White Parent Failure

I (and my husband) have completely failed at parenting on many levels.

None of them are big readers.

None of them are big on Sci Fi.

And my teenage son listens to rap music.  Now I have no issue with the genre really.  I actually enjoy SOME of the stuff and hey I was around in the 80’s and 90’s (Run DMC anyone?)

The stuff he and his buddies listen to though, is filled with vile, violent and misogynistic lyrics that make my ears burn and my skin crawl.

But that isn’t even the reason I think I am a failure because he likes this stuff.   He and his friends are screamingly privileged white males.   Ya sure we are renters and not rich blah blah blah.  But and his friends are pasty white CANADIAN kids who are trying to relate to a black rapper who is singing his heart out about HIS world.   Which is definitely NOT at all like the Fortnight playing, mall-hanging, Instagram posting world my son and his friends live in.

I would love to speak to some of these ‘artists’ and ask them what they think of these pasty pale kids jamming at the ‘all-ages’ shows my son has attended here in town.   Does it offend? Or are they happy to take their money no matter the colour?

I just feel that he and his ilk haven’t earned the right to listen to this music.  In this age of being conscious of cultural appropriation, is this not an example?

And does it mean that because he likes this music does it mean he is horrible to women?   I  think he is actually quite nice to the ladies, but the music is certainly not the best example of men/women relations.  As someone who likes to call her self a ‘feminist’ and who loves how strong and confident his female siblings are, I hope I managed to impart that us women are deserving of a lot more than what some of these songs are asking for in their vulgar ways.   I also wonder how much of a place misogynistic lyrics have any more in this world and why are people not calling these artists out more in this age of #metoo?

When celebrities are getting called out for what they have said on Twitter in the past, why are young rappers still allowed to glorify rape culture as well as violence?  And why do young white kids think this is the soundtrack of their lives?

I also can’t manage the fact that I am the mother of a tall teen who now wears too much cologne and silver and gold chains.  WHO IS THIS KID???