For my News of the Day, I chose to write about an article I found on the famous rapper Lil’ Wayne. In July 2007 a police officer entered his tour bus outside of a concert at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan, NY. She approached the bus because she allegedly smelled marijuana smoke. Once on the tour bus the officer saw Lil’ Wayne, or Dwayne Carter, trying to conceal a loaded .40-Caliber handgun. If he is convicted of the crime he faces a sentence of up to 15 years in jail. His court date is set to take place on April 20th at the New York State Supreme Court House.
This incident matters to me because I am a fan of Lil’ Wayne. I enjoy listening to his music, and would be very disappointed if he was to be put in jail for any amount of time. This should matter to everyone else, because many other people are fans of him as well; and also because it could potentially be setting a bad example for our society.
My Questions for the class are:
1. Do you think that this will have a negative effect on Lil’ Wayne’s publicity, will he lose fans?
2. Do you think that Lil Wayne is setting a bad example for kids around the world that look up to him? (Even in a general sense, do you think that celebrities’ actions really influence their fans to act like them?)
Sources:
· http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/24/entertainment/main4825255.shtml?source=RSSattr=Entertainment_4825255
· http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1605784/20090225/lil_wayne.jhtml (Video on this Page)
· http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/25/2500633.htm
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I think that Little Wayne's actions are definitely setting a bad example, as well as the stupid actions of all other celebrities. Being a celebrity means you are a public figure and there are responsibilities that come with that, I don't think many performers think about that when they are doing irresponsible things like this. Our culture is so focused on media that we are constantly exposed to the lives of these people, and their negative actions are not something that the youth of this nation needs to be exposed to. They already experience violence, drugs and other negative things in their daily lives and it would be nice if celebrities were more conscious of their actions. To many, they are role models and they should choose their actions with that in mind.
ReplyDeleteFor your first question about if he will lose fans.. I actually think the opposite will happen. I think he will gain fans if and when he goes to jail. But the chances of him going to jail are pretty slim. I mean, he's a celebrity. They can get out of jail time so easily it's ridiculous and not right at all. If a person is supposed to face jail time then they need to suck it up and live with the consequences of their actions. Also, I agree with Becka that celebrities actions definitely have an impact on society. Maybe not to the extent where a little kid is going to go get a gun and carry it around with him (although that could happen), but kids look up to celebrities and it's scary sometimes. Being that I work with young children, this stuff definitely concerns me. I would never want to walk into my classroom and hear 5 and 6 year olds rapping about sex and drugs and not even know what they're saying. Being in the spotlight, as celebrities are, they should really be careful about what they're putting out there for their fans.
ReplyDeleteIf Lil Wayne goes to jail this will open up a can of worms. The police had no reason to search the bus, if the officer smelt pot outside the motor home how did she know it was coming from inside? She had no right to search the bus, and since she did and found no pot the charges should be thrown out because of the 4th amendment (no illegal search and seizure). Isn't it funny that Ja Rule was also arrested that night on similar charges after performing with Lil Wayne that night???
ReplyDeleteI think that there is a deffinite issue of whether it is okay for a police to just come onto his bus without a warrant just because it "smelled like marijuana". Of course it "smelled like marijuana".. it's lil wayne. If he does go to jail he's not going for very long, and it's going to do wonders for his publicity and career, and he will sell several more albums just because of it. It's happend to tons of rappers. It will be great for his carreer, it was even good for Martha Stewart. As for setting a bad example, he already talks about carrying guns around, so what's the difference between that and actually having one.
ReplyDeleteNo publicity is bad publicity in this situation. People will still love Lil Wayne, especially after this situation. The issue of children seeing him as a role model is a matter of opinion. Some people are more influenced by others by those in the media. I personally could not understand someone becoming violent because of an artist. However, some people definitely could feel obligated to change their personal ways due to people in the media, such as Lil Wyane.
ReplyDeleteWhether Lil Wayne likes it or not he is a role model for American Youth. People are going to idolize him no matter what and he should be mindful of that, but at the same time, America needs to realize that putting the blame on someone famous is not the answer for everything. I may like Lil Wayne's music and I one of my favorite songs may be "My Buddy" by 50 Cent but that does not mean that I'm going to go out and buy a gun for protection. It's more important that parents teach their children to separate their lives from the lives of those they idolize to learn to become their own people. Most of America does not have the same life as Lil Wayne and they should not compare themselves to that. They need to build a shield and it is their parents job to teach them how to do that. I'm not saying parents should censor their kids. They should teach their kids to differentiate between their media and their lives. The reality is that if it wasn't Lil Wayne it would be someone else and they would be blamed for ruining the youth of America. America has got to learn to take more responsibility for what they do. If a kid really wants to buy a gun they don't need the excuse that Lil Wayne has one. Media affects everyone's lives but they need to be aware of it and make changes to how they are behaving because of it.
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