Paul Routledge is an idiot.
Earlier today, the Daily Mirror published this article by Paul Routledge titled “London riots: Is rap music to blame for encouraging this culture of violence?”
He framed it as a question, so let’s answer it for him; “…No, you silly, reactionary bastard.”
The fun part? I can deal some major damage to his argument without citing a single rap song.
As with all columnists in major newspapers, Routledge frames his argument with the slick veneer of confirming his the fears of his readership. These are his words:
“I blame the pernicious culture of hatred around rap music, which glorifies violence and loathing of authority (especially the police but including parents), exalts trashy materialism and raves about drugs.”
Basically, Routledge is going buck-Wildean. Oscar Wilde wrote in 1889 that “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life,” and Wilde was probably right; art can be based on just one real-life experience and once it’s unleashed on the world it has the power to influence the lives of its entire audience. The problem is that rap music isn’t often the product of creative flights of fancy; Hip Hop has a strong foundation of “realness”; its lyrics most often show a genuine attitude to genuine issues. This form of art inherently imitates life.
Routledge is displaying a classically ignorant, and extremely dangerous, attitude to explaining social issues; blame the symptoms, ignore the cause. Hip Hop may influence some of the trappings of the current situation, some people of the Hip Hop persuasion (including me!) do love their sneakers and JD Sports has become a prime target for looting, but it in no way began this rioting.
The best part is we have historical data to show just how little Hip Hop has to do with civil unrest.
Coming straight out of Spain, economists Jacopo Ponticelli and Hans-Joachim Voth released an enlightening study today; “How much will they hate it? Unrest and budget cuts over the long run.”
In it, they analyse the correlation between government-implemented austerity measures and civil unrest in several forms throughout the 20th Century. They find a strong correlation. Even baring in mind that the UK is sitting under just the threat of dramatic austerity measures, the results are… not looking good for Routledge’s cause.
Demonstrations, strikes and riots all increase when government expenditure is cut. Sound familar? It might do if you’re in the United Kingdom circa 2011.
Stowe Boyd sums it up perfectly;
“If you amp up austerity in hard times, the disaffected young — the 600,000 in the UK who have never had a single job — will burn the motherfucker down, because they have nothing to lose. Full stop.”
It’s important to note that Pontichelli and Voth’s data goes back to 1919. The exact time of Hip Hops earliest showing is constantly in debate, but I’d like to think we can all agree that rap music did not originate in the immediate fallout of World War I. And for that reason, and without citing a single bar, Paul Routledge is an idiot.
