Cultural Fads Have No Place In The Media

A few days ago, I found myself mired in a debate with a co-worker regarding a certain member of the media and his tendency to incorporate hip hop terminology and slang into his written articles. I made the argument that cultural slang should be kept out of journalism at all costs and he wholeheartedly disagreed. In fact, his response to my comments about said media member was, "I respect him for not being afraid to bring his style to mainstream audiences, but people hate him for it. This is just a reflection of our society and that is really sad."

Pray tell, what is so "sad" about expecting a journalist to use proper English in his articles? What, exactly, is "sad" about cultural slang being considered unprofessional by the educated people of this country?

It's one thing to use cultural slang in casual conversation, but to do so in journalism (for a major news source, no less) is ridiculous. It's nothing more than an amateurish device used in a pathetic attempt to coax people into identifying with you based on your vernacular rather than your actual opinions - usually because you have nothing substantial to say in the first place.

What's amazing to me is that people actually attempt to turn this into a racial issue. They claim that people who use and expect others to use proper English in journalism are intolerant of the "hip-hop culture" and are therefore close-minded bigots. This, however, is simply not the case. No one group of people is being singled out for their mannerisms, we simply have very little tolerance for any of it. I'd like to think that the majority of us understand that cultural fads have no place and should not be represented in the mainstream media.

That said, hip-hop is a cultural fad, nothing more. Regardless of how vehemently you deny it, it's the simple truth. Some people, of course, attempt to tell you differently. They say that hip-hop is here to stay and its slang should be accepted. They might even quote part of Scoop Jackson's recent article for ESPN.com regarding hip-hop culture to prove their point.

"The last time I looked, we -- being in and of the hip-hop culture -- were responsible for generating $1.5 billion annually for corporate companies, making what we do and who we are one of the top corporate financial entities in America. Last I looked, Cingular Wireless ... Target and Nike and Viacom and Disney were trying to "incorporate" us into their marketing and brand-building plans.

"Or maybe you'll remember to mention that most of the ... clothes we buy come from Neiman's, Macy's and Saks, where entire floors are devoted to our fashion and designers."

Big deal. Since when does corporate marketing represent the significance of a culture? Companies cater to what's popular in order to increase sales. The culture then drives the market until sales decrease and something new comes along. It's simple business.

In that respect, the same could be said regarding every other dominate cultural fad over the past fifty years. The '50s had their James Dean "Rebel Without a Cause" style. The '60s featured the flower-power hippies and their tie-dye. The '70s gave birth to the wave of disco with its platform shoes, extra-wide bell-bottoms, and leisure suits. In the '80s, the California scene was like, totally where it was at and legwarmers flew off the shelves. Meanwhile, the '90s grunge/alternative fad helped increase the sales of flannel shirts all across the nation.

Each of those cultural fads have a few things in common.

1. They all made an extremely large impact on the people of this country.
2. Corporations marketed products to them in order to make more money.
3. Each fad truly believed they were the one that was there to stay.
4. Today, none of them are much more than a distant memory.

The '00s feature hip-hop as the current cultural fad. It started gaining attention in the mid-to-late '90's and is nearly ubiquitous today. However, it's only a matter of time until it fades into a memory and the next "cool" thing steps forward to take its place.

As I mentioned earlier, the issue at hand is not with a specific group of people, nor is it with the way they talk, act, or dress. Likewise, it has nothing to do with the color of their skin. The issue is that a cultural fad has absolutely no place in the mainstream media due to its short duration and lack of staying power. If you look back at articles written in the '80s, you won't find slang such as "radical," "dude," "fer sure," or any other lingo that reflected the popular culture that existed at the time tarnishing their visage. That would be ridiculous.

So why is hip-hop any different? And more importantly, how is it a racial issue rather than a professional one? I'll tell you how: People realize that by turning this into a racial issue, they can guilt weak-minded individuals into adapting their ideals and changing their beliefs. After all, there's nothing worse than being labeled a racist bigot in Politically-Correct America, right?

Well let me tell you something, I'm not going to be bullied into buying what these people are selling. A writer for a news service has a responsibility to present a professional report of what happens in their particular field from day to day. For them to allow a particular cultural fad to influence the way they write is both unprofessional and irresponsible. They owe it to their readers, former journalists, and most of all themselves to use proper English. If they can't be bothered to do that, then they have no business reporting the news.