if the people who love hip hop don't make attempts to criticize it for its shortcomings & possible dangers, are we making room for reactionaries like this dude to spew forth?

rarely have i seen posted on these boards what would be considered a fair criticism of the effects hip hop has on larger black culture. the ones that may get a little dap are those that point out its misogyny. & while those are never really all that deep (or maybe due to the fact), they are hardly summarily trounced like this one was.

to me the danger in continuing on this track is that we'll be forever wholesale defending hip hop because we let those who clearly are afraid or offended by its power & potentials define its faults. i can't think of anything that should not be viewed with a critical eye & we all have our opinions about what the problems are. i think it would be a good idea to let our criticisms be known (shit, allow ourselves & each other to even be critical), thereby safeguarding it from bullshit attacks like this.

if it does happen around these parts then alright. i just don't see a whole lot of it. then again, i may not be looking to tough.