I almost started to believe that patriotism doesn't exist in rap music because I had an extremely hard time to find a patriotic rap song. Rapping about the social issues seems to be the only thing rappers do. Eminem's "White America" almost fooled me. "America, hahaha, we love you, how many people are proud to be citizens of this beautiful country of ours...The women and men who have broke their neck's for the freedom of speech the United States the government sworn to uphold..." This beginning of "White America" is obviously patriotic. We can also hear the sound of the Blue Angel F-16’s in the background.
Soon Eminem asks everybody to listen to his words carefully. He tells everybody that he is in trouble with the government because of the message and the impact of his songs. He starts to question his right--the freedom of speech. According to our constitution, freedom of speech is one of many rights that Americans are born with. It is unconstitutional to deprive that right from anybody. The government's job is to protect our rights instead of censoring everybody and everything. Eminem is watched by "somebody up in the office" (FBI?) that makes him want "to spit liquor in the faces of in this democracy of hypocrisy". He is upset about the problems he sees within our society.
In the chorus, we hear "Eric" and "Erica". They are actually in the word "America". He tries to make a point that he is also a common American man. The government shouldn't treat him differently. I understand where he comes from, but I do believe that the government should censor the media which may significantly impact a child's development. Eminem is very influential in many ways and if he is not responsible for the impact of his songs on children then it is the government's job to protect our innocent young listeners. Sorry, Eminem, on this matter, I can't be on your side!
1 comment:
I dunno. I may have to disagree with you here, Amber. If by regulation, you mean that the government should prevent artists from producing certain types of music, I think that goes against the idea of freedom and liberty America stands for. However, regulation through warning labels, etc, would be a good thing. This would give parents the tools necessary to regulate what their children are exposed to. I strongly believe that the responsibility lies with parents, not the government. The best thing for the government to do is help provide the parents and other sources of guidance (like teachers) the resources to fulfill their responsibility.
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