This article discusses the relationship between rapper Lil
Wayne and the PepsiCo brand. Because of a lyric in Lil Wayne’s new song the
company decided to end their relationship. The lyric is “Beat that pussy up
like Emmett Till” which is incredibly offensive because he is referencing a
brutal murder that occurred in 1955. This article stood out to me because I watched
a video in my storytelling and culture class about the life and murder of
Emmett Till. The video talked about the background of Till’s life and how he
was brutally beaten to death by a white man. Photos of Till were shown in the
video and it was heartbreaking to see this innocent fourteen year old boy so
badly beaten. I think that PepsiCo should have ended their relationship with Lil
Wayne much sooner than this… I don’t know why anyone would want Lil Wayne
representing their products or brand based on his past record. He has been arrested
and addicted to cough syrup among other things… not exactly who I would want to
associate my company with. Lil Wayne is an idiot and none of his lyrics are
profound or meaningful, many are offensive and crude just as this one is. I’m
surprised that many rappers haven’t been dropped from companies or sponsors
because of offensive lyrics, behaviors, and actions. Our society today ignores
these types of lyrics and situations when in reality no one should be allowed
to speak such disgusting words.
We seem to forget that celebrities are real people. We allow them to get away with things that "normal" people would never get away with. They make major mistakes and get away with minor punishments at best. When their wrongs are highlighted in the media they simply hold a press conference with a one line apology the next day, and everyone moves on. If anyone else said such horrible words they would be outcasted, sued, the whole nine-yards. Celebrities often play the role of gods, and people only encourage these behaviors. We need to make changes, words like that should never be said!
ReplyDelete