Summary Of Is Eminem Right

In the writing of “Is Eminem Right?”, Eberstadt takes a deep dive into today’s teens and the music they listen to. She analyzes the genre of music that has to deal with teens growing up in broken homes. Eberstadt mainly focuses on the negative music that teens listen to and how it affects their lives. What she fails to do is look at the big picture. Do the songwriters even write the songs they are singing? Do the rappers mean what they are rapping? That is what she fails to focus on in her writing. The argument that Eberstadt states is a valid argument in some ways, but she fails to address the teenagers and artist perspective of what the music really does. What is the “deafening, foul, and often vicious-sounding stuff” (172) that Eberstadt
is speaking of? The statement that she makes has to do with the first main argument why Eberstadt may be wrong all together. Even though some people do live in very difficult times, events do seem to get blown out of proportion. If one believes that all these tragic events can happen to one rapper, then the listener is most likely trying to fill a void the rapper or singer is portraying. Most of the time, these songs are put out just for the single reason of getting paid. No matter how you look at it, they need to put food on the table. In order to do this, the rapper/singer will do whatever it takes. Most of the times, one does not write his/her lyrics to “their” song. This can be seen when you hear a song this month about breaking up with someone and never getting back together, and suddenly, in the next song, the person is in love again. When a singer/rapper does not write their own songs, more than likely, they do not mean what they are saying. Sometimes you will have a teenager listening to a song and it relates to them 100%. These songs would resonate so much more if the music was real and the singer/rapper really meant what they said. An example of this can be seen in Miley Cyrus’s song, “Wrecking Ball”. In the song Miley Cryus sings about how she came in a relationship like a “wrecking ball”. She goes on to sing about how her other half “wrecked” her. An agreement with Eberstadt can be made in that many teenagers do in-fact listen to this music, but there is a catch. A few weeks after the song was released, arose a music video. The music video is where all the points made in the previous paragraph can be proven true. The video shows Miley Cryus on a real wrecking ball. She starts off the video with a bra and underwear on. Later in the video those articles of clothing come off. One can obviously tell that this is not done just for the true meaning, but just the fact to show a naked Miley Cyrus to earn more money. If Eberstadt nor teenager listeners find any pleasure in this, one is listening to the song or watching the music video for the wrong reason. Eberstadt mainly talks about the idea that the “music” is what fixes the problem. In order for this plan to unfold successfully, the artist needs to fix themselves first. “What is it about today’s music, violent and disgusting though it may be, that resonates with so many American kids?” (172), this argument can stir up much controversy. Just because someone buys a song, does not necessarily mean that the listener fully believes what he/she is listening to. You will find many teenagers who purchase this type of music and listen to it just for the pleasure of it. One of the main reasons teenagers listen to the music they do is because of peer pressure. One will find him/herself afraid that if they do not listen to what everybody else does, one will no longer be considered “cool”. This is where some people get themselves in trouble. For example, a teenager will hear a new song. One will then proceed to going and telling someone else about it and the other person will start listening to it as well. The person will then start listening to the music so often that they will start listening and digesting the words of a song and modeling that lifestyle. This is where it can get dangerous. Singers and rappers fail to look at the big picture. When they keep letting all these negative thoughts and words in one’s brain, they become trapped. For example, in the lyrics “You selfish b****, I hope you f***** burn in hell for this s***.” (181). Eminem was the one who “wrote” these words. This is not something that we need to have our teenagers listening and looking up to. What needs to happen is to have good influences for these children. Today’s teenagers need an artist that they can look up to and respect, not someone who ends up in jail because of negative events that take place. Another aspect that may have one confused is the life that Eminem and other rappers live. The teenage years is where one begins to shape him/herself. If these teenagers are listening to someone who has a criminal history, it is more than likely someone that one should not be listening to. In June 3, 2000 Eminem found himself getting in to lots of trouble. On that day, he was charged with 2 felonies, dealing with weapons and assault. Eberstadt may claim that Eminem and others have “Reasons to Rage”, but this is not what needs to be influencing our teenagers. One of the most major aspects that Eberstadt failed to address is that divorce does not always have to be the parents fault.
Not all divorce is bad. Sometimes the parents’ divorce because it is what would be best for everyone else. So, before Eberstadt points the finger at all the divorced families, she needs to look at all of the sides. For instance, divorce can be helpful in some ways. If the relationship of the parents is getting to the point of abuse, it is obviously a good point to end the relationship. It would not only be a good idea for the spouses, it would also be a better situation for the children as well. You do not need to have children witnessing their parents getting hurt in any way. The argument being made is that divorce affects kids, but it can be beneficial in many ways. This is what Eberstadt fails to look at, which is a big factor when dealing with divorce. Not only does Eberstadt fail to look at this aspect, most people in general make the same assumptions. When one hears about someone getting divorced, they automatically blame the parents. The parents are not always the ones at fault. Believe it or not, there are some circumstances where it is anybody’s fault but the parents. So, Eberstadt is completely wrong in her assumption that divorce is always the parents fault and will always result in bad children that want nothing more than to rebel towards the
situation. An illustration of this can be found in a song written by James Blunt called “Goodbye My Lover”. James sings, “It may be over but I won’t stop there, I am here for you if you’d only care. You touched my heart you touched my soul. You changed my life and all my goals.” In this song, he sings about a man who is about to get divorced to his wife who he loves dearly. Through the entirety of the song, it has a very calm sound to it. He speaks about how he will miss his “lover” and how he will never stop loving her. This is different than many of the songs that Eberstadt uses in her writing. It gets the point across about how divorce does not always have to lead to anger. You do not always have to use anger to get a point across. If Ebersadt were to ever hear this song, she would more than likely be offended by the words. The biggest realization for her would probably be that divorce is not necessarily all negative in any means. In closing, the argument that Eberstadt is making in her fifteen page essay is not, in any way, worth listening to. Her main argument was that the reason these kids listen to this type of music is because of living in a broken home with divorced parents. It has been shown that not all divorce is bad. Even though she disagrees, getting a divorce can be for the better for everyone involved. This being said, a person needs a better alternative for our children to listen to for coping with such situations. Discussed were some options that proved you can get the same point across by using a whole different approach. Eberstadt fails to look at the good side of divorce, and it will hurt our society in the long run if one does not look at the whole aspect of divorce and what it really does to our teens.