Eminem and Hypocrisy

In My Humble Opinion
1

My sis recommended this site for it’s smart, sharp-tongued crowd. So I’ve got a query for y’all…

I love Eminem. Wrong or right, he tells it like it is and lets you know EXACTLY what he’s thinking. I saw a special on GMA l’autre jour, and they put up a God-awful fuss about Eminem, saying he was “deeply disturbing”. I admire him TREMENDOUSLY for getting out there and speaking his mind; I bet if Charlie Gibson or Diane Sawyer said what they really thought all of the time, we’d run screaming for the door. I hate people who act “shocked” or “offended” because Eminem voices what they only wish they had the balls to say.

Fiona Apple puts it well: “I could talk to you for hours,” she says, “and I would not reveal anything of myself because I’d be afraid that you’d think I’m a mess. But I am a mess and you’re a mess, too. Everyone’s a mess. Which means, actually, that no one’s a mess. Know what I mean?”

Humanity equals hypocrisy. There’s no escaping it; you may as well celebrate it, no?

2

I dislike the “artist” you mention, so I won’t debate his alleged merits. It doesn’t take a mental genius to spout out obscenities or racial slurs or whatnot. I prefer a slight bit more intelligence in my muscians.

And I don’t see that Humanity = hypocrisy. I think society promotes such a superficial, shallow lifestyle that that turns off a lot of people, who instinctively want more out of life. The trick is not to hate everyone. Not everyone has the same depth (or lack thereof) to their character.

I can sum it up easy. Turn off they guy who is agreeing with you, and see who disagrees with you and why.

3

Hmm, personally I think Eminem is just funny–how can any white rapper be anything but funny? Though he really isn’t that heavy on the profanity, compared to most.

4

Message or not, too bad the music sucks rocks. I’m too old to listen to music that angry. :stuck_out_tongue:

5

Remember Marilyn Manson? The Satanist who was going to destroy our youth. Me either.
Kidding… I liked his Antichrist Superstar album quite a bit actually. Some catchy ditties.
Mr Em will be forgotten in a few years once the latest menace to society du jour comes around.
Teens need an anti-hero and parents need a scapegoat.

As to his artistic merits, I dunno, haven’t heard the album.

The msyoginist/ homophobic quotes I’ve read pretty much ensure I won’t pick up the album though.
And I guess I just can’t relate to the wanna rape my mother lyrics either…
:rolleyes:

6

Big hearty congratulations to ol’ Marshall Mathers for having the balls to speak his mind. BFD. Next question: What is it going to take for this guy to get locked up for emotionally terrorizing his wife? I’ve heard the album. It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it. The content is atrocious though. His daughter is going to grow up and listen to it one day, and be scared shitless of her father. His wife’s already attempted suicide. Far as I’m concerned, he’s a waste of oxygen…and whoever decided it’d be ok to give him a record contract is clearly as fucked up as he is.

Course, that’s just MHO.

7

He just makes me sad. I hate to admit it, but I think he’s a very creative individual. I just think he’s wasting a lot of that creativity by pandering to the lowest, most basal interests we have. I can say shit and fuck (and many variations) and talk about all sorts of things sexual, too. But I see no good reason to do so.
I also worry about the influence he’s having on our kids (And as a middle school teacher, I can say that he is definately having some sort of influence on them.)

BUT, I do recognize that he has every right to say just about anything he wants to say (at least in this country, thank God…sort of). Stupid freedom. No, wait…freedom’s good.
As much as I dislike what he does, I wouldn’t try and ban him (even if I could). But you can be sure if I had a child, that child wouldn’t own a copy of anything by this fellow.

8

What is this idea the Eminem is saying things we all think? I think some pretty horrible things. Some of these things are worth saying. A lot more are things I thought that don’t really need to be said just because I thought them.
But none of them bear much relationship to the stuff Eminem says. I’m not shocked or offended. I’m bored and saddend. I’m sorry he’s so mad at his mother. I’m alarmed he’s so mad at his girlfriend considering she still lives with him.
Your right. We all think things we don’t say. We all think things that are not nice or polite or even legal. But that doesn’t mean we have to celebrate every stupid hostile thing that crosses our minds. Or that our thoughts bear any relationship to his. i guess we’re all angrier than we usually admiit in public. But that isn’t necessariy hypocracy. It’s civilazation. And even in my darkest moments I’m not as angry as he is.

9

people people,

why do we always forget that he is a performer? just because he sings something in a song does not mean that he himself thinks it’s a good idea. this constant “eminem is sucha disturbed fellow” talk is utter nonsense. it’s on the same level as ‘christopher walken must be an utter psychotic because he plays so many of them’.

and as for morality, does the fact that kevin spacey played a man lusting after a teenaged girl, who uses drugs, and who commits blackmail, in any way mean that he is immoral or unethical for doing so? so why can’t em sing a song about something without everybody either saying that he’s either psychotic or ruining the youth of america?

10

Umm, intelligence and whatnot aside, I don’t think you’ll find a single Racial slur on his album(at least his newest album, which I own).

I think he’s cool, for a white rapper, period. He can compete with the black rappers, and I think that IS something special. Now before you tell me you don’t care about “Flow” and you don’t care about him as a performer, realize that that is what he DOES.I hate several tracks, most notably the ones about his wife that include violence in them. They’re plain sick, IMO.

Don’t say “Poor Kim, she slit her wrists”. To be with Marshall, she’d have to be rather nutty herself. And, since I was kinda interested in the story about her attempt on suicide, does anyone have any further info on WHY she did it, rather than speculation that his Mysoginy pushed her over the edge?

If you want to talk about Hypocrisy, I Do have an example. In the Rolling Stone special, about a month ago, it states that he was asked why he doesn’t use the word “Nigger”. He said it would be disresepctful for him to do so. I therefore think his use of denigrating terminology in reference to gay people an act of hipocrisy*.

-Sam

*-- I do also believe that since he seems to be in this permanent state of adolescence, that we might be able to accept his reasoning(most of the time, except like in “Criminal”), that he uses the word “Fag”, like we all used to in elementary school, before we understood what it meant. When I was a child, My friends and myself routinely called each other “Fags”, never once meaning “Violent or hateful bad word for a homosexual”.

P.S.–I wrote almost the exact thing to The Stone a few weeks back.

11

Its like professional wrestling, Its an act.

The album is pretty good actually. Some of the Content is pretty sick (not a lot though), but then, It does have Parental Advisory stickers on it. (before you start, I know they dont always work).
All the controversy sells more records. thats how it works.
Some of the songs are incredibly well written, btw (example: Stan)

This will all be forgotten about by next year as SeriousArt says.

12

Um…I beg to differ. He’s using a term commonly used to describe homosexuals in a derogatory manner. To excuse this behavior as “well, he acts like an adolescent, so it’s OK,” is silly. He’s a father, and an adult. Personally, I hate the ass, as much as I hate anyone whose message is purely one of hate and bitterness. On top of that, he’s not doing anything original, unlike Manson. His image, music, and stance is just that of a gansta rapper, about 10 years too late.

And it really bothers me that he gets constant air time on MTV, when legitmate black rappers like Dre, who’s responcible for his career, get air time only when they’re in a video with him. It’s the Elvis syndrome, give a white singer black music, and they’ll popularize the entire genre. Give me a break.

13

Keep it coming Swiddles. Could you have really read any more into my post than you did?

I never once condoned his usage of the term, I simply put forth a legitimate WAG as to why he does it.

You can continue being angry and bitter at me for my opinion, and you can also continue to “Hate the ass” as much as you please, I’m not stopping you.

As far as Dre goes…well, he’s the one that created the monster that is Eminem. Nobody ever would have paid any attention to him if it weren’t for Dre signing him. If Dre wanted airtime, he’d get airtime, he’s got clout, don’t go blaming this on the conspiracy that is MTV and the labels.

I’m also unsure of what makes Dre a “legitimate black rapper”, rapping about “blunts, 40’s, bitches and big-screen TV’s”. Also remember, at one time, Dre was that “Gangsta rappa” you seem to dislike so much.

-Sam

14

“Hey Mommy, I wanna be Eminem when I grow up!!!..&*&^%^&(&*(%#@(FUCK YOU)!@@@!!!”

I just don’t see the point sometimes… But he DOES have some awesome beats.

And as for the “Pretty good for a white rapper” thing… Pffft.

How about, “Pretty lucky Dr. Dre helps him”???

::Ducks and runs::

15

I mean, why should I listen to his stuff? It doesn’t have anything appealing to me. I agree, soon he’ll be yesterday’s news, and some new “Threat to our Youth” will come along.

Come to think of it, this whole marketing thing is getting old. Can’t wait for kids to realise they are just being targeted.

16

OOOOPS! That should be

:: Ducks and runs ::

Not that it matters anyway… :rolleyes:

17

Perhaps you should have READ my post before you attempted to flame me, my little friend.

And I never said you did.

Did I say that I was “angry and bitter” at you? Noooo, I said I disliked ol’ Marshall.

Whatever, you want to start a thread in the Pit about record labels and MTV, be my guest. The fact is that a young white man is an easier sell to white America than a black man. No judgements here, just a fact. It was the same way with Elvis and the Beatles, and it’s the same way now.

Um…Dre as a producer more or less was responcible for the gansta sound. NWA was among the first real “gansta” groups, formed in 1986. The fact that you don’t give Dre the credit he deserves, while simultatiously praising Enimem is proof that you’ve bought the hype.

Hey, as a woman, I have some fundimental differences with the misogynist messages that gansta puts out there. Call me crazy, but with domestic abuse at its highest rates among low socioeconomic classes, putting more “slap the bitch down” messges out there seems a bit counterproductive to me. But the fact is that Dre was doing something VERY original back in the late 80s, and he continued to be original with his work with Snoop in the 90s. At least I’m able to recognize his talent.

18

O.K., that was inflamatory. How impressionable are your children? When “The Real Slim Shady” plays on the radio, my children (who are both 13)and I sing along. And laugh. My daughter thinks that singing about raping your mother is sick. My son wants to know how Em knows about Christina’s and Britney’s oral skills.

And Em is kinda right when he says “kids watch the Discovery Channel.” Your kids should know these things. They should know that there are people in the world with these “sick” attitudes.

The real Threat to Youth are inattentive and uninvolved parents. As for Em’s artistic merits, well N’Sync has a record contract too and how “artistic” are they?

19

jb: Walken and Spacey are actors playing characters, and their real lives are up for just as much scrutiny as Eminem’s. Suppose I could do a quick search to be sure, but at this point, I don’t recall any news about either of them shooting up a bar because they assumed that their girlfriends were cheating on them. The characters they play are fictitious, whereas Marshall Mathers’ lyrics are based on his version of reality. Fuck him.

The Slim Shady songs are the least of his offensive material, and I don’t mind them so much. It’s the other crap on his albums…like the one wherein he’s killed his wife and is talking to his daughter about how there won’t be anymore Mommy. It’s disgusting. Kim Mathers is a downright fool for staying with the man, but I’m sure she feels forced to do so. Yeah, GaWd, I do feel sorry for her, feeling that the only way out of a relationship with that piece of shit was to kill herself. Fortunately, she was unsuccessful…the last thing their daughter needs is to be raised by her fuckwit father.

20

I can just barely remember some interview when Christina Aguilera was asked what she had said that pissed off MM. I think she answered, “I don’t know, but I wish I did, so I could say it again.”

I started liking her then.