Warning: The above video is not a "good" video. And if you listen to it all the way through it will be stuck in your head for two days.
I'm running a social media therapy group at work right now. Each week different clients pick out media such as song lyrics, music videos, movie clips, or magazine ads. Generally I ask them to pick something well known or popular and we pick it apart to determine the messages that are being passed on to those who see it. It's a pretty fun group, and I feel it helps raise consciousness in my clients.
So one of my clients suggested the above video.
We watched the entire thing, which wasn't really needed because the lyrics are repeated over and over again. Essentially the video glorifies violence, states that whoever has the gun has the power, and teaches that solving problems is a simple process of shooting them in the head and putting them in a body bag.
The video lead to a great discussion and I was pretty happy.
The client who suggested the video was not.
Apparently before his days at the boarding school he was the quintessential thug. So thug in fact that he's convinced other kids at the school to work for him when he gets out. One expressed to me the other day that he plans to be the driver for Mr. Thug when they both get out. Big dreams around this place, huh?
He's not too happy with me because I "mocked" thug culture in our group and he thinks I refuse to give him true credit for his thug past.
Sorry buddy, I'm not in the business of advocating for teen thugs.
3 comments:
ok, i just cant take "thugging" seriously. i grew up in a very ghetto neighborhood with daily shootings and all that and i thought it was stupid then too.
video to watch: youtube lonely island, rhianna and sky ronnie (ronnie and clyde i think its called)
Thanks Ariel. I'll check it out!
Thugging is something I have NO experience with so it blows my mind when I see these kids who take it so seriously. If I do take it seriously, like get worried by his threats, I think it continues to give him reason to live the lifestyle.
I think it's HILARIOUS to see their reactions when I just laugh at their little hardcore life that they take so seriously. They weren't too offended, they just started laughing too, when I made fun of their gangsta names... "Really, guys? Smiley? Snoopy? Little One? Those names are STUPID! Can't you come up with something a LITTLE more intimidating?" I don't know if mocking is a good therapy technique or teaching technique, but it's still one of my favorites. :)
Of course, on a more serious note, I do try really hard to find all the positive character traits, skills, and talents that the kid's showing, even though he's directing them in a negative direction, and work from there.
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