Ban 50 Cent, says Toronto MP

[SevenSeasJim]

The roar is getting louder.....

Ban 50 Cent, says Toronto MP

Last Updated Wed, 23 Nov 2005 12:24:40 EST

CBC Arts

U.S. rapper 50 Cent should be barred from entering Canada, says Toronto MP Dan McTeague.

The Liberal politician asked Immigration Minister Joe Volpe on Tuesday to deny the artist entry for a Canadian tour scheduled to launch in Vancouver Dec. 3.

Toronto MP Dan McTeague.

McTeague says 50 Cent promotes gun violence, a message he feels Torontonians in particular don't need to hear. A record 48 people have been shot to death in the city so far this year.

50 Cent, who was born Curtis Jackson in Queens, N.Y., has a criminal record and would need a ministerial permit to enter Canada.

"[color:red]I don't think people in Toronto or any urban centre need or want to hear Mr. Jackson's message right now," McTeague said.

"I think it's time we send a message of our own to those who glorify violence that their gratuitous violence and movies are not welcome in our country," McTeague said. "We need to do a better job at protecting Canadians from people whose message runs counter to all of our efforts of trying to curb gun violence."

50 Cent recently made his movie debut in Get Rich or Die Tryin', a violent semi-autobiographical street drama.

Volpe's spokesman Steven Heckbert said permits allowing those with criminal records to enter Canada are issued regularly.

"It's permission that's granted typically about 12,000 times a year," Heckbert told the Canadian Press.

"Whether the minister or departmental officials make a decision about intervening or not, it's really not appropriate for us to be talking about it in a public forum," he said.

50 Cent's tour is scheduled to stop in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax and Saint John.

[YearsAlongTheSea]

Cat's out of the bag.

I'm taking my AK and going on 50 cent tour.

word.

[Birdy]

ridiculous

[jayr]

"[color:red]I don't think people in Toronto or any urban centre need or want to hear Mr. Jackson's message right now," McTeague said.

Good thing I have politicians to think for me. Saves me alot of time.

[Lazlo]

Cat's out of the bag.

I'm taking my AK and going on 50 cent tour.

word.

If I were you, I'd go with a Tech 9 or a Mac 10. The AK is much to large to hide under your shirt.

[onthejourney]

I don't feel that they should ban him as people SHOULD be able to think for themselves (although I really think the general public is getting more stupid by the day).

That aside, 50 cent is a tool. His new video game, album whatever that I saw a commercial for is ridiculous. He does promote violence and guns and treating women like objects. He has nothing intelligent to say or seemingly to contribute to society. But I guess his popularity furthers my above point of people becoming more dumb...

[Lazlo]

treating women like objects.

Technically, women are objects.

[Thorgnor]

Hip-hop is fiction. Do you really think that Slick Rick shot people like he says he did in his rhymes?

Do you think we should ban Scarface and The Godfather for glorifying violence? Ever seen an Arnold Schwarzenegger film?

We glorify violence, he shows you how bad it's gotten out there. We just don't like how it looks.

[secondtube]

personally, i think it shouldn't have anything to do with his 'message', 'art', or free speech.

it simply should be determined by:

"50 Cent, who was born Curtis Jackson in Queens, N.Y., has a criminal record and would need a ministerial permit to enter Canada."

Why give him a permit? He was a crack head drug dealer.

The states dont let thousands of Canadians in their country cause of stuff as simple as Marijuana possession, why should we let this American Criminal in our country?

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

The states dont let thousands of Canadians in their country cause of stuff as simple as Marijuana possession, why should we let this American Criminal in our country?

This would be an important question.

[Hal Johnson]

Gangsta Rap IS a problem. I dont care what anybody says. I saw it growing up. My community suffered because of it. Im not naive enough to believe it is the sole reason for the way some of the kids act, but it sure as hell doesnt help.

Edited November 24, 2005 by Guest

[Lazlo]

The states dont let thousands of Canadians in their country cause of stuff as simple as Marijuana possession, why should we let this American Criminal in our country?

I can't cross the border because of a fuckin' DUI. Watch out, I might assassinate the President or smuggle 30 kilos of coke back to Canada.

[onthejourney]

hear here! secondtube!

I am sorry but I hate it when people try to justify this new crap ass hip hop by saying that these 'innocent' little buggers are just pointing out the evil in our society...especially when they have criminal records. MOst kids and adults alike, do not sit around and discuss how 50cent's 'art' is really turning them on to the evils of our society. MOst of them end up thinking it is cool to behave like such a tool.

As for movies and what not, I would have to say that there is too much violence and that we accept it more and more because we become numb to it. Now, I am not saying that I have not seen violent movies. Either way, we have a world that is becoming increasing violent and that is for more reasons than one.....and I think one of them does have to do with certain celebrities advertising its 'coolness'.....I am sure I will get flack for that but ohh freakin well.....proof is in the puddin people

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[SevenSeasJim]

Either way, we have a world that is becoming increasing violent

The world has always been a violent place. It's probably less violent in our age than others but because of our sensational media it's always in our face.

[TheGoodRev]

There was already a thread about this and I defended the woman who was trying to bar Fitty from getting a tax credit for shooting the movie in Toronto. I didn't really follow up because I had so many conflicting opions on the topic that I couldn't begin to get my thoughts straight and come to a conclusion, but I think I may have something now.

Free speech is important of course, and I think it was MarcO who raised a really good point in the other thread that if the gov't steps in and dictates which movies get the tax credit and which get shown, that allows them to arbitrarily control all kinds of other stuff, including but not limited to all things revolving around marijuana.

The problem is, I have no faith in people. I have faith in many individuals that they will do the right thing in most situations. But let's face it: on the whole, we're a species of selfish and greedy fuckers who will tread on anybody and anything in order to facilitate a better and/or easier life.

With that in mind, if our attitude is "Hands off of everything!", then the world goes to shite (faster than it is at the moment, anyway). Like pheasant plucker said, gangsta rap isn't the sole cause of the way the kids act, but it's like a big grinning Burger King staring into the window every morning, reminding them at home, at school, in the mall, EVERYWHERE, that a culture in which violence and disregard for other people is something they should strive to be a part of.

Anyway, I think our regulations basically have to catch up to the degree to which messages are swiftly and effectively transmitted through the media. The government would never allow a former drug dealer and gang member to stand up in front of a classroom of sixth graders to talk about how awesome gang violence is, or how awesome they are because they engaged in it. A movie like this conveys that message even quicker and more effectively, because they'll get this message from every OTHER conceivable outlet besides inside the classroom. If we can tune up the regulations in this manner, I think other subject matter like marijuana would be relatively safe. I think the consensus in our culture is that killing is bad, but there is certainly no consensus with regard to the benefits or detriment of marijuana.

So that was long and rambling. Hope I made some semblance of sense.

[ollie]

The states dont let thousands of Canadians in their country cause of stuff as simple as Marijuana possession' date=' why should we let this American Criminal in our country? [/quote']

This would be an important question.

$$$

[Freak By Night]

Grandstanding for $1000, Alex.

[The Chameleon]

Keep his lame ass out! He should be on trial for bad rhymes and weak style at least.

Furthermore he doesn't deserve special treatment. Any other convicted crack dealer with multiple gun charges would be turned away at our boarders, without question. Fifty should not be an exception.

Fifty, go bring change to someone elese game! Bitch!

[Velvet]

They try and ban 50 Cent for promoting violence and yet they let GWB stroll right in.

Amazing.

Promoting violence = bad

Creating, enforcing and popularizing violence = good

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Let's trade 50 for Sarah McLachlan, Bryan Adams, Nickelback, Shania and Celine... plus future considerations.

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[Dr. J]

Sarah McLachlan, Bryan Adams, Nickelback, Shania and Celine...AD

Interesting that you should place him in this context....a popular artist peddling shit to a mass market that rewards them with substantial financial gain. Probably appropriate, but I don't find him all that interesting as an artist or as a criminal, so I think they'd have to throw in Michael Jackson or the Backstreet Boys as well to make this one viable....

[secondtube]

my email to City Tv on the subject was read on the air, lol.

it basically said the same thing as i said above.

wish i was watching to see it being read.

[MarcO]

Dan McTeague should be ashamed of himself.

As if the glorification of violence and the mistreatment of women didn’t exist before 50 Cent announced his tour dates. As if a single night of entertainment is going to leave the streets of Canada littered in the blood of gang warfare.

Make no mistake about it, this is grandstanding, politically motivated and designed to put him on the “right†side of things once we plunge ourselves into another election this week. At least Valerie Smith had a social motivation.

But even she doesn’t get it. There just seems to be something so alien – and offensive - to people about hip-hop and rap music. Even around here we see it often referred to as inferior, a musical style devoid of art and substance, which is entirely ignorant. This is folk music, people.

17th Century English ballads are dripping with blood, murder ballads both grotesque and gratuitous. Slave-era songs tell us of men without names left to toil like dogs until they die, lucky to receive even a modest grave. The mining songs of the 1800s reflect the despair and misery of working to die under the earth, leaving the bodies behind to press on. And now this musical lineage extends to reflect the realities of a 20th century commercial society awash in guns, racism, hopelessness – an American dream shattered by greed and fear.

But for people like McTeague and Smith, these realities seem too hot to handle for our precious Canadian sensibilities. No, let’s close our borders to representations of these things in the hopes that somehow, by some miracle, the streets of Toronto and Vancouver and Halifax will all magically divest themselves of gangs, guns and drugs. Nonsense.

If these people would actually sit and think about what hip-hop music and specifically “gangsta†rap is, they may find themselves focusing more on the roots of the problems rather than the (largely crass) expressions of them.

I wonder what Dan McTeague may think if he had ever attended a Rolling Stones show. There’s Keith Richards, a walking addiction with several arrests under his name standing alongside Mick Jagger, slamming their way through their ode to serial rapists (“Midnight Ramblerâ€) or a little tune or two about keeping your bitch in line (“Under My Thumbâ€). Maybe they’ll tickle his rock and roll funny bone with “Sister Morphineâ€. And I hope as Valerie Smith kicks back in the evening with the Dixie Chicks classic “Earl Had To Die†she considers firing off a letter to whatever opportunistic government agency will listen to her about how it glorifies violence and is therefore dangerous in the hands of our zombie-like children.

But somehow I don’t think she will do that.

So let’s stop 50 Cent at the border in some sort of sad pathetic principled stand that we’re not going to take this “entertainmentâ€- we are above that. And while McTeague parps on about that, today I will await the news of what did or not happen at Delta High School here in Hamilton, where an early morning phone call warned of “something violent†going down there today, everyone on edge after a machete attack at another Hamilton high school last week. I blame 50 Cent. There that’s better, so easy. Have a nice day.

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Marco

I nominate that as Letter to Editor, MP, McTeague etc material

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