Media personality Geraldo Rivera said in a HuffPost Live chat that it’s not racism that has caused the most trouble for minorities in the last decade — it’s the hip-hop culture.
“Hip-hop has done more damage to black and brown people than racism in the last 10 years,” he said, Mediaite reported.
Think about it, he said, referring to both hip-hop music and the fashions that have sprung from it.
“[I challenge you to find] a Puerto Rican from the South Bronx or a black kid from Harlem who has succeeded in life … walking around with his pants around his [expletive] and with visible tattoos,” he said, Mediaite reported.
Mr. Rivera also said that he likes Russell Simmons, the co-founder of the hip-hop music label Def Jam and the creator of the clothing line Phat Farm. But he also said Mr. Simmons has encouraged a harmful culture.
“He and others have encouraged people to be so different from the mainstream that they can’t participate [in anything] other than, you know, the racks in the garment center and those entry-level jobs,” Mr. Rivera said, Mediaite reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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