4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 7, 2001 OP/ED 0 olhe irifgttn iBaiI 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 daily. letters@umich~edu EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 GEOFFREY GAGNON Editor in Chief MICHAEL GRASS NICHOLAS WOOMER Editorial Page Editors Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. NOTABLE QUOTABLE No way. Mother was not possessed ..it'2 did not-hurt her sanctity." SSi{-,r,.- Archbishop Henry D 'Souza, responding to rumors that Mother Teresalethprosperity. received an exorcism while hospitalized in ltt 1997, as quoted by the Associated Press. Wait, she leads the thug life? REBECCA ISENBERG ON TURNTMA\LE AND A MR RIOPHONE 6 6 A A__while back at a frat party I sur- prised a drunken crowd with a special kind of table dance. No, I did not strip down to my Calvins to "Pour Some Sugar on Me." Instead, I stood on this rickety table, which has probably seen more than its fair share of Beirut and flip cup, and proceeded to entertain them by screaming at the top of my lungs verse after verse of rap music. This was not your average frat party rap. This wasn't Ja Rule's "Put it on me" or DMX's "Party Up," staple songs of a Greek system disc jockey. I was singing obscure Ice Cube songs, The Roots, De La Soul, Method Man, Eminem's underground tracks. I stood on this table and wowed the crowd with my incredible knowledge of lyrics. They stared at me with a look like, how does this little white girl know all these words? And I simply have to answer because I, Becca Isenberg, am a true player in: The Rap Game. If you saw me eating lunch at Mr. Greek's Coney Island you might classify me as a Backstreet Boys type of girl. I have that teenybopper, trendy look to me. I'm not gonna lie. That look that somehow says to an outsider, hey I bet that girl loves a good episode of Total Request Live. But what you would soon find out is I really don't want it that way. I like it like a true gangsta. I con- sider myself a thug. I like to think that if I met Dre on the street he would know that I keep it real and let me ride. Or if Biggie were still here (RIP) he would probably give me one more chance. Hell, just like the Cash Money Millionaires, my entourage and I roll deep up in the club and drink crystal. Well, maybe we just drink Boones but still. The point is I'm one of those classic cases of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Or a rap artist by his mainstream fan base. The problem with my misunderstood per- sona is that its often difficult to convince peo- ple that I truly could be the next member of Roc La Familia (Jay Z's crew). Other wannabes often challenge how true to the Rap Game I really am. Back when I was a young g, my freshman year in high school, I was often asked to prove my thug-like nature by naming all the members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Name them? Name them? Hey, I wouldn't just name them I would proceed to engage in a freestyle battle with these boys who question my gangstaness. Of course they would win, because I have to admit I really can't freestyle. But hey, I still know all the Wu Tang mem- bers names. You might be saying to yourself, So? I know all the Wu Tang Members names too. And this may be true. Except I bet you are kid- ding yourself. But if you are not you have to understand that this is not the only reason that I claim myself to be so hard core. You see the rap game really is a lifestyle. You gotta live it all day, every day, every damn day as the Great MC TQ once said. You have to have the heart of a thug. You have to have the mind of a thug. And of course you gotta have the clothes. The Rap Game isn't all about the music. Its about personality. True. Rule number one to being a successful thug like myself is to have a sidekick. I enlisted my best friend to be Puff Daddy to my Biggie, the Snoop to my Dre, the Jer- maine DuPri to my little bow wow, the Beanie Siegal to my Jay Z. In order for her to maintain true sidekick status I of course will have to add an intro verse to the remix of her first single. The second rule is to make sure your living quarters are suitable for MTV's special edition of cribs entitled "How to Live Large." I know you all know what I'm talk- ing about.'In order to make sure of this you must put pictures of your rap idols all over your room and make sure you have a set of turntables out for all to see. Turntables are essential for a thug image. And last but not least make sure that you drive a car that looks to the average passerby like your rollin' down the street in your 6-4. Even if it's really a '93 Honda Civic. You may think that this is a joke. But hey I'm more serious than Big Pun's heart attack. The University will eventually see who I'm rolling with and how we do it. And I don't mean Montell Jordan style. So the next time you see a skinny, white girl like myself walk- ing through the Diag don't assume she's rushing off to watch Dawson's Creek. If she's like me she's rushing home to perfect her beats. I come from the streets.-You better recognize. Rebecca Isenberg can be reached via e-mail at risen er@umich.edu. 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS POLICY The Michigan Daily welcomes letters from all of its readers. Letters from University students, faculty, staff and administrators will be given priority over others. Letters must include the writer's name, phone number and school year or University affiliation. The Daily will not print any letter that cannot be verified. Ad hominem attacks will not be tolerated. Letters should be kept to approximately 300 words. The Michigan Daily reserves the right to edit for length, clarity and accuracy. Longer "viewpoints" may be arranged with an editor. Letters will be run according to order received and the amount of space available. Letters should be sent over e-mail to daily.letters@umich.edu or mailed to the Daily at 420 Maynard St. Editors can be reached via e-mail at editpage.editors@umich.edu. Letters e-mailed to the Daily will be given priority over those dropped off in person or sent via the U.S. Postal Service. Music fan wants 'barenaked truth' TO THE DAILY: As a devoted Barenaked Ladies fan whose concert total has reached double digits, I was appalled by Wednesday's article "Barenaked- Ladies 'Re-Energize' DTE." Ryan C. Moloney did a competent job describing the band's playlist, however, his descriptions were flawed with erro- neous details. I have heard BNL cover the song "Mrs. Robinson" before, but I doubt they were referring to Ed's mother. Moloney referred to BNL's lead guitarist as "Ed Robinson," not Ed Robertson, his true name, throughout the entire article. At one point in the article, Maloney lists a string of songs he claims are "newer."- However, "I live with it Everyday" is one of the earliest songs Paige and Robertson ever have written. Finally, Moloney lists BNL's "musical expertise" as a defining attribute of the band. I think most fans would agree with me that, while their catchy four chord songs aren't bad, it is BNL's creative and humorous lyrics that put them on a level above their peers. The problems in this article are excusable only because it's the first paper of the semester; but in the future, just give me the "Bare- naked" truth. DAVID ROSEN LSA senior Reader outraged at Woomer should' 'make a real difference,' join DP TO THE DAILY: As the founder of The Detroit Project and a current Detroit resident doing community building for a local commu- nity organization, I am very disappoint- ed that Nick Woomer chose to formulate his opinion about the DP without even talking -to anyone involved in the organi- zation or attending one of DP's events ("Students need to do more than rake leaves to solve Detroit's ills," 9/5/01). I can safely say that The Detroit Pro- ject agrees with much of what Woomer argues about the city of Detroit. Detroit does have multiple problems, and Detroi- ters need to be economically, politically, and socially (which Woomer apparently feels is not important) empowered. But DP doesn't pretend to be fixing all of Detroit's problems. It recognizes that volunteers, doing the projects that DP does, will never be able to address all of the issues Detroit is facing. DP's projects do address one very important issue, though: social empow- erment. The core of our mission, "building community," has nothing to do with making sure Detroiters "have nice things," as Woomer suggests. Rather, building community is about people, both from the University and Detroit, getting involved in their com- munity. Raking leaves is not just about raking leaves; it is about participation. Our mission has to do with jump-start- ing people and ending the apathy that plagues many of Detroit's neighbor- hoods, as well as many parts of the Uni- versity. It has to do with getting people motivated to participate and to continue their involvement - be it in the social, political, or economic arena. This is why education about Detroit history and current issues is an extreme- ly important part of DP's programming. At projects and events, including DP Day, volunteers are.given literature to read, conversations are held, presenta- tions are made, and questions are asked the 1,400 student volunteers, the trip to Detroit is their first exposure to urban blight; it is not a warm, fuzzy feeling to encounter a child who cannot afford shoes in winter or an elderly person liv- ing next to a crack house. The experi- ence is not one of "empty sentimentality," but is one of deeper understanding and increased awareness of problems that exist in urban areas. But even more than the education component is the fact that DP's partner- ships are with community organizations who have identified the needs of their neighborhoods. Our ongoing projects, the bulk of what DP does, are in collab- oration with organizations that are con- stantly striving to address the very issues Woomer believes we are over- looking (or even refusing to address). These community groups are doing things such as: renovating and building homes for low-income families and con- ducting home-owner training, providing child-care so parents can work, or pro- viding job-skill training and support. As the DP supports the efforts of these organizations, volunteers are in fact addressing the deeper economic and political issues. Woomer suggests that DP ask a Brightmoor resident if a good job or clean neighborhood would make a more significant difference. I have asked Brightmoor residents. Lots of them. DP asks Brightmoor residents every week, "What would make the most significant difference in your community?" The responses DP receives are what drive the projects: housing, blight, youth and edu- cation. DP organizers do not simply pick projects they think will make volunteers feel good. The work that is done comes directly from what the community prior- ities are. We know our work is slowly but surely making a real difference in the community. How do we know this? The community (those we are working with, not an observer who has only S .1