Oh boy...yeah, I think that's very sad to hear kids saying that stuff. How old was this friend of Bek's? It does bug me quite a bit to hear the children in my neighborhood speaking like miniature rappers. Some people might call it old fogey-ism but you know back when we had a culture shift in the 60's at least the message in the music and the vibe in the air was peace, love, and understanding. Now it's bitches, hos, and I'll pop a cap in your ass. I try to tell myself they will grow out of that and see how stupid and degrading it is but then I run into my 20 something neighbors and they are doing the "you're my nigga" crap. They run in a diverse crew, my 20 something neighbors, and all of them speak like they are Snoop Dog regardless of color or ethnicity. Pants riding low, boxers hanging out, baseball cap turned sideways...what was once the look of the village idiot is now cool.

Pat might parrot the talk hate jocks but kids find these rap guys very cool. As you said there is a "mainstreaming" of these ideas and now even soccer moms will drive around cranking up the gangsta rap in their Volvo SUV. Somehow there are a lot of young women that find it cool to be bitches and hos...everything that's supposedly "street" culture is cool and that's what sent Imus in the direction he went. My guess is if he had not singled out a specific group of young women with his comment he would still have a job.

The article you posted is correct, the media industry thinks bad attitude sells and they load the airwaves with sarcasm and shock. Talk shows, music, comedy, whatever...if it's delivered with a nasty streak we love it. It's only good or funny if it's nasty. Lenny Bruce was using his routine to show people we're all alike and the message was one of unity. We may look different but we're all human beings despite the cosmetics. Now the nasty stuff is just to be nasty and it's used to divide us.

Talk radio is a cesspool and I agree with you, how the hell can you feel bad about any of these idiots losing their job?

Bek's friend picked that stuff up somewhere and children are sponges...they just absorb the world openly and freely. I think the fact that you drove around with Bek and talked to him about life is a big part of setting things right. My grandfather used to tell my grandmother he was taking me to church on Sundays and we'd drive around Boston and pick up a homeless person and take them out to lunch. As a little boy I was not always pleased with having a homeless person in the car with me. Often they smelled terrible and sometimes they looked even worse than they smelled. We would go to a Brigham's or Friendly's or whatever he found and the customers and staff were often not happy with us at all for bringing these people into their restaurants. I saw a lot of confrontations as a little boy and my grandfather won every time. His biggest tool was shame and he wielded it like John Henry did his sledge. When he began bringing me on these little Sunday missions I'll admit it frightened me many times. Seeing my grandfather yelling at people in a restaurant and sometimes seeing so many people against him at one time was not easy. I learned some powerful life lessons from him and I am whatever I am now because of him. He got every one of these people a hot meal and many times gave a master class on humanity to all within earshot. I've got loads of stories I can tell.

Your story of you and Bek made me think of that and I know those moments will come back to him later and he'll be very grateful for it. I hope he discovers Vonnegut too, if only to help him become acquainted with the deep well of humanity inside himself. Thankfully he has you for a guide.

I tell you, David, this is part of why I fear fatherhood so much. I had good teachers in my life in my father and grandfather and still navigating these waters with a child...I fear the rage I could feel in this world. I am so protective of my family and friends, I worry about what I would be like with a son or daughter.