Music is more than just words and sounds

I was stuck in traffic the other day and was listening to a song called ‘same love’ by Macklemore featuring Ryan Lewis. It was the first time I’d heard it and the lyrics were quite meaningful when I’d listen to them properly. Listen to the song here. Before you start thinking, no, I won’t help people promote their mixtapes on my blog. I get enough of that on Twitter. I’ll actually tell you some of the lyrics which stood out to me and made me think about them more. Before I go on, I must say that this post may start a debate. I have no problem with people expressing their opinions against my posts but I have to remind you that these are my OPINIONS. You may agree with what I’m saying, you may not. But in no way, shape or form am I trying to state facts, neither am I trying to offend. So here goes.

“The right wing conservatives think it’s a decision and you can be cured with some treatment and religion“. This prompted my thought of whether people are born gay or if they “turn” gay. A lot of people may call me ignorant, others will have strong opinions about it, but I don’t think there is a clear cut answer for this. In the song, it comes across as though people are diseased if they are gay. I don’t think you can ever win a debate as to whether being gay is right or wrong. Personally, I couldn’t care less. I’m not very keen of the practise but it is what it as. As I’ve said in a lot of posts before “different strokes for different folks”. What happens in people’s bedrooms, love lives, sex lives is nothing to do with me but it is shocking how quick some people are to form an opinion. I will definitely write a separate post about this. But until then, we’ll stick to the lyrics.

“America the brave, still fears what we don’t know and ‘God loves all his children’ is somehow forgotten but we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago.“ Debates get serious when religion is involved. The first part about about fearing what we don’t know is an interesting line. It makes it seem like there is a lot of ignorance in the world especially when it comes to homosexuality. There’s always a stigma that comes with it as it was a taboo in history. It still is, to a certain extent. I think this is the reason why people need to learn about it and deal with it because homosexuality will always exist. The second part of the lyrics is about the Holy Bible. To be honest, I kind of agree with it, in the sense that people pick and choose part of Holy scriptures that they want to in order to raise a point. I can’t mention too much about this because I’m not sure what is written in the Bible about homosexuality but I do know it is frowned upon. In most discussions about religion and homosexuality, there will always be someone who mentions Adam and Eve and how it’s the norm for a male and female to be together. However, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

The second verse of the song was very thought-provoking.

“If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately?
“Man, that’s gay” gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we’re saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don’t have acceptance for ’em
Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it.“.

Truthfully, the word “gay” is overused and not always in the correct context. It’s a term that is used so loosely that we actually forget what it really means. We tend to forget the deeper definition of the word as it’s become street talk now. I’m not saying that’s an excuse for people to say what they want, but it’s the world that we live in. It’s the way that the world is changing (in a bad way). The way in which gay has been used this context, linking it to hip hop, is more insightful. Music and video games receive a lot of flack about the way people view the world, in particular, women, sex, violence, drugs and so on. I know that’s slightly off topic but when you think about it, it all interlinks. Women always have amazing figures in music videos so it becomes the norm for women to have curves in the right places as well as look pretty. The men always have muscles so we expect to see that in reality too. So it’s no shock that the word ‘gay’ is being becoming a part of the norm.

“I might not be the same, but that’s not important. No freedom till we’re equal, damn right I support it.” Again, the fight for equality is hard to win but it’s worth the battle. I take my hat off for anyone who is trying to make a difference. Women have fought hard for their rights but I don’t think we’ve completely won. Now it’s time for homosexuals for fight as well. It’s not going to be easy but definitely needs to be fought for.

Religion is NOT an Excuse

As you know I am constantly reading the newspapers and watching the news to see which stories emerge. My blog features a lot of posts about love/sex/relationships so when I read about this case, I HAD TO blog about it. I was shocked to read that an eighteen year old Muslim guy, Adil Rashid, had been spared from a person sentence, after raping a thirteen year old, on the basis that he attended an Islamic faith school where he was taught that “women are worthless“. Actually, to say I was shocked is an understatement and I was fuming, similarly to the way you may be feeling down. Something else that angered me more was the fact that he claimed he was not aware that it was illegal for him to have sex with the girl because his education left him ignorant of British law.

I can’t say whether his claim is true or false but it’s a pretty stupid excuse. I’m not an expert of the Islamic faith, neither do I know what is taught in faith schools. However, I’m sure that most religions do not agree with pre-marital sex, let alone rape. A lot of people would say that rape is unacceptable regardless of what the excuse is. To be fair, I don’t think that type of behaviour CAN be excused or justified. I definitely don’t think that it can be blamed on religion. People should be responsibility for their own actions.

The judge handed Rashid a suspended sentence, saying: “Although chronologically 18, it is quite clear from the reports that you are very naive and immature when it comes to sexual matters.” I disagree. If you are having sex, then there’s no way you can naive and immature. He knew what he was doing before he took the young girl to a hotel room. This is not a ‘typical’ date for a young couple such as themselves. I actually believe he knew he was going to have sex with the girl. But more to the point, why is an eighteen year old male hanging around with a thirteen year old female. I know it’s only a five year age gap but still, it’s not the usual type of friendship. He admitted he had sex with girl after he has been “tempted by her” after they met on Facebook. They had only known each other two months before the incident took place.

More to the point, Rashid received a suspended sentence, I think he should have been trialled as an adult which according to British laws, he should have received a four to seven year prison sentence. The judge said sending Rashid to jail might cause him “more damage than good“.WHAT????? I don’t understand how this judicial system works. I definitely don’t understand why and how we have laws put in place if they are not being adhered to. I know I can’t do anything to change the laws but it seems like a waste of time to have them if they can be bent. This is a prime example of how the justice system isn’t fair.

The girl told the police that she and Rashid they stayed at the hotel for two hours and had sex after Rashid went to the bathroom and emerged wearing a condom. This just backs up my opinion that he knew he was going to have sex with her. To make the story even more shocking Rashid returned home and went straight to a mosque to pray. I find that pretty sick and vile. He was arrested a week later the girl confessed what had happened to a school friend, who informed one of her teachers. He admitted to the police he knew the girl was thirteen years old but said he was initially reluctant to have sex before relenting after being seduced. WHAT?????? I don’t care what his claim is. How do you NOT know that what you are doing is WRONG, IMMORAL and ILLEGAL. I’m baffled by his justifications. Apparently and according to Rashid, the Islamic faith school that he attends teaches the students that “women are no more worthy than a lollipop that has been dropped on the ground“. It makes me wonder how he treats his mother and other female relatives. It’s disgusting! Does Islam really teach you that men are superior than women?

Even though I don’t agree with the outcome of this case, the Judge bought up some very valid points. He said that Rashid “must have known it was illegal, unless he was going round with his eyes shut”. He also stated that Rashid “had an unusual education, certainly in terms of the sexual education provided. Comparing women to lollipops is a very curious way of teaching young men about sex.” Women. Lollipops. I don’t understand the connection myself. It’s a good job that I do not attend that school because I would have been really confused. The judge sentenced Rashid to nine months youth custody, suspended for two years, along with a two-year probation supervision order.

Yes, there are two sides to every story which brings me on to the girl’s involvement in this case. Firstly, I don’t understand why youngsters are using social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook etc, as a form of dating. I think they are being misused and this is a prime example of that. Don’t even get me started on whether children know the dangers of meeting strangers online. If they don’t, they should read my post about CatFish. Yes, the girl is young as classed as a minor as the British laws state that the age of consent is 16 years old. I think she knew what was going to happen when she agreed to meet him in a hotel room. So maybe she isn’t as innocent as she comes across. I do believe she is partly to be blamed BUT I’m not saying she deserved to be raped. No one ever deserves that. However, as I’ve previously stated, going to a hotel room is not a typical date for teenagers. However, whether she consented to having sex or not, Rashid was the adult in the case which is the reason why he is the one to be punished.

Is Chivalry Dead?

Is chivalry dead? This is a question that had me baffled for a while. A lot of women are flattered when men open doors for them, pull their chairs out and so on. I kind of agree with it, to a certain extent. I’ve watched a few old films with my mum, you know the black and white type of films. There’s loads of different acts men will do for women, such as:

• Opening the door
• Tipping his hat as he says hello and goodbye
• Carry heavy objects
• Giving up a seat
• Walking on the outside of the pavement

Chivalry will always be debatable with equality around, why can’t a woman open the door for herself? She would if she was alone so why would she need a man to do it for her? I hate people pulling the chair out for me. I’m more than capable of doing it myself. Plus I like to tuck the chair in under the table according to my own comfort. I’m a nuisance that’s why. But if I need help, especially when it comes to carrying heavy things, DIY, opening jars and so on. This makes me believe that there is a slight difference between equality and chivalry, it’s so alike and yet so different, in my eyes.

There’s always talk about why can’t pregnant women stand whilst on public transport, why do they always expect someone to give up their seat for them? If I really have to answer that question, then you know there’s something very very wrong with this world. To rile people up even more, expectant mothers are starting to wear a “baby on board” badge. I think it’s quite funny to be fair. But rest assured pregnant women, I would offer you a seat . . . But I don’t use public transport very often so I’m safe hahaha.

I personally see the above-mentioned as generous acts, but not a necessity. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a feminist, and yes it’s nice to be pampered but I don’t class it as chivalry. I see it more as generosity. If you can see I’m struggling to carry something heavy, help me out. Common sense really. I wonder if chivalry has ever BACKFIRED against a man. Maybe I should Google it.