Essay about Violence, Corruption, and Wealth in American...

Todays society is no stranger to violence and corruption. We see it in our streets, on our television and movie screens, and we hear it in music. However, a clearer connection is being made between this corruption and wealth. Our culture is beginning to associate dishonesty and criminal acts with money and material goods. Images of wealth and fame through murder and mayhem are pounded into Americans heads through a the story-lines of Mafia movies and the lyrics of popular music idols. Producers are thriving on our two biggest cravings: money and violence. In the novel The Great Gatsby, corruption is a main theme and is used as a gateway to wealth and fame. As the plot unfolds, the main characters get caught in a tangled web of adulterous†¦show more content†¦Many rappers including the late quot;Notorious B.I.Gquot; and quot;2Pacquot;, two very well known rappers, made innumerable references to the use and sale of drugs, along with the profit to be made, in their lyrics. In t he song quot;Skys the Limitquot;, the Notorious B.I.G raps about his school days, being a young drug dealer, rapping quot;Buy a dime [of marijuana], smoke five, sell the rest for 20/ a young nigga making far too much money/ I was the only 8th grader with a mobile [phone].quot; Other rappers have based their entire careers on drugs like rapper quot;Redmanquot; who is an open and proud marijuana smoker and promoter. In an interview in quot;Sourcequot; Magazine, he stated quot;I spend about 18-20,000 dollars last year on [marijuana]quot;. He makes many references to the drug in just about every song he is featured in. While all this is going on, you can see these rappers sporting the newest clothes, the shiniest diamonds and the fastest cars. Rappers, unlike other high paid professionals, have a reputation for flaunting and bragging about their money. Music videos are the perfect stage to do this and rappers take full advantage of the opportunity with $7,000,000 + videos containing car s, special effects and in one video, a $200,000 platinum-gold tank, believe it or not. The clear message here is that power, wealth and stardom are accompanied by violence and corruption. These few examples dont even begin to crack the surface, butShow MoreRelatedAlternative Narratives In Russia Essay1199 Words   |  5 Pagessupposed intervention in the American Presidential election, many are wondering what it is that makes the case of Vladimir Putin so anomalous. Almost 20 years into his presidency, having just announced his decision to run in the next election, Putin has created Russia anew, and the story of the Kremlin has adopted the qualities of a myth. 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