suitability of Eminem for children

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a coworker just asked me if i thought her 13 year old son could handle eminem.

i've never really listened to him, so i said that i would never wish to censor music from children based on subject matter, but i would hope that her son would be intelligent enough to filter eminem's viewpoints through his own thoughts and not necessarily subscribe to E's ethos.

i also said that from what i've heard, E wasn't musically very good and she could probably find him something better.

― john fail (cenotaph), Friday, 7 March 2003 16:50 (twenty-three years ago)

I couldn't imagine anything more in tune with a modern day 13-year-old male's vision of life, from self-regard to wish fulfillment, than Eminem. For better or worse.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 7 March 2003 16:53 (twenty-three years ago)

i should add that this coworker is a very conservative, orthodox jew. i don't know what her kids are like.

― john fail (cenotaph), Friday, 7 March 2003 16:54 (twenty-three years ago)

a coworker just asked me if i thought her 13 year old son could handle eminem

Dan Perry must not be around

― oops (Oops), Friday, 7 March 2003 16:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Is he suitable for adults?

― christoff (christoff), Friday, 7 March 2003 16:56 (twenty-three years ago)

I have a twelve year-old cousin who's mom bought him the Eminem record and I asked him about it. He says that Slim Shady is just a character. Marshall is a normal guy.

― scott m (mcd), Friday, 7 March 2003 16:58 (twenty-three years ago)

What? Next thing you know, that kid will get hooked on Grand Theft Auto yet mysteriously not steal any cars or kill people.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Friday, 7 March 2003 17:02 (twenty-three years ago)

that sounds like a very astute 12 year old.

― john fail (cenotaph), Friday, 7 March 2003 17:08 (twenty-three years ago)

'i should add that this coworker is a very conservative, orthodox jew'

Give them a load of John Zorn albums!

― dave q, Friday, 7 March 2003 18:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Princess Superstar = entirely more appropriate, in MY humble (yet often-to-always wrong) opinion. I think ALL adolescent males who are just old enough to get boners but still young enough to have babysitters NEED to listen to "Bad Babysitter" at the very least.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 7 March 2003 18:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Plus she's Jewish. :D

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 7 March 2003 18:38 (twenty-three years ago)

13, huh? How 'bout some records by that nice Manilow boy - Barry, I think. Such a good boy...

― Davlo (Davlo), Friday, 7 March 2003 19:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Are we talking about the censored version of the records?

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 7 March 2003 19:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, I'd just buy him the clean ones.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:26 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm sure he could use the CD version, because he's only had the mp3s to listen to for the last 3 years.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:32 (twenty-three years ago)

really, Spencer? Not all ten year olds are Napster freaks.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:33 (twenty-three years ago)

13 should be old enough to "handle" it - cerebrally... (I work with a lot of middle school & high school students..) But when I hear kids listening to Eminem, Marilyn Manson, etc.. (all of the "controversial" artists..) I tell them that it's good that they listen to it to hear that point of view, but they need to be open minded and listen to the other "conservative" point of view .. even as naive as that position can sometimes be, a well-rounded set of influences is important to someone that age.

(/Pastor dave)

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:40 (twenty-three years ago)

The main problem about Eminem for 13YOs is his views on homosexuality. I am not sure if they are able to understand his irony. Other than that, no problem (the average 13 year-old knows all those swear words already anyway - and that goes even for English swear words served to Norwegian children)

Musically, it depends what kind of music they already liked. If they are rap fans, then Eminem will possibly slowly turn them into more melodic stuff, which is a good thing. If he turns them into rap, that is of course a bad thing. :-)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:49 (twenty-three years ago)

another problem, arguably, with Eminem, is hearing someone with blatant indifference to other subjects like abuse, murder, etc. I don't wanna sound like a puritan, but if you're trying to raise a kid to give a fuck about other people, Eminem - or Shady, whatever- ain't much help (not to mention he inspires whinyness).

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I grew up on Public Enemy and NWA and look how I fuck fuck fucking bitches fuck fuck fuck asshole.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:59 (twenty-three years ago)

The main problem about Eminem for 13YOs is his views on homosexuality. I am not sure if they are able to understand his irony.

I'm not sure I understand it either.

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 7 March 2003 21:16 (twenty-three years ago)

If they are rap fans, then Eminem will possibly slowly turn them into more melodic stuff, which is a good thing.

This is one of the most entertainingly ridiculous things I've read in my time on Earth. Thank you very much sir.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 7 March 2003 21:19 (twenty-three years ago)

oh, and I'm not making some they hear they do it argument. I'm saying it's fine for parents to say they DON'T AGREE with Eminem, and to regulate exposure to some degree (yes, if they want to hear it they will I sure did and all, but parents don't have to make it easy, or not point out what's offensive about it).

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 7 March 2003 21:20 (twenty-three years ago)

"My father was a preacher, cold-blooded, he's dead/
objected to my Geto Boys records so I shot him in the head"

― dave q, Friday, 7 March 2003 21:47 (twenty-three years ago)

My 8 yr old: "Daddy, I like Eminem, but he sounds real mad a lot of the time. I like his funny stuff best."

No worries there. We underestimate kids all the time.

― Davant, Saturday, 8 March 2003 07:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Why won't your co-worker just listen to Em & make up her own mind? I find it odd that she'd ask someone ELSE who hasn't heard Eminem whether it's suitable for HER child! As a rule of thumb, I'd personally say that any music a parent is afraid to even give a cursory listen to is perfect for the child in question.

― matt riedl (veal), Saturday, 8 March 2003 16:36 (twenty-three years ago)

My 8 yr old: "Daddy, I like Eminem, but he sounds real mad a lot of the time. I like his funny stuff best."
No worries there. We underestimate kids all the time.

An 8 year-old will usually be more cincere regarding his own personal taste than a 12/13YO. As an 8-year-old doesn't think about what his mates may think of his musical taste.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 8 March 2003 16:50 (twenty-three years ago)

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