Marcus T.J., a senior in political science from Glen Ellyn, does not believe Eminem is serious in his depiction of women and homosexuals. John’s willingness to perform has drawn the ire of organizations such as GLAAD, but it has also given support to Eminem’s claims that he is generally just joking in his lyrics and that his fans can discern between his seriousness and sarcasm. Also in the line-up is a highly anticipated performance with Elton John, a vocal advocate for gay and lesbian rights. Tonight Eminem is nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, Best Rap Album and the prestigious Album of the Year award for The Marshall Mathers LP. But abusing women is not right and shouldn’t be glorified in any manner. He’ll be forced to tone down his act for national TV, and people might see that and not realize what he is really about, Black said. Gimmick or not, allowing Eminem to display his views on national television is dangerous and deceptive, according to Black. Kathy Livingston, the rape crisis services coordinator for the Carbondale Women’s Center, believes the hype and sensationalism surrounding the Grammys is only a ploy to draw viewers to the program.Įminem is just this year’s gimmick, she said. The Grammys are suffering from an image problem which stems from years of not being the hippest awards show out there, and CBS is willing to exploit controversy in the name of advertising dollars, McClelland said. Kevin McClelland, the regional media director for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLADD, called the decision to give the spotlight to Eminem an attempt by both the Grammys and CBS to boost their ratings and give themselves a fresh and edgy image.
We’re viewing this as something that’s important, but something that we certainly don’t condone, the themes that run through it. We’re going to catch a lot of flak for this, there’s no question, but you’ve got to view this in the context of art being a pretty extreme medium sometimes, Greene told reporters following the release of the nominations. We’re doubly disappointed that CBS goes out and gives him a chance to glorify violence against women.Įven Michael Greene, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which determines Grammy recipients, called Eminem’s album repugnant, yet defended the Academy’s decision to nominate him.
We’re just disappointed in the Grammys for choosing to honor a hate-filled album that promotes abuse, Black said. Sean Black, the communications coordinator for the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, has publicly condemned the Grammy nominations and CBS’ decision to air Eminem’s performance. Eminem, born Marshall Mathers, has provoked outrage from gay, lesbian and women’s groups for his lyrics which celebrate homophobia and feature liberal use of the word faggot, casual jokes about raping his own mother and demented scenarios of murdering his wife.Īlthough Eminem is already a two-time Grammy winner, collecting awards in 1999 for Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Album, his increased nominations and televised performance proved too much for protest groups to ignore this year.
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