Shirt is off, heat is on
It seems that the Maltese media are having a collective fit of the vapours because rapper Snoop Dogg strolled through Malta International Airport without a shirt and wearing a beanie.
At least two newspapers saw fit to splash pictures of the bare-chested star on the front and back pages and to point out the obvious – that he wasn’t wearing a top.
That was followed by a piece about Snoop’s no-show at a photo and press call during which he would pose for photos and answer a couple of questions – though not personal ones.
Naturally this provoked the ire of the moral majority online who raged against the way that a foreigner had been allowed to display his nipples while the local menfolk were legally obliged to cover up.
Then there was the tut-tutting about his horrendous bad manners in planking in his hotel room and not gracing the assembled press with his presence.
I don’t know about you, but what on earth were the media expecting? Snoop Dogg in a suit and tie, sitting down politely, sipping tea and nibbling at cucumber sandwiches while answering questions about his inner spirituality?
Were they thinking that Snoop would come up with some deep philosophical treatise? Or were they awaiting the views on gender equality from a man who peppers his songs with references to “bitches” and “hoes”?
What kind of social niceties were they expecting from someone who wrecked a duty free shop at Heathrow Airport? I’m a bit nonplussed about the necessity for an interview with Snoop Dogg. If he wasn’t prepared to answer personal questions, then what startling innovative insight could he have rewarded his followers with?
Goodness knows his life has been publicised enough. From his frequent bust-ups with the law for drug and weapon possession, to his proud declaration about being a professional pimp ( “That... was my natural calling and once I got involved with it, it became fun. It was like shootin’ layups for me. I was makin’ ‘em every time”) to his yawn-inducing reality show, it’s been out there for public consumption.
The truth of the matter is that gangsta rappers like Snoop Dogg deliberately court publicity. The violence, the profanities, the vulgarity, the no-shows – they all contribute to the cultivated aura of toughness and power.
Even misbehaviour and negative publicity help in the creation of this myth of the rapper as the ultimate mean machine. Every conviction, every headline, every shocked comment, it’s all grist to the rapper’s mill.
The media, disingenuously or otherwise, falls for this every time. First there’s the outraged reporting (Would ‘Man forgets to wear vest’ make it to the front page of the newspapers, if the man in question wasn’t a notorious rapper?).
Then there’s the star-struck stage where the media bow their head in admiration to the idol they have created. Finally there’s the point when the media-created monster turns on the media, which is when the hand-wringing starts and we get a lot of articles lamenting the fact that violent former pimps are leading our youths astray and what terrible role models they make.
It’s all so wearingly predictable. Having literally rolled out the red carpet for a man who’s turned misogyny and the objectification of women into an art form, journalists are miffed because he’s equally contemptuous of them. I can’t imagine why.
A news item which surprisingly didn’t make many ripples, was that about the Nationalist Party’s unpaid electricity and water bills. These bills run into thousands of euros, and although they have been left unpaid no corresponding action has been taken by service provider Enemalta.
That’s not the way that Enemalta works when users default on their utilities payments. As confirmed by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech recently in Parliament, during the first five months of 2011 alone, 167 businesses and 251 households had their electricity cut off after failing to pay their bills.
Strangely enough, the Nationalist Party did not suffer the same fate. Or rather, it’s not strange at all, because this is a country where political parties seem to have privileged status.
While the man in the street and local businesses struggle to pay bills which Eurostat claims have seen the highest increase among the 27 member states, some organisations seem to be exempted from making the same payments.
Besides the clearly discriminatory nature of Enemalta’s inaction, how can it justify not collecting its dues?
Or is it postponing any debt-collection indefinitely, until the corporation is further in the red and going down the same route that Air Malta did?
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Ms Monica Muscat
Jul 4th 2011, 20:16
The way that we humans keep making idols of people who break all our rules, behave in an uncouth manner in public - and are adored for it, shows only one sad thing. Degeneration of civic sense and decent behaviour. I think we might well come full circle to the Darwin theory and turn all to Apes!!
Mr Karl Consiglio
Jul 4th 2011, 10:05
Weird how one moment the writer is talking about Snoop Doggy Dog then randomly swithches the subject to Enemalta,
Charles Sammut
Jul 4th 2011, 11:41
Hi Karl.....no not weird.....because this is what journalism is all about..information!!
The ghetto dog was invited to our island in the sun by the very same GonziPN whose Party does not pay his electricity bills...but of course gets away with it.
Perhaps GonziPN refuses to pay his bills as a show of protest at the exorbitant rates that the Maltese public is burdened with!?!?
Maybe this was another "Administrative error" by GonziPN? By the way, how come the ( dis) honoraria scandal has gone away ?? How can we keep it alive and keep on insisting that our greedy PM and his parasites retract their disgusting increase??!!? Come on Malta wake up......
How about ALL the Maltese follow suit and just leave the utilities bills in the drawerr?!?!
...and the beat goes on....and the beat goes on.....
Albert Spiteri
Jul 4th 2011, 00:58
Excellent writing Dr. Bonello. The part about snoopy doggie is hilarious and should stir a bit of a permanent storm for he who brought this lurid piece of dog crap over to "entertain" IN MALTA.
But it's your 2nd part that I find immensely informative in that it discloses the absolute lack of rock-bottom in GonziPN capacity for obscenity. Any less trashy government anywhere in civilization caught doing this would kick out forever the ministers responsible; a lesser trashy government would include criminal action against the executives at EneMalta who complied and concurred with their party bosses; and a government with a tinge of decency and some self-respect would do all that, and then call general elections.
John Neville Ebejer
Jul 3rd 2011, 20:47
Hu mhux tajjeb hekk, kellnha lill Snoop Dog, ser noqoghdu ingergru issa wkoll! Allura zaqqu barru-mela ghax hazin gal xi hadd hazin ghall kullhadd! u billi nhallsuh mit taxxi taghna? u billi jitkellhem oxxen, jbaxxi in nisa bil lingwagg fid diski - jekk hu veru kif qed jghidhu- dan bhala artist m'ghandux il liberta\ li jitkellhem?
X'naghmlu nibghatulu tac-censura? nghidhu l-uliednha ahna, il genituri, x'ghandhu jkun il gudizzju ghal dak li hu tajjeb jew hazin? ninpolulhom religjon, morali ahna? xi dritt ghandnha li ma jzommhux lill personagg bhal dan bhala mudell ghall hajjithom- heqq la hu artist hux? Fejn jmur ahjar mil president dan, jista jinza zaqqu barra jekk jhoss is shana jew irid juri iz zejziet! m;ghandux mohhu maghluq!
A ppropozitu ta mhuh, ma jmorrux jghidhu ahna l Maltin kemm ahna bigotti taf, mohhna maghluq bil knisja. Ma naccettawx nhallshu ghat talent kbir ta dan l artist u ntuh dritt ta l espressjoni minajr xkiel, limitu, binarji ghal decenza jew rispett - wara kollox liema binarji? - ma ghamilnha l ebda referendum! u dak li hu sew b referendum u s sewwa zgur, anke jekk hazin, hux hekk! jew le?
i
Charles Sammut
Jul 3rd 2011, 16:40
Re The Dog! How right you are Claire!!
Can a Ghetto Nigga behave or express himself different to the way he did?
When the reporter who "dared" ask the monkey dog why he did not turn up for the interview and the latter retorted by insulting the reporter and chucking him out of the room....the other journalists should have had enough b...s to tell the monkey nigga to go f....k himself and all walk out of the room!
..and the beat goes on....and the beat goes on.......
Mr Joseph Calleja
Jul 3rd 2011, 16:20
Ms Claire Bonello you have just wasted a whole article on mostly nothing. First of all, they should fire the person that invited Snoopy to come and perform in Malta. Snoop Dogg is Snoop Dogg so don't expect any better. When he calls women, bitches and hoes while grabbing his clutch, every woman at that concert should have walked out, but they did not, instead some of those women he insulted, even clapped at the phrase. The man has no respect and has no class and the person inviting him should have known better. Snoop Dogg might be very welcome in the USA but this is not the USA, this is Malta where even the mention of divorce frightens a lot of people. There is a time and a place for everything. I like many others, do not appreciate entertainers who make money insulting women in general. After all you are a woman and should understand that..
Paul Sammut
Jul 3rd 2011, 13:23
I've seen a picture on the papers and is really disgusting. He should have been brought to court. The police are urged to bring offenders of this kind to court, or at least dircted to wear his shirt. Since he went scott free it is difficult for the constables to take proper action against their maltese comrades. I say this because its the constables that are sent to curb such illegalities.
Anyway, when I've seen the picture I sort of said that this is a peace of rubbish and am very disappointed that some Maltese idol such rubbish. I'm not mentioning any names but let the people decide who is this rub idol.
Mr Dominic Chircop
Jul 3rd 2011, 13:21
Dear Dr Bonello,
I find it very hard to believe that our party has not paid its bills.
Would our leaer, in all conscience, allow such a thing to happen ?
Of course not ! He is so upright that he has even refused the euro 500 a week hike in his salary !
Christian Sciberras
Jul 3rd 2011, 11:37
Claire, why don't you talk about manipulating arguments, eh?
First of all, it's our country, with our rules. If the guy doesn't like it, he shouldn't have come. Then again, I didn't invite him.
How you got from a disrespectful and insolent person to unpaid bills is beyond me.
Perhaps to grab some headlines?
I suppose you'd make a good politician with that attire.
Please choose the reason of your report below: