R Kelly: Michaelangelo or Pornographer

The tribune reports today that R Kelly supporters are outnumbering protesters 10-1 outside his child porn trial which about to begin here in Chicago. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-r-kelly-debate-12may12,0,4763585.story
The Trib sights several so called experts to help explain why R Kelly maitains significant support in the African American community. Two of the experts have particularly interesting theories.

Bakari Kitwana- whom the Trib describes as a "hip-hop scholar" artist in residence at the University of Chicago, says that it would be premature to judge Kelly (who was caught on tape having sex and pissing on a 13 year old girl) before he is tried. The hip hop scholar goes on to say, "At what point is the art separated from the reality? Does it make his art now irrelevant because he's got this other problem going on? If we find out some crazy stuff about Michaelangelo, what do we do about his David? Should we tear it down?" Hmmmmm. This has to be the first time R Kelly and Michaelangelo have ever been mentioned in the same sentence. Why are musicians- even really bad ones like R Kelly- now considered artists? Its not enough to create music any more is it? One must create art! Give me a freaking break.

Not to be outdone by Kitwana, Cynthia Neal Spence, associate professor of sociology at Spellman College in Atlanta, says that, "there's not a lot of difference between what is on the R Kelly (sex) tape and what is on BET (Black Entertainment TV) in people's minds, adding that the sexual nature of images in the music videos makes it more difficult for people to discern what is actual pornography."

Ah yes, it is mighty hard to distinguish between music videos and a graphic sex tape where a grown man has sex with and urinates on a 13 year old. Pull-fucking-eeeze. Music videos might be a bit bawdy, but I haven't seen to many pedophilic golden showers on them any time very recently. Do college professors really think people are that dumb that they can't tell the difference?