"Blue Collar" Comedy, Get "Crunk", Part 1

And now for something completely different. Along with sports, music is my "other" passion, and I like to think I have pretty good taste in music. I enjoy, at least on some level, every style of music other than country ("We don't play country music [on MTV] because it sucks." -Dave Attell).

Since when was it cool to be stupid?

I understand we as Americans have always found humor in others' stupidity, so that isn't what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is the trend in the past five years or so of dumbing down our culture, which has now reached the point that movies like Witless Protection are now being shown in theaters.

To show readers I'm not trying to be biased against those "Blue Collar" rednecks (since when did having a blue collar job become synonymous with being a redneck, anyway?) I'll discuss this trend in hip-hop first. I've been listening to rap music for most of my life, and I'll admit, about two-thirds of it isn't trying to sound intelligent, anyway. However, this has reached a whole new level recently.

1997, the year The Notorious B.I.G. was murdered and the East Coast/West Coast media feud finally ended, saw the rise of Southern record labels such as New Orleans' No Limit and Cash Money. At first, our reaction to their absurdly simple and blatantly offensive lyrics was, "Are you serious?" But we were soon hooked by their pounding bass lines, catchy samples and unforgettable hooks.

By 2003, Atlanta was the new capital of the hip-hop world, and newer artists like Lil' Jon, Ludacris, and other Southern artists received the majority of airplay on radio stations that played "jams." Southern hip-hop artists, at least those who were prominent in pop culture, sacrificed musical integrity for spins in the club and airplay on BET (don't get me started on "Black Entertainment" Television). I'll stop here with hip-hop, because I've found another blog that states my views better than I can in this case: What The South's Reign Really Meant: A Semi-Defense of Hip-Hop's Most Notorious Region. At the risk of sounding racist, I see the dumbing down of hip-hop as conservative politicians' attempt (conveying their views through record executives) to portray black people as dumb and shallow, but that's for another day.

I'll condense my views on modern-day pop music to one paragraph. First, and most importantly, SINGING WITH ARTIFICIAL EMOTION, ESPECIALLY SADNESS, DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE SOUL!!! YOU MAY SELL A FEW RECORDS, BUT TO THOSE OF US WHO ACTUALLY LISTEN TO THE MUSIC, YOU JUST SOUND LIKE A PUSSY!!! Second, sounding serious when you're singing about subjects that are far from serious (the Fountains of Wayne song Stacy's Mom and Sisqo's The Thong Song, despite being old, are the best, i.e. worst, examples I've heard) isn't funny; in fact, you sound like an idiot. There is only room for one Weird Al in music, and even that is sometimes too much.

What everyone's talking about

Allow me to introduce this...blog. Basically, I'm just going to use this blog to vent about sports, music, or whatever else is going through my mind. I like to think my opinion differs from most, particularly public figures, so maybe every once in awhile I'll say something interesting. I'll update any time I feel like venting and have a few extra minutes.

Anyway, the number one story in sports right now seems to be retired Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and his desire to return to the NFL. Most recently, Favre (or his agent) wrote a letter to the Packers asking for his release. As a lifelong Packer fan, I have this to say to Brett: Fuck you!

You read right. I appreciate everything Favre has done for the organization. Ron Wolf, Mike Holmgren and Favre are equally responsible for reviving the Packers. In addition, the longevity of Favre's career is nothing short of amazing. However, that doesn't give him the right to do what he's doing now.

It was difficult not to become emotional when watching Favre's retirement announcement. He really sounded like he was finished, and like he had thought long and hard about his decision. If he wasn't 100 % sure he wanted to retire, he shouldn't have announced his retirement! When Favre went public with his decision, the Packers began to move on. I am certain that if he had told Packers General Manager Ted Thompson he needed more time before deciding whether to return, he would have been given more time.

If Favre had been with the Packers for the entire offseason, the team would have been better off with Favre on the team. This was a team that nearly played in the Super Bowl last season. Unfortunately for them, he was "retired" for four months and the Packers had no choice but to move on with Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback.

Rodgers is the most unfortunate part of this story. He waited patiently backing up Favre for three seasons, and I'm sure he benefited from watching Favre play, even if Favre wasn't attempting to mentor him as the Packers' "quarterback of the future." In limited game experience, Rodgers has displayed a strong arm and solid leadership skills. This isn't to say Rodgers is going to be a successful NFL starter, or that the Packers would not be better off with Favre as their quarterback. However, it isn't fair to Rodgers or the Packers for Favre to decide in June (according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, although the story wasn't broken until early July) that he wants to return.

I don't want to see Brett Favre playing for another team, and I don't think Brett Favre wants to play for another team. Favre brought the Packers back to the Super Bowl, and lasted through the rebuilding of the franchise after that. Through his leadership, the Packers were one of the best teams in the NFL last season. If the Packers think it's in their best interests (i.e. if they think they are equipped to make a Super Bowl run) to bring Favre back, they should do it. It doesn't look like that is going to happen, though.

The Packers are being unfairly vilified for hesitating to let Favre return. They aren't completely without blame—the way they handled Favre's inquiries about a possible return was downright disrespectful—but Favre essentially gave the team permission to move on when he retired. It is presumptuous of Favre to expect the team to expect the Packers to welcome him back, especially considering Aaron Rodgers' situation.