Ah, now where to start with this one ?

I think the whole article comes off as ultra-conservative, near-censorious Tipper Gore-worthy paranoia.

The author appears to wish the musical world were impervious to change, in that it should remain rooted in sounds and images that she deems likeable. Indeed, no credibility is placed on those who listen to or perform rap and R&B, despite the clearly stated fact that millions of people do indeed manage to find some enjoyment in said listening and performing. After reading this, I'd feel obligated to disinfect myself every time I watched a music video -- as opposed to when the boy bands rules the air and video waves, since we all know that no boy band EVER used sex in a song or video with the intent of pushing more product. As if the cougars were fans only because they got a kick out of innocently reminiscing about their pre-pubescent school days.

A world where popular artistic tastes were not in constant flux would be a boring world.

But I really shouldn't say anything bad about this piece. After all, the author is my sister.

[update 31/12/04, link to the Star is now broken]