Lesson

What do we do about Eminem?

by Carol Arcus

The elusive persona of Marshall Mathers, aka Slim Shady, aka Eminem, the trickster of white hip hop culture, deserves at least a mention in today's pop culture classroom. However, bringing Eminem into the classroom is risky at best: more conservative students are wide-eyed at the study of such a controversial figure, or the teacher waits with baited breath for parent phone calls the next day. Avid fans, on the other hand, are eager to be cool with him in the context of a classroom debate about why he might be worth talking about at all.

Any name that shakes the media industry the way Eminem has, must be addressed in the media classroom. His lyrics have disturbed the music industry to the core, although an industry exec did voice support at the last Grammies show: Michael Greene, president of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences), responded to the Eminem controversy at the February 2001 awards show by saying that "sometimes it takes tolerance to teach tolerance." Eminem was then awarded best rap album, best rap solo performance, and best rap performance by a duo or group (with Dr Dre).

Support has also come from unexpected places. Giles Foden, in the respected UK newspaper, The Guardian, suggests that Eminem is another Browning:

In My Last Duchess, the speaker is an Italian duke who has had his flirtatious wife murdered, and is showing her portrait to (probably) an envoy from his next father-in-law. A "picture on the wall", as in the chorus to Stan, furnishes the occasion for the poem.

Where Stan differs, and is in some respects more sophisticated - although it is a sophistication only possible in a mass-media, celebrity-driven world - is that both addressee and addresser speak in it. There is a further sophistication in so far as all listeners are in some sense co-opted into the Stan role.

By ironically dramatising two sets of letters, Stan also fits snugly into the tradition of the verse epistle out of which the dramatic monologue developed. It shares, too, some qualities of unreliable narration with Porphyria's Lover, in which another murderer speaks. As with Stan ("the morning rain clouds up my window and I can't see at all"), the weather fits the lunatic's mood: "The rain set in early tonight, / The sullen wind was soon awake, / It tore the elm-tops down for spite."

. . . Stan, and much else in Eminem's oeuvre, explores humanity's most profound experience: not just madness, but also terror, melancholy and (not least) laughter. In this view Eminem is neither the "authentic voice of disaffected working class youth" (Independent on Sunday), nor "a nasty little yob"(ditto), but a rapper whose genius is, principally, poetic. (Tuesday February 6, 2001)

Slim Shady is famously a character Eminem invented to express his "dark thoughts". But maybe Slim is himself just a screen. Perhaps the "real" Eminem is as neurotic, mother-identified/mother-hating, homeless, vulnerable, narcissistic and passive (aggressive) as the lyrics and the photo of him on his album cover suggest. In other words, all the things that make a great star, from Elvis to Lennon to Cobain. And all the things that make more and more young men these days, who will never be stars, sad and sullen - and sometimes suicidal. (Mark Simpson 4 February 2001)

While we should all pay attention to the vile lyrics of Eminem's work, we should also pay close attention to the equally vile way the media have not, focused so much on this one offensive rapper out of hundreds, constantly reminding the public of his whiteness.

See, in the modern press, which ostensibly seeks to be diverse and multicultural in its coverage of people and society, the only time people are ever described as "white" is when they have committed a hate crime. Eminem is no exception. The rest of the time, it is only the rest of the population, all of those deemed to be "others" -- which is to say, outsiders -- who are described by skin colour. Don't believe me? Examine your newspapers In the case of Eminem, I would argue he has been noticed and crucified in the press only because he is white, and, according to the prejudices of the dominant class, is perceived by writers and editors to be acting outside of the range of acceptability for his type.

When darker-skinned men rap endlessly of raping women, killing gays and shooting each other, no one in our commercial media seems to be bothered.

Applications

• Articles such as those above are easily accessed on the Web, and provide a rich ground for debate in the classroom. Examine differing views, through magazine, newspaper, and web sources: compare and contrast them, use them for response and analytical writing, simple question and answer assignments, or use them as a jumping off point for activities involving issues on censorship, and hip hop in general.
• A debate topic could be:'Resolved that lyrics in Eminem's videos should be censored in prime time.' Students can then search the Internet and other sources for precedents and issues in entertainment censorship (Madonna's new "What It Feels Like for a Girl", Nine Inch Nails, Motley Crue, etc).
• Examine lyrics from an Eminem song, separating the class by gender. This becomes an exercise in audience study as well: much of his lyrics are said to be misogynistic, and it is interesting for the class to hear how gender can be a filter for the construction of meaning in popular culture. Be sure you warn students ahead of time: parents should be aware of the content you will examine in the classroom (be your own judge).
• Examine his public image: students can query to what degree Eminem's image is shaped by the media. This topic can also be broadened to a general project on Celebrity and Public Image:
  • research Eminem and/or other celebrities, through articles and video clips. Examine for specific language and images selected.
  • how do the media contribute to our impression of the celebrity? is s/he a 'hero' or 'villain', a role model, a sex object, a father figure, etc? what are their beliefs and values? what might be left out of media representations? why? how do the articles and pictures'construct' our impressions? Why might be the effect and role of these kinds of images in society? To what degree might the celebrity have control over his/her image, as opposed to how much is in the hands of publicity agents, networks, industry bosses, etc?
  • comment on the celebrity's worship by fans: describe the typical audience demographic; what might the public and fans 'get' from this celebrity? [what is attractive about this celebrity?] why might people 'worship' this person? Examine the connection between the fan and the celebrity. How does the fan influence the image of the celebrity?
  • describe the celebrity's 'real' life, as far as you can tell from an article, and how this may be different from the 'public image'. Identify the degree of difficulty in separating fact from fiction.
  • how much of your knowledge of this celebrity has been from the media, and how much from another source? has this influenced your enjoyment of him/her? how long might this celebrity 'last'? why? how do you know? has the celebrity contributed to society in a positive way, or is s/he just there to be consumed and enjoyed (or abused???) Summarize knowledge and opinions.

  In the case of Eminem, finding a real person underneath the layers of personae is difficult. The interesting thing is that many Eminem fans feel they know the real Eminem through his lyrics because they appear to be 'honest and authentic.' Examining the ways media can shape image helps clarify for students both the separation and relationship between representation and reality.

  contact Carol Arcus at carcus@home.com