eminem bannings?

[road warrior]

OK story,

I work in a large shopping centre. My work is kind of a box in the middle of a large area (we sell mobile phones ect). We have a stereo in our store to play music, and generally I play music like Swollen Members, Nirvana, Pantera or Slipknot. Stuff like that, generally pretty damn loud too.
Most of the songs have a fair amount of swearing and obscene shit in them.
Today I decided to play the new eminem album, I'm not really one to play that sort of thing, but I had it so I played it, I got 3 songs through the album and I had a complaint about "eminem swearing shit" being played. I didn't even have the radio up..compared to normal it was barely audible. It was a phone call, not a passing by manager or anything.
What's the story here? IN those first few songs there is only really one that has any actual swearing in it, that is noticeable. If you weren't really listening you wouldn't notice it anyway. Most of his songs are pretty radio friendly. Compared to lyrics from slipknot and some swollen members songs he is pretty tame. I have never had a complaint before, and considering the complaint actually pointed out it was eminem, I have to wonder their motives.
Is eminem just taboo?
This sucks, I have no idea how anyone can complain about a certain artist being played. Only probably a quarter of eminems songs have offensive content in them, and considering many of his songs are played on the radio, I don't understand how they can get pissed about him being played compared to what I usually play.
If they had a written complaint about my on going bad taste in music, I could understand, but this is a joke.

Ummm....what do you think?

 

[Kammy]

i think its a case of some people being petty and pathetic

 

[josh_lives_here]

mayby they just wanted to shut it up because eminem sucks

 

[RCOH]

Probably someone who knows what eminem sounds like, & knows he does write some offensive material, heard you playing one of eminems songs, deemed it offensive (regardless of lyrical content at time) & complained.

Eminem has become the face (sound?) of delinquency, moral degeneration & social destruction because of a few over-hyped media reports on his lyrical content & personal life. So as soon as (conservative, born-again, christian types) hear it, thay complain. Like Ozzy Osbourne & Heavy Metal in the early 80's.

Or it could be that someone heard the song & thought (correctly imo, especially the new album) 'fuck that music is terrible, i should get it turned off, if not for the mobile phone store salesman then for for the greater good of humanity'. :wink:

 

[Techno Destructo]

They're trying to protect your store from lameness.

 

[October26]

I would agree that Eminem is the current flavour/posterboy of poor morals and bad language. Anyone that popular is a target.

 

[Fat_Ride]

Dave, just pull out some of your Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears CD's.... surely then the lowlifes who hang out at the 'mall' will be happier.

 

[johnny]

It was MEEEEEEEEEEE

Seriously though, the whole Christian right (I prefer to call them the Christian wrong) thing in the eighties with heavy metal, in the nineties with Tippa Gore (about the only good thing to come out of Al losing to George!) and her "Tippa stickers" warning against strong lyrics and now the whole social values crap that centres around Eminemineminem is so laughable. I love seeing these people blow up abortion clinnics, attack gay marraiges and blockade concerts and then go and call people fighting for their FREEDOM/SURVIVAL the terrorists :lol: Yeah, we shoot and blow up abortionists for the good of society and they blow up military targets cause they hate us and they're the devil!!!

The same goes with the whole music thing. The Maralyn Manson thing was a great example. Yeah sure his lyrics and focus is pretty gritty and harsh, but it's just fucking theatre!!! Same with the original shock rocker, Alice Cooper. It's up to the parents and teachers to instil social values, not artists. Artists perform, teachers teach and parents parent. We should stop blaming the artists and take responsibility for the society we ALL facilitate!!

So it's cool to blow the fuck out of whole countries to protect life style and a cash ideology, yet using naughty words will be the downfall of society huh? Now that's "champagne comedy" :lol:

I grew up listening to AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Metallica, WASP, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppilin, Pink Floydd, Ronnie James Dio, Alice Cooper, Run DMC and many other rock/metal/rap artists. I haven't murdered anyone, I don't have a pentagram tattooed on my forehead and I haven't raped any babies! As you can probably guess from this rant and my other one recently about the whole 1980's back masking thing, I'm no fan of people who blame their problems/mistakes on easy targets like music. Movies I'm not 100% sure about, but music is far from the downfall of society in my genius (I don't even know how to spell it :lol: ) opinion.

BTW, I'm tipping they complained about the (lack of) quality in the music rather than the content :wink:

 

[toodles]

I haven't murdered anyone, I don't have a pentagram tattooed on my forehead and I haven't raped any babies!

Damn your parties must be boring.

Fundamentalist Christian or other moralistic high-horse types really piss me off when they object to what I decide to listen to, watch, play or participate in.

I find you offensive for finding me offensive.

 

[RCOH]

I used to work in a subway sandwich place as a night manager & used to play my own music. Now my leanings are towards punk/metal & were even more so back then. I would choose the more 'public friendly' cd's I had & play them to very few complaints & mostly positive feedback. However when I wanted to close the store/ I was in a foul mood I would put black metal on, & people would leave.

Except this one time (at band camp :roll: ) I was playing a selection of COF, Impaled, Cannibal Corpse & others, the shop was just about empty when a big group of metal heads walked in. They stayed for ages all I wanted was to clean up & go home.

Moral: eminem sucks

 

[johnny]

I haven't murdered anyone, I don't have a pentagram tattooed on my forehead and I haven't raped any babies!

Damn your parties must be boring.

that's because my parties consist of sitting around a campfire singing Kumbaya and other assoerted Christian hymns. The devil won't get my soul, no siree!!

Rock my soul in the bossom of Abraham, Rock my soul in the bossom of Abraham, rock my soul in the bossom of Abraham, oh Lord, rock my soul...... He's got the whole world in his hands, he's got the whole world in his hands, he's got the whole world in he's hands and oh yuck he has sweaty palms........ Kumbaya my lord, kumbaya. Kunbaya my lord, kumbaya, kumbaya my lord, kumbaya, oh lord, kumbaya. those Christians just love repeating themselves don't they! BTW, I only dislike the fundementalist religious/christian types, most believers are good people.

 

[johnny]

I used to work in a subway sandwich place as a night manager & used to play my own music. Now my leanings are towards punk/metal & were even more so back then. I would choose the more 'public friendly' cd's I had & play them to very few complaints & mostly positive feedback. However when I wanted to close the store/ I was in a foul mood I would put black metal on, & people would leave.

Except this one time (at band camp :roll: ) I was playing a selection of COF, Impaled, Cannibal Corpse & others, the shop was just about empty when a big group of metal heads walked in. They stayed for ages all I wanted was to clean up & go home.

Moral: eminem sucks

When running security for dance clubs/parties, I used to be able to clear a venue in around 2min flat. This was my fav part of the night. It'd go from boom, boom ,boom, to "Livin' easy, lovin' free, season ticket on a one way ride.............goin down, party time, my friends are gonna be their tooooooo, I'M ON A HIGHWAY TO HELL.............."

The look of utter shock on people's faces was payment enough (although I still took my wages....). On the way into the club they were all my best friends, on the way out they'd call me an arsehole for ruining the night :lol:

Fkn namby pamby soft cocks :twisted:

 

[road warrior]

there are plenty of stores playing worse... Juice stores cranking 50 cent, and fat man scoop....the centre plays celine dion and john williamson, eerr it's hell.

 

[Grip]

Fundamentalist Christian or other moralistic high-horse types really piss me off when they object to what I decide to listen to, watch, play or participate in.

Irony? aren't you saying that you hate being forced to something... and yet you're happy for THEM to be forced into listening to eminem? Freedom goes BOTH ways guys... and with it comes, like it or not, responsibility.

And there are about 3.781 million examples of what I mean. For instance... people have a right to smoke, ok? But they have a responsibility to NOT blow it over me because I don't wish to smoke.

I have a right to walk round my own home with my dick out... but I have the responsibility to NOT do that in road warrior's mall because (hard to believe I know) but most people don't want to see my dick.

Same thing here RW has a right to listen to eminem, but he doesn't have the right to force others to listen to it... and by playing it in a public place he is doing just that.

Time to buy a bridge, methinks.

 

[road warrior]

Same thing here RW has a right to listen to eminem, but he doesn't have the right to force others to listen to it... and by playing it in a public place he is doing just that.

That's true, but they force me to listen to christmas carols, celine dion, whitney houston and all that. We are given the right to play our own music, but when it comes to our choices we get screwed over. It's obvious no one has ever listened, or heard my music to much before as I would have had complaints, as I said it is usually louder and worse than eminem. I'm don't care if I can play eminem or not, I just think that they shouldn't be prejudice against a specific artist. I swear it was only a complaint because someone recognized his music.

 

[toodles]

Fundamentalist Christian or other moralistic high-horse types really piss me off when they object to what I decide to listen to, watch, play or participate in.

Irony? aren't you saying that you hate being forced to something... and yet you're happy for THEM to be forced into listening to eminem? Freedom goes BOTH ways guys... and with it comes, like it or not, responsibility.

Ah yes true mate, but I don't petition the goverment to have them forced to listen to my music. But they do petition the goverment to have my music/games/reading material and toys banned from sale in Australia. So no, I don't think there's a comparison.

 

[johnny]

I think there's more to it than that. I agree we need to give and take. But it's the fundementalists who are inflexible here. In many cases it's not just turning down radios but actually banning performances, visits and sales.

secondly the REASON behind their actions is what concerns me. the main reason for wishing it stopped is upon moral grounds which have no evidence/proof of their claims. If the person just didn't want to hear strong language, then that's fine, If the person just doesn't like Eminem and didn't wish to hear it (I agree with them) they should be a little more tollerant, and dave should be too and maybe just turn it down a bit. If there is give and take, why should he have to turn it off? Where's the compromise here? I agree you shouldn't offend some one, but you also have to take into context what is considered offensive. I find big fat bellies offensive, but I'd never dream of telling a bloke to put his top on or a girl to hide her muffin top!

where do you draw the line on what is deemed offensive, or when the offended should be the one building the bridge?

I think there is nothing wrong with nudity, nobody gets hurt or injured and my nudity isn't intended to be offensive. So why should I cover it up? Isn't it the "offended" that are the problem here?

 

[and1]

Isn't it the "offended" that are the problem here?

solution: desensitise everyone via an intense 24hour screening of the most horrendous images on earth (war, mutilation, disease, famine, murder etc - played to celine dion music). BAM! No more emotions, no more problems! Say hello to conformism.

That just reminded me of that movie equilibrium where they banned all forms of emotion to eliminate such problems on earth.

 

[Arete]

I found the same working in retail.
My favourite was a woman objecting to Blood for Blood - White Trash Anthems, not because the song entitled "Fuck you and fuck society" was playing but because the music was bad.
A response to complaints about my music I enoyed was "Ok when you stand behind this counter for 8 hours straight you get to pick the music, ok?"
The other thing that pissed me off was people objecting to my piercings as in "take that out of your face, it's disgusting. If I was your parent I'd tear it out."
My retort usually being "Well my parents brought me up better than to attack complete strangers' personal choices, but now you've opened the floodgates *insert comment about baldness, fatness, ugliness etc*"
Ignorant customers and retail go hand in hand unfortunately.

 

[RCOH]

solution: desensitise everyone via an intense 24hour screening of the most horrendous images on earth (war, mutilation, disease, famine, murder etc - played to celine dion music). BAM! No more emotions, no more problems! Say hello to conformism.

Or you could play them a summary of the biggest News stories of last year!!! It covers all your bases quite nicely