Major Gov Official Wants to "Edit" Your Tweets, Can Lyrics Lead to a Murder Charge Against Platinum Rapper? Netflix Pushes Back Against Anti-Chappelle Employees (The Five for 05/13/22)
Hey, welcome to The Five.
Let’s dive into Culture & Commentary.
[one]
The popular Twitter account Libs of TikTok uncovered a Canadian school that assigned four-year-olds “masturbation homework.”
There’s currently rampant online debate about the term “groomer,” and whether or not children are being groomed to be sexually abused, particularly in public schools.
Well, we have an answer to that question…for this week anyway.
[two]
The head of President Biden’s “Disinformation Board” wants the government to be able to “edit” the Tweets of everyday citizens.
The “disinformation expert” tapped by President Biden to head a new US agency division that critics have likened to an Orwellian “Ministry of Truth” says that “verified” Twitter users should be able to edit other users’ tweets if they believe they are misleading.
Nina Jankowicz — whose appointment as director of the new Disinformation Governance Board in the Department of Homeland Security has stoked concerns about government censorship — told participants in a recent Zoom chat that she is “verified” by Twitter before adding that “there are a lot of people who shouldn’t be verified, who aren’t legit” because “they’re not trustworthy.”
She then adds: “Verified people can essentially start to ‘edit’ Twitter [in] the same sort of way that Wikipedia is so they can add context to certain tweets.”
This one needs almost no commentary, but here goes:
First Amendment says…
…Government can’t do that.
The end.
But based on Jancowicz’s now-private TikTok account where she infamously sang about Misinformation to the tune of a Marry Poppins song, perhaps the new government official needs someone to sing the Bill of Rights to her on a social networking app to grasp this.
UPDATE: Soon-to-be-Twitter-owner Elon Musk appears to have dropped a comical reply to the idea of the Federal Government’s Disinformation Board editing tweets:
[three]
Two of the biggest names on the pop charts, rappers Young Thug and Gunna are facing decades-to-life in prison on RICO (Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act) for criminal activities with the YSL street gang, and prosecutors are leaning into their respective song lyrics to build a case.
CNN:
Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug’s lyrics are being cited as evidence in a sweeping 56-count gang indictment, again raising a debate over whether lyrics are protected free speech.
According to the 88-page indictment obtained by CNN, lyrics from the rapper’s popular songs – including “Slime Sh*t,” “Original Slime Sh*t,” and “Anybody” – were used as examples of “overt acts,” some of which constitute racketeering. Prosecutors allege that Young Thug, real name Jeffery Williams, founded the gang Young Slime Life in late 2012 and was a key figure in various YSL activities. Rapper Gunna, real name Sergio Giovanni Kitchens, is also charged in the document. Williams was arrested at his home in Atlanta on Monday, police said.
Most notably, prosecutors said that in 2015, Williams rented an Infiniti Q50 sedan from Hertz, which was later used in the murder of a rival gang member. There are also references that paint Williams as the leader of the YSL gang, as two associates discussed how to obtain his permission to attempt to murder rapper YFN Lucci while he was incarcerated.
I pretty much always come down on the side of free speech, and this is not exception.
As a hip hop fan, I don’t enjoy either artist (although I do understand their massive cultural appeal), but I’ll defend their right to make art without assuming the artists are guilty just because their music is violent, which could just be a commercial persona.
To reverse the example, a friend of mine worked with MC Hammer, who billed himself as “clean” and “family friendly” but was involved in gang activities while projecting such a mild persona.
It’s safe to assume the opposite can be true as well…rappers who appear to be cold blooded killers are in fact mild mannered suburbanites.
It’s possible (probable?) that Young Thug and Gunna are guilty. But the authorities need to prosecute the same way they would prosecute any other accused criminal, through hard evidence and building a case, not whining to the judge that the alleged perps said naughty words.
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[four]
In an updated handbook, Netflix has settled a controversy from last year, in which a handful of employees publicly came out against the most recent Dave Chappelle comedy special on the platform and leaked info about the comedians compensation and streaming data.
Variety reports:
“Not everyone will like — or agree with — everything on our service,” the Artistic Expression section continues. “While every title is different, we approach them based on the same set of principles: we support the artistic expression of the creators we choose to work with; we program for a diversity of audiences and tastes; and we let viewers decide what’s appropriate for them, versus having Netflix censor specific artists or voices.”
The section concludes, “As employees we support the principle that Netflix offers a diversity of stories, even if we find some titles counter to our own personal values. Depending on your role, you may need to work on titles you perceive to be harmful. If you’d find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you.”
In other words Netflix has explicitly stated “we won’t be held hostage by our own employees.”
Slow. Clap.
[five]
At the time of this writing, Top Gun: Maverick has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and looks to be the first major box office hit of the summer. I hadn’t paid any attention to this, so I was surprised to learn that Miles Teller (Whiplash) and Jon Hamm (Mad Men) are a part of the sequel.
The new comedy from Rebel Wilson (Bridsemaids, Pitch Perfect) looks pretty hilarious, if fairly predictable as far as the plot goes. Senior Year follows Wilson’s character who awakens from a 20-year-coma and decides to finish her senior year as a nearly-40-year-old, only to discover that high school isn’t what it was in 2002.
I’ve recently critcized Netflix for a slew of mediocre content, but perhaps this is the weekend to prove me wrong. Operation Mincemeat hits the streaming giant, starring Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Kingsmen: The Secret Service) in the true story of how British intelligence turned the course of WWII by planting false papers on a corpse.
Justin Timberlake (The Social Network, In Time) joins wife Jessica Biel (7th Heaven, Texas Chainsaw Massacre) in the umpteenth true crime/murder limited series…and both are pretty unrecognizable. All five episodes are streaming on Hulu now. Trailer.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known as Jamie Lannister from Game of Thrones and David Morrisey of The Walking Dead fame are partnering with a pair of X-Files producers for a podcast that just might have a bigger audience than several summer TV/movie releases this summer
From Variety:
Set in a fictional Yorkshire town called Tanford, the story follows Chas, an ex-radio DJ who embarks on a mission to investigate local crimes alongside his old friend, DCI Ian Whittaker, played by “The Walking Dead” actor David Morrissey.
The podcast-within-a-podcast storyline shows the investigators using a new podcast “Crimesville” as their investigative tool as Chas grapples with betrayal, deceit, mounting pressure to solve murders and going viral on social media.
NEW MUSIC: Chicago Celtic Punk outfit Flatfoot 56 were once my literal neighbors in the working class Southwest Chicago neighborhood of Brookfield.
Not only is their new song excellent, but the (hilarious) video was shot in my old stomping grounds.
There’s a very short list of artists that can make releasing an album a cultural event…but Kendrick Lamar is on the list (so are Adele, Kanye West and Taylor Swift). His new album Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers has all kinds of buzz about it.
Mandy Moore, best known for her role in This is Us, was first a music artist…and she continues to prove her songwriting chops. Moore is married to the vocalist for indie/Americana outfit Dawes, who more or less serve as her backing band here.
Early aughts emo heroes My Chemical Romance have re-united and released a new single. The band formed in the wake of 9/11 (singer Gerard Way witnessed the Twin Towers falling firsthand), and this new single seems to reference that tragic day in NYC. (“He was there the day the towers fell, so he wandered down the road”).
Feels like these guys are going back to the place the band started, thematically.
Until the next one,
-sth