There is no doubt that rap star Eminem is one of the most talented musicians of our generation. The bigger question is whether his type of music, hateful in content and exploitative in its message, is really impacting us in the long term.
Our parents’ generation listened to music with messages that were political in nature, inspiring in meaning, and open to interpretation for each intellectual mind. Entranced by Eminem’s simple and derogatory lyrics, our generation is saying to the world that we are children so easily swayed and entertained that we cannot demand or expect better from musicians.
Going to see “Em’s” new movie “8 Mile” will not be on my short list of things to do, and I thought that I would share my many reasons.
First and foremost, the hypocrisy and idiocy of the actual words that he spews from his mouth are inflammatory at best, and degrading to almost every segment of the population.
Ladies, I hope that in your quest to attain an over-priced ticket to this, the latest Hollywood exploitation, you remembered all of the hate that you are fueling against your own gender.
As a generation that has followed the civil and women’s rights movement, it is abhorrent to think that the daughters of these ground-breaking revolutionaries have the audacity to deride all of the efforts sacrificed by our predecessors.
A self-respecting woman, as opposed to a college girl, would be able to understand and perceive the implications of financing an empire of hate and verbal abuse towards our wives, sisters and mothers; Not to do so shows indifference and arguably, ignorance.
For the guys who think that seeing Eminem’s new movie is just harmless fun, think about the future for a moment, a day not too far in the future. When you have children and they want to know what kind of music you listened to when you were in high school and college, will you tell them that you listened to angry, bitter songs that chastised people of color, homosexuals, women, police, and politicians in cruel, vulgar terms?
After the year of the worst terrorist attack on your country, will you be proud to tell them that you lived off your parents money in college, volunteered no time to any cause other than your own, and at the same time financed a greedy bigot because you thought he was funny?
Will this make you proud? Do you stand out from the rest of those who cannot see past the fact that we are only being exploited by this man because we are rich and stupid? These are the questions that separate the thinkers from those who care not to think. These are the questions that separate those who are only interested in preserving their own self interests and those who actually give a damn about our society.
In an attempt to motivate people on this campus towards more political action and less apathy and indifference, I articulate my opinions with benevolent intentions only.
Nov. 5 was an election day. After spending probably $10 or so and an hour in line to see this movie, did you vote? If not, defend to me, beyond birthright, the reasons that you are any more American than those beyond the Canadian or Mexican borders. After all, Eminem’s movie is probably playing there, too.