# Eminem's job in 8 Mile (stamping factory) - is it actually that bad of a job? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 23, 2018, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276 "2018-01-23T05:58:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/21 "2018-01-23T21:11:56Z")
> [@XT](#): > > This seems to be the perennial prediction for the last, um, say 200 years…give or take a few. I’m fairly sure the same thing that happened when over 80% of US workers lost their good, juicy agricultural jobs will happen… A couple decades of economic upheaval, worker poverty and labor wars? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/22 "2018-01-23T21:36:41Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Anyone know the epilogue to this story? > > Is Eminem in any danger of losing it all? Returning to a blue collar job? > > That often happens to musicians that earn money quickly and over spend. > > Vanilla Ice flips homes. He buys repo mansions, fixes them up, and sells for a profit. He stills raps on the side. > [@aceplace57](#): > > I guess Eminem won’t be returning to a factory job. 😉 Glad to hear his dreams are coming true. > > I know zip about rappers. I’m only familiar with Ice because he has a DIY show. Your ignorance of Eminem’s success reminds me of this Colbert interview: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PniJM5IwXfE&feature=youtu.be&t=27m17s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PniJM5IwXfE&feature=youtu.be&t=27m17s) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/23 "2018-01-23T21:50:01Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Vanilla Ice was a one hit wonder. Not only that, but “Ice Ice Baby” (which was apparently the first hip-hop song to make #1 on the US pop chart) led to a plagiarism lawsuit from Queen and Bowie, for sampling the bass riff of “Under Pressure” without credit or payment of royalties. Vanilla Ice settled out of court, but it cost him quite a bit of money, and he had to share the songwriting credits. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/24 "2018-01-24T00:12:09Z")
Everyone needs a livelihood, and most people need a vocation. But we’ve gotten this bizarre notion that those are the same thing, when there’s no reason they should be. Increasing automation is eventually going to make that clear to us. > [@](#): > > Quoth **aceplace57** : > > Will the gov. issue checks and benefits to the unemployed? We could easily \*\*\*see 40% to 50% unemployment within 50 years. Where’s that money coming from? From robots, of course. It might not actually be in the form of money, but that’s the ultimate answer. We need money for food. If all of the people involved in making food are replaced by robots, then we’ll get food from the robots. We need money for shelter. If all of the people involved in making houses are replaced by robots, then we’ll get shelter from the robots. Likewise for any other product or service we need or want. Money is just a way to get people to do things, but robots don’t need money to get them to do things. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/25 "2018-01-24T02:37:05Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Sam Slade totally fucking rocks! Bonus points for bringing him up! Yup! I keep meaning to start a 2000AD thread around here. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/26 "2018-01-24T13:23:05Z")
I am sorta guessing at the context here a little, but I think for someone who has “dreams” (of being a star, being successful in an entertainment field, athlete or what have you) pretty much ANY kind of working class (or middle class or any “working for the man” gig) job sucks, even if it isn’t THAT bad. Even if your dreams are just having a really good job in a more “professional career” working a factory sucks. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/27 "2018-01-24T13:28:37Z")
And on a somewhat related note (due to the comments), I know and am related to several people who work in robotics and I personally work at a place with robots (one of the ones where robots are “taking over and replacing humans”) and it’s almost comical, at this point at least, how many people are needed to work on the robots and fix their mistakes. And the people who work on the robots, many of them at least, are not particularly skilled. Relying on robots causes a lot of issues when the robots make mistakes and have no ability to clean up after themselves or reset themselves, and for a place ostensibly about technology a lot of tech is outdated and simple issues (and suggestions) ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/28 "2018-01-24T13:54:39Z")
On the other hand, Eminem would have been better off than a lot of people with dreams. His passion, rapping, is something that he can do anywhere, any time, even while he’s operating his press or whatever. Not so if he were, say, a painter. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/29 "2018-01-24T14:12:46Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Would this job actually have been that bad, though? I was under the impression that most of these jobs are now being replaced by automation and a lot of people WISH they could have jobs like this. Politicians are constantly talking about bringing back manufacturing jobs. I assume these kind of jobs would be included in what they’re talking about. It likely wasn’t as bad as Patti Smith’s job at [Piss Factory](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFcWBrkQ87M). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/30 "2018-01-24T15:53:33Z")
That bad compared to what? Being Eminem? It wasn’t that the job itself was terrible. Rabbit (Eminem) had much higher aspirations (i.e. to be a world class rapper). The environment outside of the job was pretty bad as well. His Mom had all sorts of alcohol and money issues. They lived in a run-down and violent section of Detroit. There were all sorts of racial issues. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/31 "2018-01-24T16:45:15Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > Your ignorance of Eminem’s success reminds me of this Colbert interview: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PniJM5IwXfE&feature=youtu.be&t=27m17s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PniJM5IwXfE&feature=youtu.be&t=27m17s) This interview is glowing evidence of Colbert’s genius ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/32 "2018-01-24T19:58:16Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > Even if your dreams are just having a really good job in a more “professional career” working a factory sucks. Even if you are in a professional career, having a job with no career path or opportunity for advancement or even just doing boring stuff day in and day out sucks. Also while the job in the factory might not be terrible as far as jobs go, it would never afford him the opportunity to move out of the crappy neighborhood he lived in. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276/33 "2018-01-24T22:03:17Z")
Man, I hope that Eminem raps better than he interviews. I’d have expected a professional entertainer (of any sort) to give a more animated interview than that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eminems-job-in-8-mile-stamping-factory-is-it-actually-that-bad-of-a-job/807276.md?page=1)