Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott is walking that fine Donald Trumpian line of being kinda racist without coming out and saying totally racist things.
Basically, Scott doesn't think it would be a swell idea to have hip-hop artist Ludacris perform at Florida Gulf Coast University's Eaglepalooza this year.
Because Ludacris uses the "N-word" too much in his music, and because he should really be more like Carrie Underwood, who, in case you haven't noticed, isn't a hip-hop artist and doesn't use the "N-word" in her songs.
FGCU's president is black, by the way. But that didn't stop Sheriff Scott, who is white, from sending him an angry email about Ludacris and his menacing "N-word" spewing ways.
Scott can't seem to grasp why FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw would allow this to happen, especially on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech, which is neither here nor there.
But hey, MLK is as good a tool as any for a white dude who has no clue of the cultural or artistic significance of hip-hop, or the language it uses, to prove that hip-hop is going to ruin America, not like that Carrie Underwood, who is a harmless buttercup.
Scott expressed his confusion in said email:
"I agree that the N-word is perhaps, if not absolutely, the most corrosive, divisive, hurtful, painful word that anybody can use in our vocabulary. So I remain confused why an institution of higher learning would invite a group ... that every other word out of their mouth is the N-word, the M-Fer, this ho and that ho, this bitch and that bitch, violence and references to illegal drugs."
Bradshaw responded via email basically saying that he doesn't necessarily agree with Ludacris on things, that it was the student's idea to invite the artist to the concert and that everyone should relax and have a good time.
"As a university president -- black or white -- periodically there are expressed views related to students and faculty that the president doesn't personally or professionally sanction or share," Bradshaw wrote in the email. "In this case, our students indicated a strong interest in inviting these performers to Eaglepalooza, and our staff assures me they are doing everything possible to ensure a safe and enjoyable event for the attendees."
Bradshaw's message was simply: as long as everyone has a good time, and nobody breaks the law or gets hurt, let's just chill and let the students have their show with the artist of their choosing.
Scott's retort was basically that hip-hop is the reason he has to use a lot more cops for security than he would for, say, Carrie Underwood.
"We are not going to waltz out there like we would for a baseball game or a Carrie Underwood concert," Scott said. "I can guarantee you that."
Scott can guarantee you that bad things never happen at Country music shows!
"There isn't any other kind of music out there, not country, not Top 40, that uses this constant barrage of profanity," he said. "It is against everything everyone stands for. And we are going to clap for it at a county park under the auspices of FGCU, I am completely befuddled. It doesn't make sense."
A middle aged white guy befuddled by hip-hop? SHOCKING.
"I am not saying I am refusing the event but I hope they understand that public safety is our first concern," Scott added.
So, there you have it. It's all about public safety, you see. Because Ludacris uses the word "bitch" in his songs.
Apparently, there's going to be rioting and destruction and chaos and anarchy at Eaglepalooza because this hippity-hop guy says the N-word a lot and likes to sing about hoes.
By the way, last year the concert headliner was rapper Wiz Khalifa, who is pretty much known for how much he really loves weed.
AND WE ALL REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED AT EAGLEPALOOZA 2012!*
(*nothing)
Tickets for Eaglepalooza go on sale September 13 for students, and to the public one week later.
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