COMMENTARY

E D I T O R I A L S:

If not a way of life, then what?
Survey says...nothing

If not a way of life, then what?

It's been two years since Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest threw ripples in comfortable waters, exclaiming "Hip-hop ain't a way of life. It don't tell how to raise a kid or protect your wife," The statement flew smack dab in the face of those like KRS-ONE who claimed that Hip-Hop was more than a music, that it was a culture and as Chuck D said, "CNN for black America." What has happened since Tip uttered these words has complicated and confused the debate over hip-hop as culture or musical genre. The tragic murders of Hip-Hop greatest personalities Tupac and Biggie and the national backlash by mainstream media have jarred understanding of the culture and art-form, leaving hip-hop insiders - the same ones who claimed that hip-hop was a culture - clinging to the notion of it being a musical form that shouldn't be blamed for violence of any kind. Simultaneously, those outsiders who refuse to acknowledge hip-hop as a whole breathing culture suddenly saw it as a distinctly different subculture threatening the tightly stitched fabric of American life.

This weekend, Oberlin will embark on a journey to better understand the wonder, the horror, and meaning of hip-hop. Organizer Carmen Mitchell says that the conference is all about "getting a more diverse outlook on what Hip Hop represents today." Mitchell, and the organizers of this event have gone all out, searching for the those who embody and personify the roots, branches, aura and future of Hip-Hop. There would be no conference without their push and desire.

While Hip-Hop and it's tentacles stretch way past Oberlin, we must understand Oberlin is one of the few places this type of conference could take place. Folk anticipate this conference will be the biggest conference of any kind in recent Oberlin history, and only at Oberlin could a multiracial, core of men and women put together such an event. This conference is a testament to those organizers, the college, you and Hip-Hop.


Survey says...nothing

Last week, we ran a full-page questionnaire, asking you, our readers, how you feel about us. It was ambitious, maybe a little intimidating, and seemed like a good outlet for all of you disgruntled folks. We want to be better. We wanted you to let us know how we can be better.

The response astounded us. There were no surveys returned.

We know how busy you are. We also know that you have time to talk to your friends about the Review. Remember, some of us are your friends. We tell you to write a letter to the editor, or get on staff and improve the quality of the paper. It's too easy to just complain, to not even try to put your thoughts out there for fear that someone might call you out.

Oberlin students are weird about letting each other know what makes them angry. The socialists are pretty good about protesting anything that's at odds with what they espouse to stand for. A few years back, the women's basketball team raised holy hell when they felt that the coach had done them a disservice. The baseball team is under new management, mainly due to the activism of the players. Yet, there are many things that are just part of the Oberlin collective consciousness that we don't question or try to change. Charlene Cole is bad. Nancy's O.K., S. Fred was a dinosaur, and the Review is a rag - we should save trees by not bothering with it.

You had the chance to really effect change with the Review. You didn't even have to circulate petitions or spray paint signs or hang effigies of animals on the tree in front of Wilder. Granted, no national news anchor will interview you if you return your survey and no rats will die if you don't.

You still have a chance to better the only weekly student publication on campus. We will have an alpha survey, as well as a form linked to the on-line version of the Review asking the same questions we posed to you in the paper. As you read this issue, please consider letting us know what you think.

The Review is not perfect. We don't pretend to be. We're students with academic lives and planners that are filled with multi-colored inks and hi-lighted deadlines. We do the best we can with the best we are. You depend on us to provide you with an overview of campus life, and we do the best we can to fulfill that implicit promise. We are depending on you to let us know how we can better serve your needs as readers.


Editorials in this box are the responsibility of the editor-in-chief, managing editor and commentary editor, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the Review.

Back // Commentary Contents \\ Next

T H E   O B E R L I N   R E V I E W

Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 126, Number 21, April 17, 1998

Contact us with your comments and suggestions.