>Ummm... and if said message is reinforced by the songs you
>hear on the radio, and the things you see in real life, you
>don't think that has an effect?

Hearing from my Pops or from a relative has much more of an effect. The key word you used is reinforce. You can't just criticize these messages without looking deeper to who puts out the message and why. People have to figure out a way to counter the messages or stop folks from distributing the messages. This means the structure must change, so it's not the song or the messenger but the structure that should be challenged. Change the structure and there is nothing to reinforce. Censorship or the suppression of messages that are considered offensive is not the answer.

>Critical thinking? Do you think critical thinking is what
>causes 3 out of 4 of our children to be born to single parent
>households?? C'mon, now. That doesn't even make sense. I do
>agree that parents and relatives play an integral role here,
>but the problem is THEY'RE NOT DOING THEIR JOB

Edit: What is their job?

When I was a kid I sought help to sort out the negative messages both from relatives and the media. I discovered that while I was smart I was not able to make sense of all the b.s. because it was coming from all directions. I had to learn to become more aware and how to think even more critically. Why do some kids do well (in school) until their preteens and then fall through the cracks? I hear all these stories about how kids seem to be on the right track and, suddenly, they change paths. There is a reason for this...

>how would you know that
>there's another way? By listening to Fantasia?
>
>Yeesh.

So what you are saying is that by boycotting this one song that all the problems are solved? Of course not.

>>>Actually, I *can't* understand why folks are defending the
>>>song given all that's going on in our community. But, to
>>each
>>>his own.
>>
>>I couldn't care less about the song.
>
>That's clear.

Good. I couldn't care less about most things in the media. I am busy working with young folks and helping them find their own stories. Some folks think that complaining without action is solving a problem. It isn't.