Reading Is Fundamental.

How many of you remember that famous literacy program? When we were kids, it was corny as all get-out to see the RIF van coming, and yes, the program title would soon become the catch-phrase of many a derisive joke. But damn if it didn't help by supplying many a child with reading material that taught you it was fun to read. Lord knows, as an adult, I long for the day that someone, anyone will drop a load of books at the local schools here in New York City, or my hometown of Baltimore. Sure, there are many young people walking around with King magazine, or XXL or Smooth. But you don't find many kids reading literature.

I've gotten into arguments with people that say having kids read something is better than nothing at all. In the abstract, that's true. But I'm not entirely certain that Complex is going to provide the type of intellectual rigor that kids are going to need in the coming years.

So, if this video gets one kid in every neighborhood in America to pick up a book, a real book, more power to it!

Of course, there were other tidbits of useful stuff in the video as well. One of the most poignant was the direction stop buying those spinnin' rims, or more appropriately, reducing our tendency to be consumers of items that don't build personal, family or community wealth. I've never understood what use spinning rims were anyway, and no one has yet been able to explain their attraction. Maybe I'm too old. Not to mention, you're putting the rims on a depreciating good that can be rendered valueless by a particularly heavy rain. And since black and latino folks have the lowest rates of home ownership in the United States -- but rock the flyest rides -- it would behoove many of us to take note of the wasteful spending we sometimes engage in. Take back the rims, save for a down payment on a house, and move out of your grandmother's basement!

But it was the reference to drinking water that got my attention. Who really thinks of not drinking enough water as something worthy of mention? The video's creators were right on point, though. Research shows that poorer and minority communities have a much higher intake of carbonated beverages than the national average, for example. This high soft drink intake has a strong correlation with increased instances of kidney stones, heart disease, and dental cavities and erosions. And alarming studies show that for girls, there is a high correlation between bone fracture and cola intake. Ask the average teen (or their parents) about this and you'll likely get the blank expression of ignorance back. Perhaps this production might convince one young person to put down a can of soda and grab some cold water.

At the end of the day, it would be nice if we could reach the younger demographic with more traditional methods.  Unfortunately, that may not be possible. So, as they mock modern urban life, the authors make some bold (if seemingly common sense) statements. Simply, they seem to be asking us, imploring us as a community to do better. That's something all of us should be able to get down with.

It's for that reason, I'm willing to get beyond the minstrelsy, and take the words of the video solely at face value. Hopefully the kids watching this clip are receiving the right messages, and not just digging the catchy track.