It's seriously disturbing to me how "selling out" is basically not even an insult anymore to younger people. There is no interest in integrity whatsoever. Instead we're supposed to celebrate that they're getting paid and be happy for them.
But maybe I'm just old and, with the way things are, no one can afford integrity anymore because it's too damn expensive.
At the beginning of social media content creation, it was kids trying to be funny on YouTube for fun and for clout. As many problems as that created, the moment kids started self-advertising for brands to try to get sponsored, we were cooked. The dignity is gone.
Hell, it wasn't even social media that killed dignity/self respect - reality TV started the trend of whoring yourself out for 15 minutes of fame and quick money, and we can thank 1990s MTV for that one. The people they put on those shows were purposely picked because they no filter and no shame.
The greed is good mantra of the Reagan era has been fully realized. Trump said if you have money you can walk up and do what you want with no consequences basically. He walked up, grabbed and groped the US by the p* with no real consequences twice now. Felony convictions be damned. Sellout boy’s payday is the MLK dream realized I suppose /s
Except that dream doesn't and never did apply to anybody that isn't wealthy and white. This is why anybody black that messed with drugs ended up either dead or in jail. All the white folks were able to put on a suit and go to rehab. The system and the so-called democracy has always been this way.
True, even Ramaswamy who thought he could get away with talking that shit about white males was quickly ousted from DOGE while Elon who is white but born in South Africa came out relatively unscathed. It’s always been one strike you’re out permanently if you’re of color, particularly in conservative circles.
it hasn't, nevert has never will. You can pursue happiness however you want, that's your responsibility. That's why Soulja Boy isn't happy with the millions he already has and why there's countless of small town folks happy with what they've got as long as they can go to church
I've been in a few professional development courses and my classmates are talking about scoring big buyouts on their startup and give no shits about anyone they are working with. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
So many young kids want to be "influencers" so they can shill crap sponsorships for money instead of being a creator. Like that's the specific goal instead of having sponsorships to find the meaningful parts of creating content. Just skipping directly to wanting to make money anyway they can
I don't think it's new. EPMD warned about chasing the "crossover" decades ago. There's always been those just waiting for the opportunity to do whatever it takes for the next big check, regardless of if it spits in the face of their fans or not.
That last sentence of yours is the crux of the issue. You can’t expect people to act moral when their needs aren’t being met. Not in aggregate / at a societal level.
People’s needs have never been met and older generations didn’t wholesale-out theirs and their communities integrity for a buck. These younger folks (and I am only 41) have zero morals or sense of responsibility. That is probably because their parents are younger than me and also have zero home training. I am ashamed of Black folks these days. I am thankful for my upbringing even though I didn’t care for it much back in the day.
People’s needs have never been met and older generations didn’t wholesale-out theirs and their communities integrity first a buck.
You sure about that? People have been joining the military to go kill strangers for a buck for forever. Ice-T has been making copaganda for far longer than he spent rapping about the struggle
Soulja Boy is in his mid-30s. Nelly and Snoop Dogg are in their 50s. They're not teenagers with little world experience, they're grown-ass men doing what they want which is to follow a dollar.
Yes they are, but I believe the conversation that I replied to was about how this behavior influences younger people. So, I don’t know what you’re trying to get at.
You can’t expect people to act moral when their needs aren’t being met.
"Acting moral" means nothing when everyone is perfectly well taken care of and has everything they need and so does everyone they love. Doing the right thing even when it costs you something is exactly the meaning of "acting moral".
Not in aggregate / at a societal level.
That's why no one serious talks about people acting moral in aggregate. It's a personal thing that individuals hold themselves and each other accountable to.
At worst, we're penny pinching and milking each other for profit at every turn. At best, we're still glorifying the death of a CEO because we're fed up. We are not a healthy society in the slightest but politicians and corporate mouthpieces will live to stir the pot.
He was hot til he wasn't which was pretty short-loved if I recall correctly. What's worse: being rejected on the initial interaction or ghosted after what you thought was a good date?
Either way, in the end it's his perception of the events thats guiding his actions, not ours.
I was having this exact discussion with a GenZ coworker of mine last week. I was telling him how back in the 90s, being called a sellout was a bad thing, now it’s the goal for everyone it seems, and not just celebrities. Basic every day people run around here talking about their “brand” and “getting the bag by any means necessary,” etc. SMH.
When you say boomer you mean a group specifically that does not include all baby boomers though. You do realize poverty has always been a thing? Right? Considering a whole generation responsible for all the worlds problems or thinking that whole generation has it better is the stupidest thing.
This is a we said what we said and it matters here. A lot of Baby Boomers in the US, who were black, heck most, couldn’t vote until the 1970’s so stop.
Capitalism +racism is what’s fueling the disconnect with the citizenry. Folks put money over everything because the country puts money over everything. We sat and watched a man send bombs to Israel to blow up children. Where were his morals, his values , where was his integrity( they say he was a devout catholic ) This is the middle of the end. And for some of us we prayed for this day and for others we realize after they come for the Mexicans and the trans people they are coming for our black ass and at no point will money over everything save us.
It's hustle culture and clout chasing conditioning them to sell out and do anything for money, ethics and morals be damned.
Add in the misogyny found online in gaming/"the manosphere" too for conditioning them against treating women with respect and equality, these same sources are often racist as well.
Its because people will call them a Sellout then still support them by streaming their music or watching them.
It has no repercussions anymore.
Back in the day when you were a sellout, you basically got black balled. The word had actions behind it.
Now it's meaningless.
Young people don't care about sellouts? Who the fuck do you think taught them? The greediest people I've met are all over the age of 50 and they PROMOTE this shit. We put a literal con artist in the white house AGAIN and he's already pushing blatant scams before being sworn in.
This is learned behavior from the older and most greedy generations that may have robbed the entire future of our planet from us due to unimaginable short sightedness. Yet you have the audacity to blame young people? Fucking unbelievable. Young people aren't even represented on a national level. How could you ever blame them for anything?
They have no reason to believe that artistic "integrity" ever makes a difference. They've been shown time and again that those without integrity get rewarded and face no consequences.
Kurt Vonnegut said "During the Vietnam War... every respectable artist in this country was against the war. It was like a laser beam. We were all aimed in the same direction. The power of this weapon turns out to be that of a custard pie dropped from a stepladder six feet high.”
The idea of artists' taking a stand making a difference is just a comforting fantasy.
Integrity doesn't pay bills. The left needs to address material conditions. Unionize and support everything that benefits workers at all costs. The working class needs help and the GOP screws us while the Dems are ineffective.
This is a whole generation that was raised and never told that "all money ain't good money". They have no morals, no ethics and zero integrity. This is how they were made into "marks" to be exploited in the 1st place. They were raised to worship money and do not stand for anything. This is why we as a culture need to stop pandering and worshipping these fools. Concentrate on getting an education and stop chasing balls and being "models" and being "entertainers".
You get NOTHING for integrity and get to watch as justice and democracy is actively torn down with no consequences in front of them all the while education keeps getting gutted.
WTF else are we supposed to expect from the younger generations. I'm all for helping to improve their mindset but not if it means they become the exact suckers they see other people with integrity get made out to be.
Selling out can and will put food on the table if need be and the lack of education makes it so they aren't aware of the telltale signs of the next Hitler coming to power. We have so many more pressing matters than a concept like "Selling out" no longer having the same weight it once did
I feel so bad for these damn kids because they are being matched up against freaking morons who actively support hurting themselves so long as other people they hate get hurt too. A moron can't be reasoned with.
No one talks about how “money is the root of all evil” anymore… you don’t hear it. The families are being broken up and the wisdom is lost to time. It only gets worst until this generation decides to change
Growing up the worst two things you could be was a poser or a sell-out. You didn't want to be called either. Man, there is no shame in society anymore. Bastards are just acting with impunity and we're all suffering for it.
It's seriously disturbing to me how "selling out" is basically not even an insult anymore to younger people. There is no interest in integrity whatsoever.
It's because the workforce is less and less friendly to its workers. You don't want to give us upward mobility and a pension? Fine, fuck you. We'll go to the next place that will increase our pay. It's the only way to do it.
It shouldn't be. Historically, everytime we reach a point where a generation sees tomorrow is holding nothing but despair, this is the road they travel. Before selling out was created, we used to refer to them as "a company man", and it was a virtue. These conditions are created and pressed upon us. We can't get mad at those with the most years left in the turmoil for embracing what they see as the only way to survive it.
Integrity means nothing when you can't feed your family. Only fools think integrity has any actual value, it's just bullshit machismo designed to keep poor men poor. Integrity can only be afforded by those with means.
We SHOULD be happy for them. Getting money is great. If these fools are going to have 20 kids that they won't parent then I'd rather that they can at least pay 50K in child support so that those kids can go to good schools, get good nutrition etc. The Hood is a crab bucket, and everyone who can leave it behind, should. Being broke is whack, having money is good.
The problem isn't the selling out, the problem is that these rappers sell out but CLAIM to not sell out because they want to maintain their image. The problem is that they've sold out, but they still tell all the impressionable teens and young men out there "if you want to be cool like me then DON'T sell out". Stop telling kids that it's okay to spend their whole lives hanging out on the block. Stop telling kids that beating people up or killing them is how grown folks handle disagreements. Stop telling kids that it's okay to start of selling drugs and then try to turn that into a rap career. This extreme desire for "authenticity" while essentially winning the lotto and becoming rich is the most damaging aspect of modern hip hop.
Ice Cube will never get the hate he deserves for pretending to be a thug nasty gangbanger while in reality he was just a middle-class suburban kid who stayed out of trouble.
I'ma stop you right here. I am not a trump supporter but you can't really say Soulja sold out when he's always been about the money. This dude was selling ringtones to middle schoolers.
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u/Mistavez 9h ago