If you can’t tell from the title, I just so happen to be an unapologetic Eminem fan. Recently, stating public support for Marshall Mathers has gotten less popular, and he no longer seems to have the sway over our generation than that he once had.
I am still a diehard fan perhaps because I’m edgier than you, but my suspicion is that there is another reason. In today’s world there is no longer any place for the unapologetic authenticity that Eminem embodies. A new era of hushed voices and politically correct warriors has swept over the media and entertainment industries, and quite frankly, it sucks. If you are privy to celebrity gossip, then you know recently Azealia Banks was added to the blacklisted group of artists being targeted by liberal conformists, their sole purpose only to make sure that nobody gets offended.
Before you become disgusted and lose interest though, hear me out. Of course I’m not saying that everyone should get a free pass to say whatever they want, regardless of other people’s feelings, but there are two things we have to realize. Freedom of speech is very important. We don’t always have to agree with what someone else says, but we do have to respect differing opinions. Without differing opinions on the world’s problems we would practically never come to agreeable solutions. Solutions are formed in the fire of discussion and debate when a hundred different people say a thousand hurtful things. Somewhere in all that pain we grow as a race.
The second point is that we can’t forget is the role of an artist in society. Artists and comedians, performers and poets, all serve to hold the mirror to society. Nobody would dare tell a painter not to depict something overly graphic because we respect and recognize their art as an agent to provoke conversation. Eminem, Azealia Banks, and so many others are the same exact artists, just with a different canvas. When a comedian uses a racist joke, or Amy Schumer says something sexual that makes you feel uncomfortable, you need to realize that these people are just doing their job. Their job is to trigger something in your mind, good or bad. To make you question all the things you think you know, and present all of society’s contradictions in the most frank and amusing way possible.
The liberal PC warriors attacking comedians and artists serve only to disable the mechanism by which society reflects. Racism, crude language, sexism, and offensive words exist out there in the real world. Music, comedy, and performance create places for these things to be turned over and examined. So let Azalea Banks say insensitive things in her music, and Matt Damon make dumb comments on a TV show. They are celebrities fielding ideas and living just the way we are, and moreover, these comments are part of their job. I’m proud to say that I love Eminem, and so many other “unacceptable” artists. We can try to rid the world of all those uncomfortable dialogues, but the fact of the matter is that the world would “be so empty” without Eminem and all the rest of those artists out there, pushing the boundaries and saying whatever they want.