Wal-Mart vs Sheryl Crow

I have known for a long time that Wal-Mart did not carry certain CD’s that they felt were inappropriate or held the title, “Parental Advisory.” Wal-Mart’s credo is “saving people money so they can live better.” Wal-Mart values itself on being family oriented and providing values for all your home needs. Wal-Mart is the second largest distributer of music in the United States. When a power such as this does not sell CD’s because of their lyrics, it becomes a controversial topic.

Sheryl Crow released an album in 1996 that Wal-Mart refused to sell because of the following lyrics:
“Watch out sister
Watch out brother
Watch our children as they kill each other
With a gun they bought at the Wal-Mart discount stores.”

This particular incident I do not agree with Wal-Mart. The CD is not bad and the message of the song is not what it appears at first. However, I do agree that they should have a choice with what they sell. If I owned a major company, I would carefully choose my products so that my values were not compromised. Also, the majority of the CD’s that have the Parental Advisory label already have released edited versions for the radio stations. They are the same copies that Wal-Mart receives.

Everyone has a choice as to what they want to listen to or what they want to sell. I support Wal-Marts right to choose what kind of music they sell just as I exercise my right to not buy music there.

Guess Who's Coming Dinner

Racism is an issue that America has faced for decades and Kramer’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” really shows how silly the whole issue of skin color is. This film is a classic film that depicts how life in the 1960’s really was.

It is interesting to note that at the time of the film interracial marriage was still illegal in seventeen states in the USA. The film starts out by introducing the new couple Joey Drayton (Katherine Houghton) and Dr. John Wade Prentice (Sidney Poitier). Of course, Dr. Prentice is black, very well educated, and virtually a perfect except for his skin color. Kramer leaves no reason to dislike Dr. Prentice for the very purpose of pointing out racism. The turmoil begins when the couple meets Miss Drayton’s parents. Both are shocked but react slightly different.

It is also intriguing that the black maid hired by the Drayton’s is also hostile toward Dr. Prentice. African Americans at the time had discrimination problems among themselves also. His parents, who flew in to have dinner with the Drayton’s were not so content with the idea of an interracial marriage either. It was very uncommon in that time.

Once all the families have met they must decide whether they agree to the marriage of the couple or not. If they agree, they will be married but if not then Dr. Prentice will leave. This decision is the climax of the movie and definitely puts the audience on the edge of their seats.

The over all quality of the film is typical of its time. The acting is ho-hum and the comedy is a little corny. However, the over all message of the film still carries through and is the reason the film is a classic. The message will always be relevant until the country finally wakes up and realizes that racism is stupid. This film was one of the greats of its time and no doubt worth watching today.