Democratic urban politics exposed in “8 Mile”

BUCKNELLIAN - Bucknell University -weekly campus newspaper ^ | December 6, 2002 | Tom Elliott - Senior Writer

[LurkedLongEnough]

Good analysis of the political insinuations of "8 Mile", and I think it has merit, after having seen the movie myself.

Eminem is a little too far out to be a conservative, but maybe he's a libertarian??

[Laura Earl]

Excellent post. Saw the movie this past weekend, and thought it was brilliant.

[rdb3]

I enjoyed the movie, but somehow the political connotations escaped me.

The "free-styling" scenes were excellent.

[thoughtomator]

More likely libertarian. If he were a Leftist ideologue, it would surely have been made front and center at some point... and his experience gives him first hand knowledge of the indifferent barbarity of socialism. I can't imagine he could possibly be conservative, as he has no first hand experience with the things that conservatives want to conserve.

[KantianBurke]

His usage of anti gay slurs in his records tied the left in knots - the "we can say whatever we want as its art" versus the "ITS OFFENDS US SO ITS HATE SPEECH" Stalinists.

[babyface00]

the indifferent barbarity of socialism.

What a great phrase!

[Gritty-Kitty]

In the end, Rabbit (Eminem) decided he needed to get back to his job so he could earn enough money for studio time and support his family as opposed to partying with his ne'er-do-well friends or waiting around to be "discovered."

[LurkedLongEnough]

Exactly. Individualist & capitalist while his buddies decided to remain slaves to drugs, petty crime and living off of people who did have money.

The movie is not beyond criticism but I was impressed by the portrayal of personal integrity & drive as a positive thing amongst the overwhelming negative influences.

[Guillermo]

The rap at the end was hilarious...

Now everybody from the 313
Put your **deleted cursing** hands up and follow me
Everybody from the 313
Put your **deleted cursing** hands up
Look Look

Now while he stands tough
Notice that this man did not have his hands up
This free worlds got you gassed up
Now who's afraid of the big bad wolf

1, 2, 3 and to the 4
1 pac , 2 pac, 3 pac, 4
4 pac, 3 pac, 2 pac, 1
You're pac, he's pac, no pacs, none

This guy aint no **deleted masked cursing** MC,
I know everything he's got to say against me,
I am white, I am a **deleted masked cursing** bum, I do live in a trailer with my mom,
My boy Future is an Uncle Tom.
I do got a dumb friend named Cheddar Bomb who shoots
himself in the leg with his own gun,
I did get jumped by all 6 of you chumps
And Wink did **deleted cursing** my girl,
I'm still standin here screamin **deleted masked cursing** THE FREE WORLD!"
Don't ever try to judge me dude
You don't know what the **deleted masked cursing** i've been through

But i know something about you
You went to Crankbrook, that's a private school
What's the matter dawg? You embarrassed?
This guy's a gangster, his real name's Clarence

And Clarence lives at home with both parents
And Clarence's parents have a real good marriage
This guy don't wanna battle, He's shook
'Cause there no such thing as half-way crooks
He's scared to death
He's scared to look in his **deleted cursing** yearbook, **deleted masked cursing** Crankbrook

**deleted masked cursing** the beat, i go acapella
**deleted masked cursing** a papa doc, **deleted masked cursing** a clock, **deleted masked cursing** a trailer, **deleted masked cursing** everybody
**deleted masked cursing** y'all if you doubt me
I'm a piece of **deleted masked cursing** white trash, i say it proudly
And **deleted masked cursing** this battle, I don't wanna win, I'm outty,
Here, tell this people something they dont know about me.

[Kenton]

Eminem is a little too far out to be a conservative, but maybe he's a libertarian??

LOL... We freepers tend to forget that the majority of Americans [unlike most of us] do NOT eat, sleep and breath politics. The vast majority of alienated street people couldn't care less about politics.

[Laura Earl]

ping

[rattrap]

bookmark to read later

[LurkedLongEnough]

I agree with your observation, but would you buy the argument that there are a lot of Democratic voters who are really "Republicans" who don't know it?

We have to get these "street people" to realize what the democreeps are doing to them - luring them into a lazy, entitlement mentality by playing the race and class cards. A movie like "8 Mile" is a draw for just those people.

What do you think?

[Boxsford]

Thanks for posting this. My husband graduated from Bucknell. I don't think he even knew about this newspaper.

[sergeantdave]

I agree with your observation, but would you buy the argument that there are a lot of Democratic voters who are really "Republicans" who don't know it?

You really hit it, and this may be a question that should be discussed in depth on this forum.

One friend is 100% pro-gun. He loves hunting and fishing. He HATES unions with a passion. He despises lawyers. He hates bureaucrats and runs them off his property if they can't show a warrant or an applicable law that allows them access. Yet he votes for lunatic left wing socialist democrats. Always. I can't figure him out.

[rattrap]

In the end, Rabbit (Eminem) decided he needed to get back to his job so he could earn enough money for studio time and support his family as opposed to partying with his ne'er-do-well friends or waiting around to be "discovered."

being a musician myself i really liked that about the movie, too many of my freinds are like his friends in the movie, talking about all the things they're going to do once they get that record deal. first i try to explain they should do music because they love it, second a record deal dont mean poo. plenty of folks who get signed still work day jobs, or they get dropped before their record hits, or they get no promotion and end up in the cut out bin. this movie did a great job of exposing the idiot musician attitude, i noticed that of course but never looked at it from a political perspective, good article.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Bump.

[Fraulein]

Well, this much we know about Eminem: On his CDs, he bashes Hillary, Bush, Clinton, and Mrs. Cheney. He owns a gun and now has a permit. On his latest CD he says, "This peace talk can cease." He's definitely not a pacifist. The left (and feminist groups) have protested him in the past for being both mysogynistic and homophobic. He's adamently pro-free speech and generally anti-authority. He's also against the draft.

"Hillary Clinton tried to slap me
And called me a pervert
I ripped her f$$kin tonsils out
And fed her sherbet...
" -- Eminem, Role Model

[rogue yam]

Southfield, the prosperous suburb immediately northwest of Detroit is 54 percent African American.

Southfield came into its own after the 1967 riots in Detroit. I lived in Ann Arbor from 1978 to 1983 and had a girlfriend at that time who was born in 1960 and graduated from Southfield-Lathrup High in 1978. The student body was almost completely white (if not completely so). Lots of Jews, and also Catholics and WASPs. The school had a huge pool and a TV studio. Most of the graduates went on to college, many at Michigan or other great schools. I visited her folks' house in Southfield many times. Modest but nice in a quiet, safe, beautifully kept neighborhood. At this time (1982-3) Southfield was the greatest (and one of the first) "exurbs." There were numerous tall, shiny new office parks, malls, nice stores, clean and safe gas stations, etc. Hometown of the American Dream - suburban version.

When last I passed through there (last July) it had changed quite a bit. It was definitely on its way down. Empty offices and storefronts. Skanky and dangerous-looking gas stations. Deteriorating streets. Trashy and unkempt.

Southfield is prosperous in the way that South Africa is prosperous. The current residents are slowly consuming the legacy of those who came before. It still looks good in comparison to its worse-off neighbors, but nobody with any real money is investing there for the long term.

[fishbabe]

it was a good horror story because americans can see how libs want everyone to live just like that and be totally dependent on the kindness of libs.....of course,the libs and their families won't live like this...just the rest of us!!!!!!