Cold War Nostalgia
"Star Wars 2.0" [March 6, 2008] hit the nail on the head. The continued military expansion of the U.S. government, as exemplified by the recent Bush negotiations with Poland, shows without a doubt that our government is aching and yearning for the Cold War days of yore.
For those who don't know, Bush offered to modernize Poland's ailing military infrastructure in exchange for basing 10 missile defense interceptors on Polish soil. This event has no doubt been looked upon with literal shock and awe by Poland's regional neighbors. Just last month in a televised address, former Russian President Putin said that a new arms race has begun. With these developments in Poland, and the U.S. government gleefully showing off anti-satellite missiles, Putin's prediction seems more and more plausible. While few would argue against the necessity for a strong military, an antagonistic foreign policy, vitriolic rhetoric, and the constant development of the United States military to world conquest proportions only serves to alienate our allies and endanger us all.
Avery McIntosh
via email
*
Hip-Hop Commercial, Not a Culture
As someone who has taught high school, I was delighted to read the letter from G. Djata Bumpus [March 13, 2008]. I see the hip-hopsters (I would not call them artists) who appear on David Letterman's show (Letterman supposedly has a reputation within the show biz community for having exquisite taste in music and, from some of the more obscure acts and the "underground" Baby Boomers he presents, I feel the reputation is well founded). Frankly, they leave me cold.
Last year I taught special ed, which meant that part of my day was spent in oversight of the learning center. I only allowed students to listen to their music through headsets that did not leak sound. The kids said that were I black, I would allow them to play their music openly. I knew that Odetta (had the kids known about her, they would have laughed at the disapproval of an old folk singer!) once said that "rap is the musical equivalent of the Chinese water torture," but I had no idea that Stanley Crouch (whom I adore) and Winton Marsalis are so vehement about hip-hop. Were I teaching now, I would use that letter. I would also use something Will Smith—actor, writer and rapper—recently said: that his success was due to the fact that he had a way above-average work ethic. All kids, black and white, need to hear what these highly accomplished people have to say. Thanks for your letter and thanks especially for pointing out that their "culture" is largely a commercial construct.
Susan Wozniak
via email
