Two cafe employees fired because of the Duke official's complaint about 'offensive' rap music
An official of Duke University's complaint about rap music gets two cafe employees fired. The official found the lyrics of the music offensive and hence he lodged a complaint about it.
Larry Moneta, Vice-president of student affairs at Duke University, found the lyrics of the song 'Get paid' by Young Dolph offensive.
Moneta was particularly concerned about the line in the song "I f***d her up real good" Moneta found the lyrics of the song inappropriate in a cafe called Joe Van Goh Shop in the Duke University premise.
Moneta told in an email to the News and Observer, " I expressed my objections to the staff with whom I’ve always had a cordial relationship. I insisted on paying for my purchase and left the store,” Moneta wrote about his Friday visit to the Joe Van Gogh shop. I then contacted the director of Duke Dining to express my concerns and that was the end of my involvement.”
He then added, “To those who feel that I’ve flipped on my positions on free expression, I say this: The artist who wrote, recorded and performed the music is absolutely entitled to do so, however offensive I might find the lyrics.”
Nevertheless, the baristas Britini Brown and Kevin Simmons found themselves fired from the job regarding the issue raised.
According to Indy week, Brown was working as a cash register that day when Moneta complained about the music and in response, she turned off the music immediately and offered him a free muffin.
On the other hand, Simmons said that he found Moneta verbally harassing Brown over the song,
"Harassing is definitely the word I would use," Simmons said.
However, Moneta bore no responsibility for the two workers losing their jobs. “The employees who chose to play the song in a business establishment on the Duke campus made a poor decision which was conveyed to the JVG management,” Moneta wrote in the email. “How they responded to the employees’ behavior was solely at their discretion.”