Allegations of Housing Discrimination against Donald Trump

A timely post from http://www.vdare.com about the allegations about Donald Trump doing housing discrimination. This follows this post about the false charge of racism towards immigration enforcement. This follows this post about rap songs referencing Donald Trump.
You can follow me here.

<

Who Were the Racist Tenants Who Insisted Fred Trump Not Rent to Blacks in Coney Island and Brighton Beach?

>

---

Steve Sailer

As part of the big push behind Hillary’s Alt-Right speech, the NYT is rolling out breaking news articles about how nearly a half century ago Trump’s dad, with the young Donald’s assistance, tried to prevent white flight from his apartment complexes in places like Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Forest Hills. As Hillary said on Thursday:

When he was getting his start in business, he was sued by the Justice Department for refusing to rent apartments to black and Latino tenants. Their applications would be marked with a ‘C’ – ‘C’ for ‘colored’ – and then rejected. Three years later, the Justice Department took Trump back to court because he hadn’t changed.

This subject has been gone over repeatedly over the years, but one little explored question about this old story however is: Who exactly were these white racist tenants who were renting in Trump properties in Coney, Island, Brighton Beach, and Forest Hills but who would have white-flighted out to Long Island if too many blacks had flooded in to the Trump buildings? The young Jared Taylor? The unborn Richard Spencer? Haven Monahan’s grandpa?
To help the NYT in its investigations into the festering heart of the roots of racism in Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Forest Hills, I’ve found this home movie of David Duke’s upbringing under the Coney Island roller coaster:
Seriously, I explained the answer in passing in Taki’s Magazine a year ago in answer to a Washington Post article taking the opposite tack from the latest round of attacks. Last year’s article denounced Donald for not being like his dad Fred who built for the white middle class. I responded:

The evolution of the Trump brand name in housing over the past two generations strikingly illuminates how race has played a role in American life becoming so much more biased in favor of billionaires.

ADVERTISEMENT

A recent Washington Post article is headlined “How Donald Trump abandoned his father’s middle-class housing empire for luxury building.” The Post celebrates Fred C. Trump (1905–99) as one of the biggest builders of affordable apartments in the outer boroughs.
But it forgets to mention that Frederick Christ Trump would have been one of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ demons, since he typically built with the help of the Veterans Administration and other government agencies in redlined neighborhoods, such as the 3,800-unit Trump Village in heavily Jewish Coney Island. (Fred sometimes asserted his parents were from Sweden to sidestep his tenants’ prejudices against German-Americans.)
Fred Trump’s company was rewarded for all its contributions to middle-class America by being sued by the Nixon administration in 1973 for violating the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Only 4 percent of its tenants—in places like Forest Hills in Queens and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn—were black. The young Donald fired back, hiring Roy Cohn and arguing that allowing welfare recipients to rent in his father’s complexes would risk “massive fleeing from the city of not only our tenants, but communities as a whole.” Eventually, Donald signed one of those consent decrees with the feds, not admitting to doing anything but promising never to do it again.
Perhaps that episode played a role in the son’s determination to get out of his father’s business of building affordable housing in the outer boroughs, with its constant danger that antidiscrimination laws would trigger white flight to the suburbs among their largely middle-class Jewish customers, and instead follow the new generation of nouveaux riches New Yorkers to Manhattan. In 1983 Donald proved that New York’s 1970s economic malaise was definitely over by opening on Fifth Avenue the gaudy Trump Tower, which has since been home to numerous celebrities such as Jay Z and Beyoncé.As the saying goes, “Our prices discriminate, so we don’t have to.”

[Comment at Unz.com]

Hannah Montana Values

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about how popular culture affects the U.S. and other countries. This follows this post about the will of the U.S. to fight terrorists. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book shown for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

Hannah Montana Values


From where do you draw your values? How much does entertainment influence you?

[Steve Myers] Miley Cyrus' performance at the MTV Video Awards kind of turned the entertainment world upside down. Some have said that Hannah has left Montana. Of course, Miley Cyrus was the little girl that at one time played the Disney character of Hannah Montana, this kind of all-American cute little girl. And yet her performance this week some have characterized as something totally abrasive, something that was immoral, all kinds of adjectives have been attributed to it. And yet as we look at this scenario, can we really be surprised in the kind of world that we live in?

You know where do we obtain our values? Where does morality come from? Now this isn't an accusation against Miley Cyrus. Instead our world accepts these kinds of things. Our society, even though we say we're a people who believe in God. If you did a survey in America, probably over 90% of the people would say they believe in God. But there's a problem because the point is then, yes we may say we believe in God, but do we really believe God? When it comes to morals, when it comes to our mindset, when it comes to how we look at the world do we really look to God?

There's a wonderful Proverb that should really set the tone for our world view, for our perspective. If you look to Proverbs 2:6For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

See All... here's what it says, it says: "The Lord gives wisdom. From His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

So if we're really a believing people, we have to look at these kinds of sections from the Bible and say: If I believe in God, I have to have an understanding where does wisdom come from? Where does knowledge come from? Where does morality, where does understanding from? You see it shouldn't come from Hollywood. It shouldn't come from entertainment. It shouldn't come from the mindset of this world, but instead it's got to come from the pages of this word, this word of God.

And so if we say we believe in God, let's make sure we don't get tuned into the ways of this world and this entertainment that surrounds us and invades us. Instead let's look to the word of God and believe God.

That's BT Daily . We'll see you next time.

4 Observations from the 2011 MTV VMA's And What They Teach Us About Pop Culture

Here is an interesting article from http://www.thesource4ym.com/ about the 2011 MTV VMA's .This follows this post  reviewing some of the movies that came out over the past weekend and  THIS POST about some movies that have been released over the past few years that you might have missed!  This all  follows this post about guidelines to chosing good movies to watch yourself!



4 Observations from the 2011 MTV VMA's



And What They Teach Us About Pop Culture

An article from Jonathan McKee and David R. Smith at TheSource4YM.com




The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards have come and gone. If you watched the annual show, you caught a glimpse of pop culture at its grittiest. But what do we do with those observations? How do they impact us as we raise and lead teenagers?



We’re glad you asked.



The Moments of Culture

Our Youth Culture Window articles have covered the MTV Video Music Awards before; we’ve dissected this annual show every year for the last several years. This show generally serves as a good reference point for the biggest moments in culture. In fact, this particular TV show often produces the biggest moments in culture! Earlier this week, Yahoo’s Music Blog did a pretty good job looking back over the past VMAs and chronicling The Wackiest VMA Moments Ever. They make the point that we’ve made for years: it’s not about “who-wins-what.” It’s about “who-does/says-what.” (But, just in case you want to know which artist took home which Moonman at the 2011 VMAs, you can find them here.)



This year’s live show was held in Los Angeles and was “sort of” hosted by Kevin Hart, standup comedian and small time actor (Fools Gold, Death at a Funeral). We say “sort of” because he was introduced as host, did an opening monologue (that BOMBED!), and then was only seen in a few short funny clips throughout the commercial breaks.



Strange.



We gotta say, for the most part – and we stress “for the most part” – this was one of the tamer VMAs in recent history. (We’ll elaborate on the few exceptions later.) Also setting this awards show apart from the past were the coolest live performances in recent memory. Lady Gaga opened the show with a strong performance of her hit song, You and I (No question, Gaga is a very talented performer). Taking the stage throughout the remainder of the night would be Pit Bull, Adele, Kanye West and Jay Z, Beyoncé, and Young the Giant. Chris Brown also did a cool dance medley, and Bruno Mars sang a tribute to the recently deceased Amy Winehouse. Finally, Lil Wayne performed at the show’s end. (Umm…he’s one of the exceptions we just mentioned.)



All in all, MTV seemed to place the emphasis on – wait for it – music. Yeah, we were surprised, too. As we watched this year’s music awards show that actually centered on music, we observed four inescapable realities about youth culture. Here they are:



1. Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!

The F-bomb made its appearance during Lady Gaga’s show opener. Dressed as her male alter ego Joe Calderone, she/he spewed expletives like the geysers of Yellowstone. In the first two minutes of the show, the F word was bleeped four times. Throughout her later appearances in the show – all as Calerdone – she continued using course language.



You’ve probably guessed that she’s one of the exceptions, too.



For example, during Gaga’s introduction of Britney Spears for The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, she admitted that posters of Spears hanging on her bedroom walls as a teenager caused her to sexually touch herself. She then commanded the crowd: “Everybody stand the f--k up!” Later, during her reception of Best Female Video Award for Born This Way, she referenced her other award for the same song, Best Video With a Message. She nonchalantly claimed, “Every video…has a f--king message.”



But, she was only getting us warmed up for Lil Wayne.



When the tattooed rapper finally took the stage to close the show, he started off by singing a low-key, highly auto-toned version of How to Love. While it was difficult to discern the heavily automated vocals in this song, it was absolutely impossible to discern any lyrics of his next song because of the bleeping.



Lil Wayne started his second number by ripping off his shirt…and every semblance of human decency. He was bleeped for vulgarity (on average) once every three seconds. He was literally bleeped over 20 times in the first minute!



It was ridiculous, and quite honestly, silly. Perhaps the patrons sitting in the arena got a show; for the millions watching via cable TV, it just sounded like we were having continual technical difficulties.



These two were the major offenders for the night, as well as Tyler the Creator, who dropped some heavy language while accepting his award for Best New Artist. All in all, this year’s awards show proves just how important satellite delay and the bleep button truly are.



2. “I’d Like to Thank God”

Throughout the night we witnessed something we see a lot in these award shows, four of the winning artists thanked God for their award nomination and reception. Britney Spears struck first with a win in the Best Pop Video category for her hyper-sexualized Till the World Ends. After taking the mic, she said, “First, I’d like to thank God for blessing me so much.”



She wouldn’t be the last to drag the Almighty into the debacle.



Nicki Minaj (for Super Bass) followed suit in her speech for Best Hip Hop Video (a racy video where she and her dancers give lap dances of sort to male dancers), first with an excited, “Ohhhh myyyy Goooooodddddddd!” quickly followed by a blurted-out, “I wanna thank God.” She also thanked Lil Wayne, or as she calls him, “the best rapper alive.”



When Kanye West won an award for his collaborative efforts with Katy Perry on E.T. (a song many of you heard Jonathan’s 13-year-old daughter Ashley testify about in one of our recent parenting clips), he didn’t hesitate to begin his thank you speech with a confident, “Thank you to God.” Part of his lyrics for that song goes like this:Tell me what’s next

Alien sex

I want to disrobe you

Then I’m a probe you…



But Justin Bieber went several steps further in his public gratitude of God when his U Smile won Best Male Video. He began his speech by saying, “I just want to say thank you so much, not only to God, but to Jesus, because, you know, I wouldn’t be here without Him. He’s really blessed me. He’s put me in this position. So I wanna say thank you so much. Also, I wanna say thank you to all the other nominees. They’re amazing!”



In case you didn’t know it, he was talking about Bruno Mars (Grenade), Cee Lo Green (F—k You), Eminem (Love the Way You Lie), and Kanye West (All of the Lights). Bieber concluded his speech by saying, “I’m a true fan of all them, so I want to share this award with all them. You guys are amazing.”



Are these frequent nods to God surprising in a nation where only 1.6% of people are atheists? Face it; we live in a country where people don’t find it hypocritical to give God a polite nod for performances that are overtly promiscuous, hyper-sexualized, or profanity-laden. While the prolific use of God’s name might open doors to spiritual conversations, it also greatly hinders the important task of teaching young people what holiness looks like in life.



It’d be great if celebrities would get their theology correct.



3. Coming Attractions

MTV has never wasted an opportunity to self-promote. Each year, a running subtitle to this awards show could be, “Look at all the new shows we’re launching this season.” This year was no different. Here are five shows that MTV is launching immediately.



I Just Want My Pants Back. This show is probably the coarsest, most vile show MTV has ever aired. That’s saying a lot, given that MTV is known for A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila and Skins. But we can back up that description: in the first five seconds of the show, which was aired immediately following the VMAs, the main character pops a masturbation joke. The next scene shows him meeting a female friend in a bar where the two of them talk about his current “dry spell.” In other words, it’s been six weeks since he last had sex. She claims he’s a “born again virgin.” Later scenes show sex depicted, etc. MTV promised only one airing of this episode, but you can look for the series again, full time, in 2012. Can’t wait….



Ridiculousness. This show, hosted by Rob Dyrdek, is very much in line with Comedy Central’s Tosh.O with Daniel Tosh, and E!’s The Soup with Joel McHale. A guy stands up, plays videos from the internet, and cracks some jokes. It airs Monday, August 29th, at 10pm EST.



New Season of Jersey Shore. If you don’t know what this show is about, let us sum it up for you: hair gel and sex. Lots of hair gel and sex! This show airs on Thursday nights at 10pm EST.



The Real World (San Diego). This is another TV show for which simple descriptions suffice. “Mansion + a dozen twenty-somethings (hetero and homosexual) + partying = big ratings for MTV.” The constant commercial for this show featured a young girl who mentioned that she enjoys “flashing her boobs.” This “Real Word” series is older than every single teenager in your youth ministry that will watch it. The formula is still working. Sad.



Death Valley. This show puts you in a police car with the highly trained officers tasked with arresting and/or killing the vampires, zombies, and werewolves that run loose in the San Fernando Valley. This comedy premiers August 29th, at 10:30pm EST, following Ridiculousness.



But new TV shows weren’t the only forms of visual creativity released this year; several companies turned heads with the debut of brand new commercials for their products. Here are a few that caught our eye.



Pacsun said, “Dress irresponsibly.” This commercial, featuring music by Michael Buble, shows girls cutting their pants off dangerously close to their booties. It later shows the same girls taking off their tops during a car ride…top down, of course. It ends with “dress irresponsibly” written across the screen as a girl falls into her bed.



Plan B said, “Here’s emergency contraception.” This morning-after pill was touted as the reason girls can “be calm” even when they wake up the next morning after their birth control fails. After all, “Sometimes, the unexpected happens.”



I’m sorry. When was pre-marital sex “unexpected”?



These commercials teach subtle, but dangerous, messages to teenagers. Most of these TV shows will just come right out with their filth. Undoubtedly, several of these shows will be featured in upcoming Youth Culture Window articles. We’ll wade through this junk, so you don’t have to.



4. Move Over Elvis – Hip Hop is King

If the 2011 VMAs proved anything, it’s that hip hop still rules the masses. Many of you recall us noting this genre’s dominance over the years. Not only does MTV have a special category restricted to hip hop, but looking at winners from the other categories easily shows how big a factor this genre is in pop culture. Best New Artist was taken by Tyler, the Creator, a hip hop upstart. Best Choreography was snagged by Beyoncé, a hip hop icon. Best Collaboration was half pop and half hip hop, as was Best SFX (for the same song).



In fact, hip hop is so big, members of the indie pop band Foster the People noted during the pre-show that they were one of just a few rock bands there that night. They also joked that their next album probably should include some hip hop elements so their chances of winning are improved.



On the surface, this final observation doesn’t carry any spiritual significance. But buried underneath the vibes of this popular genre is a buffet of profanity and degradation of women. Here is an example. Here’s another. Our biggest advice on this is to be extra leery when it comes to this genre. We don’t want to come off as picking on one certain genre, but we’ll be happy to back down when the genre provides even a handful of examples of artists who rise above the above stigma.



Making Observations…and Plans

It does little good to make observations and then refuse to incorporate them in your life. For example, if you’re driving from Texas to Nebraska and notice mountains outside the car…that little nugget of reality should lead you to pull over and ask for (better) directions! (I’m recalling a line from Dumb and Dumber about John Denver.)



The same principle is true here, as well. We need to understand how these observations impact how we lead and love teenagers. Here are two simple action plans that scream for attention based on this year’s awards show.







1.Don’t allow culture to define teenagers. Yes, this is incredibly difficult, but actually accomplishing this has huge rewards. We know they wade through a lot of junk every single day of their lives, but they don’t have to be defined by the rants of Lady Gaga, the lyrics of Lil Wayne, or the innuendos of Katy Perry. For a moment, think about what it will look like if culture defines truth for today’s teens. For a moment, think about what it will look like if culture defines right and wrong, sexual purity, relationships, and every other important aspect of life. Yeah, we shudder, too. In Acts 17:6, we’re told that the Christians of the day had a phenomenal reputation; they were known for “turning the world upside down.” They defied the pagan, sexually immoral, and sinful influences of that era and lived lives defined by God Himself. As a result of the way they lived, culture was defined by them! This could happen again. It’s just gonna take lots of work.





2.Teach the things that please God. Granted, God, and even Jesus, might get lip service in a room filled with celebrities whose net worth tabulates into the billions, but do we really think God is pleased with sex-laden lyrics? Do we think He smiles when we turn love into lust? Do we believe He approves of filthy language today when His Word clearly denounced it 2,000 years ago (Col. 3:8)? Do we genuinely think that God is happy when His Name becomes synonymous with entertainment…and raunchy entertainment at that? No! So we have to teach the truth, no matter how counter-cultural it is. In Philippians 4:8-9, the Apostle Paul outlines a terrific set of God-pleasing criteria for our lives. “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”



Watching 15 minutes of this show greatly impacts how we plan on leading our personal small groups this week. Watching just 15 minutes of this show strongly encourages us to have conversations with the kids in our own homes this week!



What will these observations cause you to do?





Jonathan McKee, president of The Source for Youth Ministry, is the author of numerous books including the brand new Candid Confessions of an Imperfect Parent, Ministry By Teenagers, Connect: Real Relationships in a World of Isolation, and the award winning book Do They Run When They See You Coming? He speaks and trains at camps, conferences, and events across North America, and provides free resources for youth workers internationally on his website, TheSource4YM.com.







David R. Smith is a 15-year youth ministry veteran who helps youth workers and parents through his writing, training, and speaking. David specializes in sharing the gospel, and equipping others do the same. He co-authored his first book this year, Ministry By Teenagers. David provides free resources to anyone who works with teenagers on his website, DavidRSmith.org. David resides with his wife and son in Tampa, Florida.

MTV Movie Awards Pushing Limits

An interesting story from www.yaf.org about Elena Kagan. This follows this post about U.S. elections, such as the one on June 8. This follows this post about forced abortions in China. For more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

MTV Movie Awards Pushing Limits

An article from Jonathan McKee at TheSource4YM.com
I don't think anyone could have said it more true than New Moon star Peter Facinelli at the close of the MTV Movie Awards last night when he joked, "I've never heard the word 'f**k' used so many times in one evening." He wasn't kidding. Joe Pesci was covering his ears! The poor guy hitting the sensor button probably developed a callus in the first half hour! The sad fact is, the rampant use of f-bombs was probably one of the least worrisome elements of the evening. MTV provided girl-on-girl action, oral sex gestures, penis jokes, testicle jokes... and probably the icing on the cake, Christina Aguilera singing a song about receiving oral sex, complete with a close up of a little red heart-light lit up on her crotch at the end of the performance. I guess we shouldn't be surprised. MTV has put themselves in a bind. Each year they try to trump the previous year, and the easiest way to do that is to push the limits even further. It's difficult to even imagine the show 10 years from today. Second Guessing My Own Recommendation For years I've been recommending that parents and youth workers watch this show to harness just a glimpse at youth culture. I've said it year after year, "I only watch three of these shows a year: The MTV Movie Awards, The Teen Choice Awards, and the MTV Video Music Awards." Those three shows alone give anyone an accurate picture of exactly what our entertainment world is marketing to today's teenagers. Unfortunately, that little "taste" is starting to make me a little bit ill. Last night my wife and I were driving home when I remembered that I had to watch the show so I could write this article. I dreaded the chore. I could think of a hundred things I'd rather do. But more than that, I am just getting tired of MTV, and the CW, and ABC trying desperately to target teenagers to watch their trash. It's heartbreaking to me that adults are pimping this kind of content to our kids for one simple reason: ratings and money. Yes... it sounds like two reasons. But I assure you, they are one and the same. Jersey Shore and Katy Perry The show really began an hour before the show with the red carpet interviews. This year's red carpet interview was basically a giant infomercial for MTV's new reality show Jersey Shore, with Shore character Snooki on the mike helping MTV regulars interview the stars. In this pre-show, we got to hear Katy Perry joke about everything from doing a threesome to rumors of her performing naked. "I'm a tease," she offered. (Hmmmmm.... I hadn't noticed. Maybe next time she'll admit that she's a sellout too.) The pre-show showed us glimpses of Katy's racy music video with Snoop Dog, and then an exclusive, the first 10 minutes of Jersey Shore-Season Two. Wow! I'm going to sound like my grandpa here, but, "I can't believe they call that entertainment." One of the characters of the show described it like this: (imagine a thick jersey accent) "Lot's of fights, lot's of hookups, lots of drama. One minute you got three girls in a Jucuzzi, the next minute someone's in jail and you have to bail them out." The dialogue was unbelievable. Snookie is making meatballs with her new boyfriend Emilio. "How many balls do you want?" Emilio asks with a smirk. Snookie pauses, then smiles. "Two, in my face." Then we're blessed with Snookies keen insight about relationships. "Me and Emilio have been together for two and a half months. I really don't want to cheat. Like seriously, I don't want to. But you know, if you're going to hand me a bottle of freaking (she named a drink), something just comes over me. Like I just go crazy!" At this point, I couldn't wait for the actual award show to begin. The LowlightsThe show opened with Tom Cruise reprising his role from the R-rated 2008 movie Tropic Thunder. Uh... did I miss something? It's 2010, isn't it? The fat, bald, and harry Tom Cruise character Les Grossman gave the sensor guy a run for his money in the first 60 seconds. His speech was probably summarized in these three sentences:
"See movies are nothing but a marriage of picture and sound. My job is to get those two things drunk-get them "f**cking. The illegitimate baby they make is called entertainment."Unfortunately that wasn't the last we saw of Cruises "Grossman" character that evening. Grossman joined us again later to dance in a traditional crotch-grabbing and hip thrusting fashion to a Ludacris song. (Yes, that's the name of the artist, and yes, pun intended!) The opening words of the song:
[Chorus](Yeek-Yeek Woop-Woop) Why you all in my ear? Talkin' a whole bunch ash** that I ain't tryin to hear.Get Back! Motherf***er You don't know me like that.Get back! Motherf***er You don't know me like that!Then "Grossman" began dancing with J-lo, holding a walking cane up to his crotch like a penis pointed at J-lo. The host of the evening, Aziz Ansari, is a talented comedian. Unfortunately, like many talented comedians today, Aziz constantly grabs for the low hanging fruit of sexual humor and vulgarity. It was hard to watch Aziz cracking jokes about Taylor Lautner's "nuts" when the cameraman was showing us 11-year-old Jaden Smith in the audience cracking up. Think about that visual for a second-adults telling raunchy jokes and showing explicit material to 11-year-olds. If Jaden was walking through a park and a stranger approached him joking about testicles, erections and vaginas... my guess is that Jaden's dad, Will Smith, might have a thing or two to say to this individual. I wonder in the same situation if a lady came up to Jaden and started singing a song about people licking her vagina (as Christina Aguilera would do to the crowd later that evening)... I wonder how long Will would allow that to happen. But as long as Jaden is sitting in the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA, and our kids are sitting in the popcorn-grease-saturated theatre seats, or on couches in front of big screen TVs... then it must be okay. It's obvious that MTV and parents all over the world just don't mind this kind of content. Because if they did, they probably wouldn't let kids watch the show. They probably wouldn't allow their kids to vote whether the R-rated movie The Hangover is the best movie of the year...
CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

VMA Music Awards: I thank God?

I wanted to send you this article so that you can know things that are going on in the culture around us. It is nice to see that they are at least acknowledging God exists, but this is also a good time to review the third and seventh commandments from our book The Ten Commandments here. http://www.gnmagazine.org/booklets/TC/thirdcommandment.asp


Youth Culture Window: The MTV Video Music Awards-The Night Belonged to Brittany, Li'l Wayne... and God?
by Jonathan McKee and David Smith
No celebrity fistfights. No lesbian lip locks. Slightly fewer racy jokes and censored vulgarity. Has MTV gone soft? Unfortunately no; the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards still had plenty for youth workers and parents to detest.This year provided some of the most ironic "I thank God" accolades yet, a host with no refrain from ridiculing the Jonas Bros about their purity rings, and an impressive retort from 2007 American Idol Winner Jordin Sparks. Who knows? Maybe the message communicated this night was "not as it would seem."Nothing Is As It Seems...That's what this year's host Russell Brand kept telling viewers at the 25th Anniversary of the Video Music Awards (VMAs) hosted live on MTV. Not only did the entertainment include an exciting lineup of stars that just kept getting hotter, but the "nothing is as it seems" theme kept audience members on the edge of their seats. Just when viewers thought that a concert was happening across town, a wall would fall and reveal the singer in-house. A celebrity might go missing temporarily, only to be found by a frantic race around the studio. Several times, artists would strut in from the "back lot" of Paramount's huge property. Remember, nothing is as it seems.Even when it comes to God.Our DisclaimerNow, I don't want to lead you astray with my title; yes, we at TheSource4YM.com would consider this to be a "tamer" VMA than we've seen in the past, but keep in mind that "tame" is relative when MTV is involved. (Here's our re-cap of the 2005, 2006, and 2007 VMAs so you can decide for yourself.)Nobody ever truly knows what to expect from MTV's live VMAs each year. But given that this was the 25th Anniversary of the awards show, and MTV has a reputation for being...well, MTV...some of us were holding our breath to see what was in store for America's youth.As far as celebrity behavior was concerned, most of them - I repeat - most of them, kept it fairly clean. However, while commenting on Katy Perry's song " I Kissed A Girl," host Russell Brand said, "I was so inspired by Katy Perry's song's message that teenage girls will do anything for the taste of cherry chap stick, that I'm currently going through nine chap sticks a day, and my bleep has never felt more moisturized."And when Christopher Mintz-Plasse (of "Superbad" fame) snuck on stage with Slipknot, the metal band's leader explained that Chris had been doing body shots backstage. Chris' reply? "Is that what I was doing? I don't even remember how the hell I got out here...I'm bleepin trashed!"Far more damaging than the verbalized personal moisturizing practices of the host, and the pre-show stunts of Chris "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse, were the comments about God. All of them!I'd Like To Thank God...That's how several of the artists started their acceptance speeches. When Britney Spears held her first of three Moonmen aloft for Best Female Video in "A Piece of Me," she gave credit to God for her "blessing." When the same video earned her a second award, this time for Best Pop Video, she repeated her gratitude to God. (View the video here to see if God had any part in its production. Be warned; it's typical Britney!)Next up was the Pussycat Dolls. That's right, the Pussycat Dolls. They won Best Dancing in a Video for "When I Grow Up," a song all about becoming rich and famous. How they beat the incredibly talented (and fairly clean) Chris Brown with their mediocre yet racy moves is beyond me, but after securing their Moonman, front woman Nicole echoed Britney's praise of God. So I guess God really does want us all to be rich and famous! (You can view that theologically-challenged video here.)And, in a moment that I can only call ridiculous, Lil Wayne held up his award and thanked God for allowing him to win the Best Hip Hop Video award for "Lollipop." Here are a few lines from his risqué hit:
Man, she ain't never had a love like mineAnd man I ain't never seen an ass like hersAnd that pu**y in my mouth had me loss for wordsTold her back it up like erp erpAnd I made that ass jump like jerk, jerkAnd that's when she lick me like a lollipop (oh yeah I like that)she lick me like a lollipop (I like that)she lick me like a lollipop (I like that)she lick me like a lollipop
I don't think I need to link the video. You can go ahead and thank God for that.Frankly, I wish some of these stars would stop thanking God. With celebs like Paris Hilton and Amy Winehouse, it's probably true that there's "no such thing as bad publicity." But I do think "bad publicity" exists when it comes to God...and I think this was it.But MTV wasn't done...
CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

What the kids are watching

I wanted to send this article which describes what is going on in the popular culture of the world around us. Since we are in, but not of, the world, at times one needs to see the state of the world around us. I hope you find this interesting as something to be aware of.

Youth Culture Window
No LimitsA Glimpse of Pop Culture through the Lens of the MTV Movie AwardsJonathan McKeeI love movies… and I love good TV. But the MTV Movie Awards always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.First, understand how powerful an influence MTV has on our kids. It’s amazing if you think about it. MTV pre-dates cell phones, iPods, Xbox and the internet. MTV filled homes across the world while MySpace creator Tom was still in diapers. Jordon Sparks and Chris Brown had yet to sing together… actually, they weren’t even born when MTV already “owned” a young generation. That generation has already grown up and is raising kids of their own. These kids now watch the same channel their parents watched, just with less videos, more reality shows, and much more sexual references per hour.As we rolled into the new millennium, when everyone had an email address, a cell phone number and a Starbucks addiction, MTV was still named the top choice for advertisers who wanted to reach teenagers.Now, in 2008, MTV still “owns,” although now they probably share the crown with Nick, American Idol, Facebook and iTunes. But on this past Sunday night, all eyes were on MTV for their annual MTV Movie Awards hosted by Michael Myers and featuring every celeb imaginable, from Will Smith to Juno’s Ellen Page.I’ve gotta be honest with you. I’m biased. I don’t like MTV. As a parent, I struggle with a channel that gladly peddles smut to our kids to make a buck. Think about it for a second. If a man walked up to our kids in a grocery store and starting talking about the content that MTV doesn’t hesitate sharing every day… most parents would be either calling security or smacking the individual. But what do we do? We reward this individual and give him free reign over our children. It’s mind blowing.So last night I sat down to try to stomach another year of what MTV had to offer. As a movie fan I normally would enjoy Michael Myers, Will Smith and Jack Black…but not this night. Not on this channel.After the “gold carpet” pre-show with “role models” like Diddy, Paris Hilton, and the Pussy Cat Dolls, the show started with a creative introduction from Michael Myers that had a few chuckling moments.The show went downhill from there. I’ll highlight the good and bad for you quickly, share some of the trends I noticed this year, and finally make two suggestions of how we can respond as parents and youth workers.The Good Part of the Show:
I always enjoy seeing Chris Brown dance—a very talented young man.
It was fun to hear Coldplay’s new song performed live.
And I was truly excited this year when all the nominees for their annual “Best Kiss” award were actually a kiss between a guy and a girl!Well, that wraps up the good. Here’s the bad.The Bad Part of the Show:
Every year the show seems to award a bunch of movies that parents wouldn’t really want their kids watching. Considering that MTV is the “top-rated network in the 12-24 demographic,” it’s discouraging that racy R-rated movies like Knocked Up, Superbad and Sex in the City were in the lineup.
The show featured a moment that is probably the most blatant televised promotion for smoking weed that I’ve ever seen. Seth Rogan and James Franco lit up a big fatty joint and smoked it live right in front of thousands of cheering fans.
This show is a gateway drug to other MTV shows. They consistently plugged other trashy MTV shows like The Real World and Tila Tequila where the commercial featured a lengthy shot of two girls passionately kissing. They also plugged new shows like House Bunny, where a playboy bunny moves into a sorority… oh… why even bother explaining. Sigh.
Almost every commercial break cut to a piece of Usher’s “Let’s Make Love in This Club” video.
Michael Myers, as funny as he is, never ceased to cross the line. Somehow, he seemed to twist every little introduction into something sexual. “Our next presenters did a movie together called The Foot Fist Way and surprisingly, it’s not a celebrity sex tape.” Other times he played creatively quirky characters including his sketch as an ex-porn star who now caters for movies. She (Myers) told us to be careful what we “put in our mouths.”
At first I was excited because they brought Dana Carvey in as a guest to do a live “Wayne’s World” sketch with Mike Myers. I was amazed with what they got away with on TV, joking about “pubes,” porn film titles, and a whole little bit about proclaimed bi-sexual Tila Tequila reaching down the front of people’s pants and being satisfied with whatever she finds down there (complete with hand gestures). It was embarrassingly graphic.
As a whole, the show was a giant infomercial. At times, it was hard to decipher between the show and advertisements. I wasn’t alone in this observation.
MTV’s commercials always bother me, but at the same time, I think MTV tips their hand with their advertisements. It’s very clear what kind of audience they expect with their advertisements for new “unrated” movies and racy reality shows.This Year’s TrendsEvery year I notice certain trends in pop culture programming. The 2008 MTV Movie Awards revealed plenty. But three trends seemed to float to the top.A Warped Sense of HeroesIn a world where many kids feel ignored by their parents, a void can grow in their lives. Kids seek heroes. If mom and dad aren’t there… who remains?Enter Seth Rogan and The PussyCat Dolls stage right. Don’t worry mom and dad, your little boy could grow up just like what Seth portrays: smoking pot, cursing, and joking incessantly about sex and porn. And your little girl can someday do soft-core porn routines like a Pussycat Doll.Or maybe it’s something a little more subtle. Take Tranformer’s Megan Fox for example, wearing a dress shorter than her dad’s t-shirt, and her only comment on stage being “Transformers II is going to be f***ing bad*ss!” How’s that for a hero? This year’s MTV Movie Awards provided plenty of these “anti-roll models.” People you’d never want your kids to hang out with… yet we give them standing ovations. Adam Sandler, Diddy, Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan… need I go on?Gross-out Humor Gross-out humor springboarded to mainstream exactly a decade ago with the success of the 1998 Farrelly Brothers’ movie There’s Something About Mary. Since then, movies have strived to push the limits, and MTV has followed suit. MTV’s Jackass is synonymous with “gross-out.” So it was no surprise to see even more of it in full gear on this year’s show. From the sketch where a monkey gets freaky with the MTV popcorn trophy (right before getting covered with snot, urine and more) to Mike Myer’s unremitting, over-the-top sexual jokes.No LimitsThis paragraph probably appears redundant, but gross-out humor is probably only one sub category of displaying “no limits.” MTV excels at letting loose with no limits. Mike Myers’ jokes didn’t stop at gross out humor (like his sketch where he was eating fecal matter), then ventured to the sexual, homo-sexual and even bestiality. Nothing was out of bounds. And we’re raising a generation of kids that don’t see much as “off limits.”So what can we do as parents and youth workers?
Connect with our kids. It happens all the time. A parent catches a true glimpse of their kid’s world and throws a tizzy! Don’t overreact and throw your TV out the window or ground your kids for a year. I say it in every parent workshop I teach—I can’t emphasize it enough: “Rules without a relationship lead to rebellion.” As a parent or a youth worker, we need to get to know our kids. Connecting means learning their interests, listening to their dreams, and noticing their needs. A relationship is the starting point for building values into them and talking with kids about issues of discernment. And the greatest gift we can give our kids is TIME.
Build lasting values.We need to teach the importance of guidelines to a “no limits” generation. As believers in Christ we can point to the Word. When this world cleverly lies to us and tells us that “everything is okay,” our kids should see the Bible as an unchanging source of truth. Paul talks about this truth we can hold on to in the book of Ephesians. “Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” (Ephesians 4:14-15)Parents, it is okay to say, “Sorry, that doesn’t belong in our house.” We need to teach Biblical discernment. Discernment might begin with blocking MTV.