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The Reverend Al Sharpton led a protest in Detroit on Tuesday against degrading lyrics in hip-hop. Sharpton’s National Action Network organized demonstrations in more than 20 cities nationwide in a so-called “Day of Outrage” against “gutter terms” in popular music. Using a typical counterargument to the whole “free speech” concept, the group is urging public divestment (specifically, government-run pension funds) from record labels that promote racially and sexually degrading music.
In Detroit, Sharpton referenced the city’s Motown history, describing it as a time “when music was not denigrating and was entertaining.” He then turned and aimed a sword at a nearby windmill.
