This is a story in today’s Boston Globe. The gist, of course, is that parents don’t want their kids dancing to the lewd lyics of today’s music:
What struck me as hilarious is a statement made by one student:
This statement fairly drips with irony, and I strongly suspect that Maria is unaware of it. Her statement is matched in irony by one made by a teacher at the end of the article:
(I didn’t want to comment further, but if I don’t, someone is going to say I missed a point. So here is the “Pop-up Video” version, with footnotes:
1.) “YMCA” was seen as lewd and objectionable when it first came out. The Village People ludicrously played up the hyper-macho images of gay guys, which gave the song “YMCA” a subtext of homosexual pickups beneath the apparently clean lyrics. Nowadays, “YMCA” is an inodffensive song where dancers make the letters with their bodies.
2.) The very name “jazz” used to be offensive. It was a euphemism for sex, and jazz music was scandalous drivel associated with the worst elements of society. The teacher may have known and intended this as intentional irony, but I have my doubts.)
Gee, parents are outraged about what the kids are listening to today?
Hasn’t this headline run continuously since the dawn of recorded music?
I’m a little bothered by some of the rather crass and blatant sexuality and violence in some music today, and I’m sure I’ll really object when my kids are old enough to listen to the stuff. I’m therefore sliding comfortably into my proper role as “crusty old fart” and will be a suitable annoyance and embarassment to my kids.
The world ever turns, and everything old is new again.
I’m surprised this is news - is it a very slow news day in Boston or what?
When I DJ’d dances for schools, It was uncommon that there wasn’t a “forbidden” playlist, and my DJ service released clean edits of most of the raunchiest songs. Even when they didn’t, I and most DJs I knew were careful about this sort of thing since serious objections would lead to you being out of a job - the school would hire another DJ. And, BTW, in all the years I operated a DJ service, only 1 parent complained about a music choice, and his objection was dismissed by the principal. If I played a song that wasd inappropriate (Sometimes because I couldn’t understand the lyrics, me being an old man and all), I would get complaints from the students, and not just a few of them.
Since the person in the story referred to jazz “Jokingly”, I think she was aware of the history of jazz and the objections to it.
Also, don’t the terms “Rock and Roll” and “Hip Hop” also refer to sex, or is that an Urban Legend.
Also, in the story, students were loudly shouting the real (Unedited) lyrics to the song. If students did that at any school I Djed at, they would have been kicked out of the dance, and maybe faced disciplinary action at school on Monday.
This was true in Wyoming, South Dakota, Colorado, Ohio, Texas and New York - all places I’ve DJed.
One of the things I love about teaching at my HS is that I"m sure the VP in charge of discipline would have loudly cursing students just removed. He might follow up with something else later. He’s “not playing”.
I’m afraid that while I sympathize with the desire to avoid objectionable lyrics at the school sponsored function, it is pretty obvious this is locking the barn doors while the horses are about 20 miles thattaway.
But at some point in time all the teachers were in the same position (no pun intended ) the students are in, as were the students’ parents. What, are they just covering their ears, shouting “lalala, I can’t hear you!” and pretending teenagers don’t have sex these days?
It’s what I’ve read about the early history of the word. I don’t remember the cite, but it seemed resectable. I’ve never heard that “jazz” was derived from a proper name.
I really don’t understand this logic. Of course it’s known that this happens. Are you implying that an understanding of the facts necessitates an endorsement of them? I know that kids cheat on tests, but I’m about to send up two kids on cheating when I see them tomorrow. You can’t get their correct answers with the calculations they wrote down.
It’s not endorsing it. It’s just shitty music. If the kids want to listen let them listen. It’s just funny to me because not letting sexually explicit music play just seems like adults are trying to pretend that sex doesn’t happen at that age.
It’s not like we’re talking about middle school dances. These are 18 year olds at their prom. The number of people who haven’t already lost their virginity by that age are relatively few. And even those who haven’t are well aware of what most of their classmates are up to.
According to a Brit Q&A site, there are a multitude of theories[ol][li]Jasper, the name of a dancing slave…whose nickname was Jazz[]A Mississippi drummer named Chas Washington in the late nineteenth century[]Chas, the nickname of Charles Alexander (of Alexander’s Ragtime Band) about 1910[]A Chicago musician named Jasbo Brown[]A band conductor in New Orleans about 1904 called Mr Razz[]A French chassé (a gliding dancing step)[]The French jaser (useless talk for the pleasure of hearing one’s own voice)[]The Arabic jazib (one who allures)[]Mandingo jasi (become unlike oneself)[]Tshiluba jaja (cause to dance)[]Temne yas (be extremely lively or energetic)[]Jasmine (perfume oil)[]Vaudeville stage word jazzbo (a type of low physical comedy)[]A quality possessed by baseball players[]Dice players calling out “Come on, the old jazz”[*]Sexual slang Jism, also known as jasm[/ol]More than a dozen possibilities (Sorry, my curiosity got the best of me). [/li]
This hijack has ended…now back to your originally scheduled thread…
Not putting sexually explicit material on the PA is part of providing the community with the service for which the school has been created. There is part of the school’s purpose that is to hold the students to a moral code. That code of course has been debated and changed over the years, but there WILL be parent phone calls if the parents hear of certain songs being played at official school functions.
I don’t think not playing “dirty” music is ignoring something. You just don’t have to promote it. We’re not promoting tagging either, although kids get thrown out every year for it.
You might be right that most have already had sex. That doesn’t mean their parents (who have legally handed their children over to the school in loco parentis want it promoted.
) the students are in, as were the students’ parents. What, are they just covering their ears, shouting “lalala, I can’t hear you!” and pretending teenagers don’t have sex these days?