"...do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."

"For the good of the Air Force, for the good of the armed services and for the good of our country, I urge you to reject convention and careerism..."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Maxwell AFB, April 21, 2008

"You will need to challenge conventional wisdom and call things like you see them to subordinates and superiors alike."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, United States Air Force Academy, March 4, 2011

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Does This Song Make You Want to Rape Somebody?


It doesn't make me want to rape anybody.  But others have a view that this rap song might put somebody on the road to rape.  So is the Seattle Symphony bad for making and releasing this video?  I look at all those obviously well to do, probably mostly liberal musician people, comprised of several ethnicities, and I look at the spectrum of age groups and I cannot see somebody who is on the continuum from inappropriate music and jokes to rape.

Actually, the conductor is a bit suspect, waving his stick all around.  Doesn't he know he might offend some poor unenlightened, insecure, person who never grew up enough to become comfortable with themselves and humanity?  I mean he's waving his wood through the air, in public no less.

And then again, there is Sir Mix-A-Lot.  Oh, the things he says...  If there were a rickety bridge used to symbolize the road from *music or jokes some person doesn't like for some reason, whether that reason is valid or not* to sexual assault and rape, I think in his case that bridge would be the Tacoma Narrows bridge.  Great bridge in a great state.

But hold on now, if we watch this Seattle Symphony music video we see that Sir Mix invites ladies onto the stage to dance with him.  Whoa.  How inappropriate.  What is the forty-five year old violinist lady from Harvard going to think about such shenanigans?  This isn't the 1920s, we're not flappers, show some restraint!

But Mix does say right after inviting ladies up onto the stage, that "I don't touch."  He follows that up by stating, "we will not bite unless you want us to."  This sounds like recent training I have received.  Consent.  Looking at this music video, I don't see any of the diverse group of ladies who go onto the stage looking like they have consumed alcohol.  Are we sure they consented?  I appreciate Sir Mix making it clear that it's all about consent and I'm reassured by him explaining to the "thick soul sistas" that he "won't cuss or hit ya, but I gotta be straight I want to [inaudible] until the break of dawn" because, of course, baby's got it going on.

Still Sir Mix-A-Lot and the orchestra perform a number that is dedicated to, oh my.  Dare I say it?  Sex.  Yes, sex.  That topic makes me so uncomfortable and I'm not sure where this pit in my stomach is coming from.  The best way I can describe it is, oh I dunno.  Offended.

That's one of the best things about deploying... the ability to get away from such offensive music and instead concentrate on killing the enemy, setting them on fire and blowing their limbs off while they scream in agony, and giving them sucking chest wounds while they gasp their last breaths.  If that doesn't take my mind off the hypnotic rape inducing power of acknowledging sexual nature (and I don't care how many psychologists explain that denying human sexuality results in sexual malfunction and perversion), then I study a little history of the greats from the 1940s, and how they evaporated nearly a hundred thousand men, women, children, and babies instantly with an Enola Gay pickle.

Some topics are just not professional to the military person, they're too "offensive."  For those who are unaware, being offended means you don't like something but you don't want to or can't rationally explain why you not liking something means others should shield it from you, and you're unable to explain how something causes you to not be able to do your job professionally due to things you personally don't like.

So what to do?  Surely we must "do" something?  People are offended by things, and that just can't stand.  As I listen to the Seattle Symphony music video above, I realize Mix starts off his performance with these words:

"I like big butts, and I cannot lie."

That sounds like our very first core value.  He cannot lie.  Integrity first.

If we're going to talk about sexual assault and rape honestly, I suggest we follow his lead.  Sexual assault is real and is utterly unacceptable.  That doesn't change the fact that some jokes and topics are offensive to some, and yet are not racist, sexist, or homophobic.  It doesn't change the fact that having a sense of humor does not make one more or less likely to be a rapist.  It also doesn't change the fact that sometimes, yes sometimes, the correct answer is that the "offended" just need to grow up.

Irresponsible "solutions" do not solve problems.  They create them.  Besides that, as Mix tells us in his jingle, "A lot of simps won't like this song." 

We don't want to be simps about an important issue.  Simps don't win wars.

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