Thursday, April 27, 2017
Week Fourteen: Response 14.3
Katz posits that while Eminem’s misogynist and
homophobic lyrics sold records, he would have never been famous had he been
overtly racist in the same way.
What does this say about the normalization of degrading women in our
culture? What are other examples
of American society overlooking or normalizing sexism?
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Marshal Bruce Mathers the Third, or Eminem as he is professionally known, is the best-selling artist of the 2000's, the sixth best-selling artist in the United States, and the best-selling hip-hop artist in the world. That says a lot about a man whose majority song lyrics have been profoundly anti-homosexual and misogynistic. Eminem is often referred to as the only white rapper, which makes it superbly odd that he is at the top of his genre, since rap originally started out as a tool of empowerment for the poorer black community, rather than as a tool of sexism and racism for a young white male. Today, a lot of the content of rap is racist in nature, yet it seems the most successful rapper chooses not to degrade people based on their skin colors, but rather he degrades them primarily because they are female. One of his most successful songs goes on to bash his mother and his ex-wife, placing him into the role of victim and making us sympathize with him, rather than his mother and ex-wife. The problem with that is that we don’t get to hear their side of the story, since they aren’t big famous stars with millions of fans. His mom could’ve been a drug addict to escape some past trauma; his wife could’ve left him because maybe he verbally or physically abused her. Whatever the case, we see him as the hero of his story, and we take his perspective as a result. The fact that he is the number one selling hip-hop artist points to how normalized this is in our culture, even to the point where it seems as if we reward him for this behavior. Eminem's lyrics aren't the only examples of sexism in our culture, from bikini clad women selling you Carl's Jr. burgers, to the way females are portrayed in video games (read scantily clad and often the target of male violence, i.e. Grand Theft Auto), it seems that it is impossible to escape the way females are portrayed in our society, since it permeates it at almost every level.
ReplyDelete-Christopher D.
Eminem or Slim Shady took the world by storm when the white rapper broke into a prominently black genre. He quickly climbed the music charts and even won an Oscar for best song in 2002. The disheartening factor of his success is the idea that female and male fans cherish him despite his aggressively misogynistic and homophobic lyrics. His lyrics vividly talk about homicide, violence, and rape of women and both gay and lesbians. While fans argue that his lyrics are not meant to be taken seriously and that those who do are not divulging themselves into the true artistic meaning of Eminem’s lyrics, the real danger lie in the acceptance and defending of these lyrics. The idea that listeners identify his lyrics as “guilty pleasures” and are desensitized misogynistic and homophobic hate. Jackson Katz cites Richard Goldstein when explaining that “at its core, Eminem’s poetics is pornography, and it’s accorded the same privileges. Just as we’ve declared the XXX zone exempt from social thinking, we refuse to subject sexist rap to moral scrutiny. We crave space free from the demands of equity, especially when it comes to women, whose rise has inspired much more ambivalence that most mean are willing to admit. This is especially true in the middle class, where feminism has its greatest impact. No wonder Eminem is so hot to suburban kids…He’s as nasty as they want to be”(p. 160-161). This also leads to the irony involved between this hate of women and hate for homosexuals. Because Eminem possesses an inclination to ridicule women, he must refute that even though he hates women, this does not mean he prefers men in the sexual sense. This is shown through hateful lyrics on both women and homosexuals. This normalization of rape, homicide, bashing, and other violence has desensitized an entire culture, especially males, to the effects these crimes have on individuals in real life. Additionally, girls are taught to desire men who treat them negatively and this is portrayed time and time again (even in RTV and movies) with the line “he is just too nice.” Katz argues that this misogyny and homophobia are accepted because it aligns with traditional and conservative values, highlighting that he is not really a rebel. “As a straight white man in hip-hop culture, Marshall Mathers would actually be much more of a rebel if he rapped about supporting women’s equality and embracing gay and lesbian civil rights” (p. 169). If Eminem were to rap about hatred toward certain races he would identify more as a rebel. Not only that but he would be kicked off his network, and be expunged from his record contract but “most cultural commentators would never dream of positively about the KKK” for example. The fact that if Eminem degraded blacks or other cultures would result in the loss of his success but devilish lyrics about women and homosexual is okay, sadly represents the society we live in today.
ReplyDeleteAli P.
Eminem, a Caucasian male rapper, raised by a poor single mother. Eminem’s rapping career was originated in Detroit, Michigan, in which he pays homage to very often, even starring in a movie about his life, titled “8-Mile”. Given the fact that he is a Caucasian male who wanted to get into rapping, in which is predominately African American, he struggled to get to the top. One thing that resonated and still do so today, are his song lyrics in which are incredibly homophobic and disturbing misogynistic messages behind it. In some of his songs he talks about his mother as in blaming her for his drug addiction and how “terrible” his life was; he frequently degrades her by calling her a bitch, and blames her for his issues he has as an adult. Whereas his ex-wife, he too calls degrades her by calling her a bitch, blames her for his once again “terrible” rich life, and raps about killing her and mutilating her body. His consistency to inflict violence upon women, in which did have a relationship with him, as his mother and then his ex-wife, helped him get to the top of the rap charts. Almost as if his fans are allowing for his fame and wealth to be expanded with his violently misogynistic lyrics he spews out. This allows for normalization Eminem’s degradation of women.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of American society overlooking sexism and degradation of women is seen in the popular first-person shooter/reality/off-rail video game of GTA V, or Grand Theft Auto 5; in which you can play as three male characters, Michael, Franklin, or Trevor. In the game, any of the three males can pick up prostitutes, can kill women, able to beat them up, able to go to a strip-club and make comments on their body also while throwing money at them. Not only is this showing young men that it is okay to degrade women, hurt them, and treat them as in object; it gives them that power in a fantasy video game. To add, GTA V has made millions, if not billions of dollars, in which allows for normalization of the degradation of women and sexism in a video game by allowing profit to flow into it.
Both allow for normalization of degradation of women, within a violent context, and still being about to make millions of dollars off just that.
Kim S
In his analysis of the relationship between white male fans and rap music, a genre primarily dominated by African American artists, Katz poses the question, “why do so many white suburban males relate to the retrograde sexism in much of contemporary rap?” The answer is that violence against women and sexism are commonalities that go beyond racial lines, they are sources of appeal for white and black men alike because they are relatable feelings and experiences for them. In breaking down this argument, Katz turns to Eminem as an exceptional example of an outlier in rap music as a white male rap artist that has gained widespread recognition and acclaim in the business, due in large part because of his misogynistic and homophobic lyrics that are a common occurrence throughout the genre and therefore help him fit in with the rap community. Despite the numerous songs and albums Eminem has released describing his ex-wife and mother as horrendous, white-trash women responsible for his struggle and suffering and depicting violent acts towards them, Eminem’s lyrics often went unquestioned as his music rose to the top of the charts and sold like wildfire. Had Eminem built his career on lyrics bashing a racial demographic instead of women and non-heterosexual beings, his fortune and fame so well accustomed to today would be nonexistent. The unquestionable acceptance and popularization of an artist who blatantly degrades women throughout the majority of each of his albums speaks volumes about the contemporary culture’s normalization of this kind of behavior and mindset. The phenomena of normalizing and overlooking this kind of behavior is seen throughout popular culture, for example, multiple actors and actresses have repeatedly expressed famous director Michael Bay’s sexist comments and inappropriate framing women in his films but that pattern remains unattached to his name when brought up in casusal conversation. Perhaps one of the most blatant examples in recent popular culture is the dispute between Chris Brown and Rihanna, wherein Chris violently beat Rihanna and is on record (with photographic proof) for doing so, however the whole incident blew over fairly quickly and Chris continues to perform to supportive, admiring, and gawking audiences that seemingly don’t mind that he savagely beat his girlfriend just a few years prior. Whether it’s the audience's tendency to overlook or be numb to the sexism, violence, and degradation of women in the women, the fact remains that corporate members of society capitalize off of the sexist and violent men that are simultaneously capitalizing off of the rest of society’s capacity to read over the lines instead of in between them.
ReplyDeleteKodie A.
Similarly to racism, the degradation of women is built on a long-standing foundation of women (in this case) being seen as lesser individuals. Because of their deep roots within our culture, racism and sexism are accepted to varying degrees; but why is language degrading women questioned less often? The fight against racism is a tough and ongoing one but sexism trickles below it more quietly. Though most would agree that women are extremely important—are contributing members to society, should be recognized for their intellect, emotional and academic, and more—oppositions to this are more tacitly expressed. Wary of diminishing the struggle against racism, racism is more commonly understood to be unacceptable than sexism is, translating into fewer incidences of its obvious assertion. Women being seen as less has come to be so normal in society that few bat an eye when it is so strongly expressed in the media. In music especially, hip-hop artists like Eminem use sexism as a successful mode of appeal. Had these he and such rappers gone down a different, more racist route the receipt of their music would vary so greatly that it would be difficult for them to find success elsewhere following that. In an age where we protect each other through openly expressing our beliefs or fighting for that expression, women have gotten the short end of the stick. The world is riddled with unwelcome sentiments but those toward are not often considered as deeply as some other concerns may be. The portrayal of women in music is so strongly armed with the use of the words "bitch" and "hoe" that those biases have seeped into our daily culture. For example, cat-calling is so commonplace on busy streets in busy cities that it is almost assumed to take place and puts women in the positions of becoming objects to be appraised and therefore devalued. Onscreen, the objectification continues in the use of the female body as a selling point to her worth. This can be seen in music videos (including those of Eminem), blockbuster films, and fast food commercials. Beyond that, however, on a deeper level women are paid 79% of what men are for doing the same job solely because of their sex and/or gender. The list continues. Sexism is a silent force in American culture and its agenda is furthered by those who take part in it in different levels the entertainment industry. Recognizing degradation as an unacceptable facet of our society will strengthen the strides made and words said against it.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa W.
First of all, Katz does a really good job of pointing out the way in which the degrading and abuse of women has been normalized in American culture over time. An example of this is in the music that the popular culture listens to. Although Eminem isn't currently in the music scene, people who know of Eminem and his music know that he has his fair share of violent and extreme lyrics that are often misogynistic, homophobic and degrading. Katz states that while Eminem’s misogynist and homophobic lyrics sold several records, he would have never been famous had he been overtly racist in the same way. The dynamics behind Eminem’s choice in lyrics is interesting given that he is a White rapper and that the rap and hip-hop genre is dominated by African American males. Because of this, there is a conscious choice to not rap about race as many other rappers do. Even though others also use misogynistic lyrics, none of them did it to the extent that Eminem did. He would wrap about many females and used several derogatory words to describe them, but the main focus of his songs were his mother and his ex-wife. His songs spoke about them in such a way where victimized himself in order to justify the way that he described their treatment in the songs where he would talk about killing and raping them. How do songs such as these make Eminem such a famous and successful rapper? Katz states that this is done because of the normalization of the degrading of women in this culture. Personally, I have always been a fan of Eminem’s. However, it wasn't until I decided to major in Sociology that I began to be exposed to the covert ways that women are degraded. It wasn't until I gained this exposure that that I began to truly listen to the lyrics and the meanings of the lyrics that I experienced the way that certain things were normalized. I would sing along to these songs and not think twice about the fact that he was killing his own mother or slicing his ex-wife’s throat. People who grew up in this society have been socialized very similarly, meaning that there is a general consensus that that the degrading of women is okay and that women are inferior. Lyrics in rap aren't the only outlets that contribute to the normalization of the degrading of women. Other examples of American society overlooking or normalizing sexism vary from the way in which women can be killed and set on fire in the video game Grand Theft Auto Five, to the simple way in which the media used gender-neutral language when they report on news regarding gender violence.
ReplyDeleteJanira C.
Degrading women has been normalized to the point that even women degrade other women in this world. Eminem was no different from any rapper in his era or till this day, with the actions he took on by normalizing sexism. He is a famous rapper in the early 2000’s that rapped out misogynistic lyrics and homophobia hatred throughout his music. He grew up with a single mother and lived in a trailer home, his actions as an artist do not correlate with his life experiences and the way he treats women, because he had a strong women figure in his life. His long for empowerment and dominance must stem from his early age of realizing he had nothing and came from nothing, which substitutes for his actions but doesn’t make up for them. The problem with rap and where it’s gone, is the hatred they all feel they need to express in their songs when in fact they shouldn’t be hating anyone, they should be promoting positivity. Because rap started from breaking barriers and standing up for what was right and ending brutality against blacks and fighting for equality, but they’ve moved on from that and made the main focus about “bitches and hos” and degrading women is more of a norm then to preach about saving the world. Eminem’s career is odd because he is a white man in a black community doing everything black people hated white men for, but yet he is still selling millions of records to the black community. Does this stem from his objectification and humiliation towards women and that’s what seems to bring everyone together? This culture creates norms for rape, violence, homicide and sexism and promoting through music is another form of justification of these actions men are taking on by dehumanizing women- but if Eminem rapped about his hatred towards blacks, there would be a crisis and a reoccurrence of blacks hating whites or the other way around. No one stands up for women, they just continue to objectify them because it’s a reoccurring cycle of sexism that won’t end because even women think it’s normal and it seems more accepted in this world to hate women then to hate race or color.
ReplyDelete-Alexis M.
The misogynistic and homophobic lyrics that Eminem sells records with are widely accepted due the the fact that sexism is still deeply engrained and in many ways invisible within our culture. Degradation of women is highly normalized, so much so that it often goes unnoticed. It is not uncommon for women to sit by as these things happen because they are so used to it; often women even participate in activities or conversations that degrade other women. When discussing a woman, it is completely acceptable for her appearance to be the main factor in determining how to judge her. Women and men casually criticize women in ways that men do not encounter nearly as often. Additionally, women still fall victim to expectations of weakness and vulnerability. All of these factors allow for Eminem to make a profit on his lyrics that mistreat women. His behavior would not be tolerated if he were speaking the same way about a racial minority because being considered racist has become taboo. The same cannot be said for sexism. American society overlooks sexism all too often. The most recent presidential election is a clear example of this - news surrounding Hilary Clinton was centered around her appearance, what she wore, and the simple fact that she was a woman. Compared to her male counterparts, she was objectified much more often. Another example of the normalization of sexism is dress codes in schools. Young girls are told that they have to cover up because their bodies are a "distraction". These girls are made aware by society that their bodies are being looked at and judged based on what they wear. Boys are not looked at this way, but most teachers and parents go along with these rules; they are seen as completely normal. Sexism happens quite often throughout American society and the extreme normalization allows for little things to slide under the radar all to often, as well as more obvious things such as Eminems sexist lyrics.
ReplyDelete-Sara D.