Eminem Versus Contemporary Cultural Sensitivity
While “surfing” the web one day I encountered an op-ed from CNN with the adorable headline, “Eminem Went Too Far.”
In it, the writer fretted that Eminem had violated the dictates of propriety and good taste with lyrics on his new album like “But I'm contemplating yelling 'bombs away' on the game like I'm outside of an Ariana Grande concert waiting.” Elsewhere, the writer takes Eminem to task for being insufficiently sensitive in his treatment of mental illness as it relates to the narrator of his current single “Darkness” and, of course, his notorious misogyny.
Complaining about Eminem going “too far” in 2020 is a little like writing an article about G.G Allin at the height of his infamy warning darkly that his behavior had grown unacceptably ungentlemanly or composing an op-ed whining that, in addition to being a sub-standard bass player, Sid Vicious had positively deplorable manners.
The whole point of Eminem has been to go too far. Going too far isn’t just a component of his aesthetic; it’s pretty much his entire dynamic. Eminem’s work is so purposefully, deliberately provocative that the concept of “too far” loses all meaning.
This leads to a potent question: who is Eminem in 2020, beyond an increasingly irrelevant artist still peddling facile shock deep into middle-age? Eminem is not the same man he was back in 1999, when “My Name Is” made him an instant superstar. He’s been sober for years now and is the father of a twenty-four year old, which means that Eminem could be a grandpa in the very near future.
Eminem has seemingly evolved at least a little over the course of the past two decades. He no longer throws around homophobic slurs like he once did, which for anyone else would represent the absolute bare minimum but for Eminem still qualifies as a fairly major development.
Part of what makes Eminem such a tricky, unpalatable figure is that despite his hatred of Donald Trump, Eminem’s persona and appeal is uncomfortably similar to that of the President of the United States.
Eminem and Donald Trump both rose to fame and infamy as proudly “politically incorrect” provocateurs who weren’t afraid to use the incredible power and influence that comes with being super-famous, super-rich white straight celebrities to insult people and groups with less cultural power and visibility.
Both men portray themselves as enemies of an uptight, hypocritical establishment out to destroy irreverent truth-tellers like themselves. Both men have beefed with everyone and anyone, never hesitating to use their place high atop the socioeconomic ladder to swing wildly at anyone they consider an enemy. They’re Goliaths perpetually exploding with rage at the Davids in their lives.
On “Role Models” from The Slim Shady LP, Eminem even raps, “So if I lie and say I never did drugs that would mean I lie and get fucked more than the President does/Hilary Clinton tried to slap me and call me a pervert/I ripped her fuckin’ tonsils out and fed her sherbet.”
At the time of its release, such sentiments were seen as delightfully, deliciously insouciant. After all, Hillary Clinton epitomized a corrupt establishment and Eminem was the brash, subversive young upstart giving an indignant middle finger to a world full of phonies and liars.
There was nothing remotely righteous or genuinely satirical or clever about Eminem’s predilection for homophobia and misogyny. Lyrics like "My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge / That'll stab you in the head, whether you're a fag or lez / Or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest / Pants or dress, hate fags? / The answer's "yes" / Homophobic? Nah, you're just heterophobic” were never witty or acceptable but the music press nevertheless prostrated themselves before Eminem and his ostensible rebel genius.
Like Trump, Eminem has been given endless license to say hateful and hurtful things. They both inhabit a world devoid of real, lasting consequences, where you can utter the most heinous sentiments and never be held accountable.
The rules for what it’s acceptable to say publicly are decidedly different than they were twenty years ago. We as a culture are much more sensitive but also more insensitive and callous, particularly in regards to words and their meaning and power. Eminem shouldn’t continue to get a free pass for his supposed artistry and subversion but it also seems too late for him to change on a profound personal level.
Has Eminem grown up? Christ, I fucking hope so. One thing is for sure: the world sure has changed tremendously in the two decades since The Slim Shady LP put him on the path to becoming the best-selling rapper of all time. Eminem has changed with it but apparently not enough.
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