Analysis of Eminem Is Right Article by Mary Eberstadt - Essay Example

?“Eminem is right.” The Mary Eberstadt argues in her article “Eminem is right” that contemporary adolescent and adult music is becoming increasingly violent and reflects on the state of broken homes and nucleated families. Reference is made in the article to numerous contemporary and recent musicians with mass popular appeal in teenagers who all head in the same direction when it comes to music. The author also relates that the work of these musicians is tilted towards certain common themes because they are themselves all victims of such phenomenon. The music that has been produced by these musicians is all filled with hate and juvenile delinquency that result from divorced parents unwilling to look after the child properly. The analysis presented by the author strikes a chord and there is no denying the fact that music is becoming more and more oriented towards violence and disdain for authority. While the music of previous generations’ signalled rebellion from parental and other forms of overbearing authority, the music of the current generation signals rebellion from absentee parenthood and its consequences. Not only are more and more children finding themselves caught in the middle due to parental differences but more and more children are turning to drugs and juvenile crime as a means of satisfying their selves. The growth of drug abuse is substantiated by statistics on death specially suicide by young adults. Similarly juvenile delinquency is claiming an increasing number of children and young adults with crime rates increasing across the nation. The once conceived notions of crime in the ghettos and less privileged section of town and suburbs is giving way to increasing crime in the well to do and affluent neighbourhoods. The devolution of the family system in urban America following decades of technological progress and the rise of materialistic ideology is partly to blame for these changes. As more and more families are breaking up by parents who cannot tolerate each other, the real victims are the children. When a family breaks up the adults are often in a position to handle the emotional trauma inflicted by such a change. However the children are often not in a position to handle the emotional trauma of parental breakup. This phenomenon is often exacerbated with both parents disowning the child as a responsibility. In case that the child is adopted by either parent, there are still large chances for uneven childhood to result. The child is often taken care of by the mothers who are forced to find jobs to manage their fiscal expenses. An estimate puts the number of single parent mothers under the poverty line at 40% of the total population beneath the poverty line in America. This forces single mothers to look for two or more jobs to facilitate the financial position. Moreover such mothers also try to look for support in other men such as boyfriends who often take advantage of such women’s situations and abandon them when they desire. The child is still prone to a damaged childhood as a result of these experiences and the resulting despair is often made up by music that reflects these themes. The large numbers of albums and tracks with similar themes being sold in ever increasing numbers indicates that there is a large swath of the population to support such purchases. These segments of the population are often disadvantaged and disenchanted teenagers and young adults who are looking for solace in music. Most of the tracks by such musicians cover the themes of broken homes and the resulting emotional trauma to a very large extent. Moreover most musicians provide a way out for most of these kids by ending their songs with lyrics of encouragement or success. The underlying hope created by these lyrics compels most teenagers to listen to such music and as such there seems little harm in listening to messages of hope and success. However what most musicians do to make their “popular appeal” ever greater is to include anti social behaviour and deviant trends such as drug use, drug abuse, owning guns, misogynist behaviour and the like. For a child already sitting on a barrel of gunpowder ready to blow up, the smallest spark does miracles. Owning guns, using drugs, behaving as politically incorrect figures and similar behavioural traits make disadvantaged children feel strong and in control. By assuming such behaviour, most disenchanted children are often making up for the adult roles that their childhoods missed out on. For children with limited parenting the large voids of authority that their childhoods missed out on are seemingly filled by assuming greater control of their own lives. The increased maturation measured by deviant behaviour tends to make such children feel secure and fortified. Furthermore the absence of parental figures or other such authority who could perhaps have guided these children only adds to the problem itself. Another aspect is the security offered by easy money that can be made in drugs and through gun totting behaviour. Most children in broken homes can recall financial insecurity and trouble with the bank. Given that these children do not have enough skills to get lavish jobs and given also that they possess little chance in colleges and universities to end up as career people, these teenagers and young adults look to drug trading and juvenile delinquency to make money. The encouragement from musicians only adds to the fire. For a desperate child without guidance, the voice of a rapping messiah claiming to grow rich and famous using drugs and doing crime is all the encouragement that is required. Moreover most of these children have deep association and emotional attachment to such musicians because they talk the “language” of these kids and relate to their experiences as mentioned by the author. This tends to make these musicians highly credible and informed sources in the eyes of these children because such musicians have “been there and done that”. As far as the development of these arguments is concerned, the author is right to a very large degree. However the author’s analysis counts for mainstream music only. There is yet darker and coarser music on the margins of mainstream music that may not be seemingly connected to broken homes but still bears large connection. The works of musicians such as Marilyn Manson, Cradle of Filth, Nine Inch Nails and other heavy and dark metal bands reveals a rather disturbing trend. While on the surface the themes supported by these groups are concerned with disdain for religion, social norms and values and the like but the centrally unifying trend is disdain for both human life and society. While juvenile delinquency and drug related abuse and crimes resulting from mainstream music make a stir on the surface now and then only, the ramifications of death metal and allied music leaves occasional scars. The high school shootout at Columbine High and the ensuing allegations for incitement through Marilyn Manson’s music reveal a darker tale than that told by the author. The growth of alternative sub cultures such as Goth and Punk are reactions to contemporary society’s fleeting family structure. An important sociological aspect of the family unit is socialization which is often neglected in nuclear family structure. Childhoods subjected to such abuse and misalignment with society can often trigger unwanted responses. While the author wonders what kind of criminals will be produced by mainstream music, she fails to realise what kinds of monsters will be created through music at the margins in contemporary society. It may take another Texas Chain Saw massacre, Amityville or another Ted Bundy before the real story emerges from the shadows. Read More