EDITORIAL
Racism on steroids?
Published Jan 27, 2008 9:14 PM
The witch hunt against people using steroids—most vehemently targeted
against people of color—has extended itself to the entertainment
industry. News reports announced on Jan. 14 that several entertainers,
including hip-hop stars 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean and Timbaland; R&B artist Mary
J. Blige; and movie producer Tyler Perry, were cited in an investigation of
steroid use.
Notice that every single one of the entertainers mentioned is Black. They are
not suspects in the investigation, the papers report, as the investigation is
focused on the distribution of steroids and not the use. However, these reports
have subjected them to the court of public scrutiny.
Everyone knows that drugs flourish in the entertainment industry, yet there is
a double standard in the corporate media when it comes to talking about white
performers and Black performers, just as there is a double standard when it
comes to white music and Black music.
When white performers spew sexist language, record misogynistic music videos
and glamorize the “fast life” of drugs and music, they receive pats
on the back. If Black artists do it—under record labels owned by
corporations that decide exactly what will reach the airwaves—they and an
entire genre of music and its performers are demonized as bad role models.
When white performers use a long list of illegal drugs, it’s supposedly
part of the glamour of the job. But now these Black performers are listed in a
criminal investigation. Where’s the investigation of cocaine and heroin
distribution? The names that would come up would come not only from the
entertainment industry, but Wall Street boardrooms as well.
Drug use is rampant and completely understandable in a capitalist society that
exhaustively exploits workers—including athletes and artists—and
forces them to compete against one another day in and day out. The enforcement
by the capitalist state of drug laws, with little to no emphasis on
rehabilitation, always serves to criminalize and denigrate people of color.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
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