




BayAreaLegend wrote:we as Americans is alright, not my favorite though



wrestler1256 wrote:BayAreaLegend wrote:we as Americans is alright, not my favorite though
we as americans is dope





MeathookSodomy wrote:Rap Game!
"I'm all 4 America, fuck the government"
We as Americans is one of his best I think, too.




Adam Quinn wrote:Mosh was good but I'd say "White America" if you're talking about lyrical

Menzo wrote:Its cuz you're dope and Daddy Dubs. No one fucks with that
I love you Daren

"White America" is a song in which Eminem creates many contradictions to show inconsistencies in the American social structure. These contradictions are important because they reveal a critical flaw in the American society that disillusions both immigrants and natives into thinking America is a leveled playing field for capitalistic ventures. In his introduction, Eminem makes a contradictory comparison that later becomes apparent in the second part of the verse, describing America as "the stripes and the stars for the rights men have died for to protect/ The women and men who have broke their necks for the freedom of speech the United States government has sworn to uphold". The first line is written closely in anapestic pentameter, meaning two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable in a 5 foot line (Annis, par. 8-11), with stress put on "stripes" and "stars" which creates an image of patriotism. Whizzing sounds can be heard in the background of the song, reminiscent of the "rocket’s red glare" in the national anthem or the sound of the Blue Angels F-16s fighter jets, a military symbol of America. The next three stressed words "rights", "died", and "protect" reminds Americans of the sacrifices the country had to make to receive such rights as "the freedom of speech the United States government has sworn to uphold"; to appreciate these rights since they are here due to the sacrifices of many "women and men". Eminem addresses the dominant narrative in the United States that all Americans possess these natural rights - notice that the government’s job is to "protect" ‘and "uphold" these rights meaning they were pre-existent and not "given", which would mean that they were nonexistent before. So being an American automatically means equitable treatment as other Americans. Eminem uses this fact to begin to show the "hypocrisy of democrac" or what Lisa Lowe calls the "existence of exclusions…by the promise of inclusion" (529). "Or so it’s told…" Eminem starts as he tells a fragment of the opposition narrative
"White America" is a very important song because Eminem is one of the few artists today willing to address an oppositional narrative. A sample of 5 songs in the December 13th Billboard Top 100 songs all contain clichéd topics such as finding love and boasts about fame (Billboard). Because of the rarity of such an address, Eminem’s song becomes critical in properly representing a narrative that affects so many people. The title "White America" is interesting since all Americans are not white, and not all white people are Americans. This causes the listener, who can be of any ethnicity, to ask: "What is White America?" Is it addressing the fact that America is demographically white dominated? Or is it that sources of power are held by white people? Eminem’s implication becomes apparent as the latter after verse two in which he states "look at these eyes, baby blue, baby just like yourself, if they were brown Shady lose, Shady sits on the shelf." Commercial power, the lyrics imply, is held by the "blue" eyed people and are in control of the capital. Meanwhile, the "brown" eyed are certain to "lose" and "sits on the shelf". Eminem goes on to illustrate this point in the same verse by saying, "if I was black I would've sold half", further implying the lack of capitalistic power of the black ethnic group. Eminem exposes the cultural hegemony present in the United States and by doing so he exposes a contradiction in the American society. The capitalist system is defined by the Fourth Edition American Heritage Dictionary as: "an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market." According to the dominant narrative capitalism advocates equal distribution of rights with "proportional" business development in a "free market". The system, however, does not offer an explanation for the racism and unequal capitalistic representation experienced by the black community. In Lowe’s essay, the Korean women in Sa-I-Gu experience a similar situation where they fail to find an explanation for what happens to them in the capitalist




MeathookSodomy wrote:That is a fantastic article.
Menzo wrote:Its cuz you're dope and Daddy Dubs. No one fucks with that
I love you Daren



Evan C. wrote:White America, even though politics isn't even really what whole song is about.
Mosh blows, and We As Americans isn't really political either.


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