roller skating, and language, takes on a whole new era

At work yesterday, a 5th grade boy walked away from the skate counter and made a comment I had never heard in this building before:

"Dude, I got pimpin' skates."

This particular pair of size six roller skates was nothing special. Worn leather, wheels that have probably seen better days. But they work just fine. However, several things amused and disturbed me about this little kid's statement.

First of all, I don't know of anyone who considers the activity of roller skating the equivalent to running a prostitution circle. I realize that the use of pimping as a description for something as cool or "hip" is almost common place these days. However, like the use of the word "rape" to describe something as being horrible or a big loss ("We got raped in that basketball game," for example), I find the use of pimping as a positive description disturbing. Especially when applied to an activity that involves rolling around in a circle for two hours. We don't even play music that includes the word or activities associated with it that are found in many No. 1 songs on the charts. So for a child in elementary school to throw the word around in such a mundane manner made me wonder what he would think when he faced the word in its literal sense and real world setting.

I realize that to go on a tirade about the objectification of women in contemporary music, especially hip hop, would be preaching to the choir of my readership. Thank you, readers, for knowing that it should not be normal for men to call women bitches and various other derogatory names without some sort of caution. I will be the last person to call for censorship or guidelines within speech of any sort. But why is this sort of language allowed, and profanities that often have less literal meaning are bleeped and played in late-night rotations? Parents worry about the effect of "foul" language on their young children, anxious that if Jay-Z says a bad word, then their 8 year old will want to say it, too. But in the case of my experience yesterday, I've realized that it is not just profanity's influence we should be cautious of.