Don't Censor the Music and Artistic Expression

Ann Powers said:

"Don't censor the music and artistic expression."

Eminem's music, in particular the songs "Kim" and "Stan," is a continuation of a tradition in music and American art in general: the Gothic murder ballad, which has been with us ever since the blues or Appalachian folk music. "Stan" is just like an Edgar Allan Poe tale, if you think about it. Johnny Cash shot a man just to watch him die. This is something that's had a very solid, longstanding role in culture.

Self-styled moralists are getting up in arms about something that has always been part of the literature of development. If you're a kid, you have to learn about violence, about hate, about death, about fear. That's part of becoming an adult. And if it's not fed to you by Eminem, you're going to get it from your own nightmares. The illusion that kids need to be protected from that is connected to a kind of fetishizing of innocence, which is unrealistic." Ann Powers

Music critic, the New York Times

We live in a society where we are taught to hide our true feelings and emotions. When I look back at the way I have been educated at school and and home, I now know how hypocritical it was. Teachers and parents tried to hide some reality.We were pictured a safe world with nice people. Religion ( particularly the way it was taught) increased that wrong impression.

Eminem's work appears to be progressive for conservative people. But the same conservative people would also have rejected Baudelaire or any other controversial poet or writer centuries before. Conservatism is a form of intolerance in general.

I have felt insecure a great part of my life and I didn't know how to act the right way with people, being too much afraid to speak my mind.

There is something I will probably never get: why are references to suicide so taboo in people's mind? Many people also blamed Goethe for his work "Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers" ("The Sorrows of Young Werther") because a lot of young people committed suicide after reading his book. Not Goethe is to blame, but rather those young people's decision...but do we really need somebody to blame? Anybody has the right to end his life if he feels like his pain is unbearable. My cousin committed suicicide when I was 15. I was shocked, but I don't judge her for that. It was her decision to stop her immense sorrow.

MTV also censors notions that have to do with suicide.

The "Tatu" video "Not Gonna Get Us" was considered as shocking and would be censored not because it pictured two lesbian girls, but because they seem to commit suicide at the end of the video. I was very surprised to discover that the word "die" in the sentence "I'm so sick and tired of bein admired/ that I wish that I would just die or get fired » from Eminem's song « The Way I Am ». How is that possible ? How could MTV censor a word like « die » as if death didn't belong to our every day reality ?

They allow sentences such as « People killin', people dyin'/Children hurt and you hear them cryin'» from sugar sweet songs such as « Where is the love ? » from Black Eyed Peas and they dare censoring « die » in « The Way I Am » video ? How far should we push hypocrisy ?

So many writers and poets such as François Villon in the 15th century in France have been considered as shocking for their use of vulgar language. Many people want to do as if vulgar and popular language didn't exist (I'm sure the same people use it in their privacy as well). Popular and vulgar words are part of our culture too, there is no reason to ignore it.

Why should we censor notions such as suicide, murder and death that are present in the music when our kids already play violent games on their PlayStation and watch "Hannibal" and "Scary Movie" on TV? A little bit of violence helps kids to get rid of their own aggressively and shouldn't be viewed as necessarily dangerous and negative.

The best way to protect our kids is not to hide reality. The closer they are to reality, the better they are armed to face real battles in life.

Shut Up And Sing   

5 Unknown Facts Of Identity Theft - What Most People Don't Know About Identity Theft

Most people like to believe they are fully aware of the dangers that Identity Theft poses. However, national government agencies have said themselves, they do not know every aspect of this crime because it rapidly changes everyday. As a matter of fact, they have also stated that there is no way to avoid this crime, it's only a matter of minimizing the risk. When it does happen, the question is then,"how can you keep yourself insured?", and "who can you turn to for help?". There are many unknown facts about this crime that most people don't really know.

5 Unknown Facts

Identity Theft Has Ranked Higher In Crime Than Drug Trafficking

1. As we all know, much of the news we hear about in Mexico and in the U.S is on Drug Trafficking and Cartel Wars, but the truth of it all is that Identity Theft has taken it's place in crime at #1 all across America. These identity criminals are now more in demand with illegal immigration rising due to Drug Cartel Wars, because they can create false documents. Why is there no huge focus on this crime in America when it ranks highest of any crime taking place right now? In fact ID Theft has hit it's all time high this year at just a little over 10 million victims.

Every 3.2 Seconds A New Identity Is Stolen

2. This might sound absurd, but it is well under estimated when it said that every 3.2 seconds a new person falls victim to this crime. It is TRUE! There are many studies at Universities that offer this information for free to view for yourselves. What people fail to understand is that there are many forms of Identity theft, not just your credit card. The more you learn on what different types of Identity Theft there are, the more cautious you will be.

It Can Take Up To 4 Years Or More To Fix Identity Theft

3. When someone becomes a victim of Identity Fraud, it can take up to 4 years to clear up all the damage. Not to include 71% of those victims still have to repeatedly attempt to fix inaccurate information on their credit file. Many times victims have no way of proving that their information was stolen, and have been forced to file bankruptcy, or begin paying thousands of dollars to repair their credit account.

Most People Believe Repairing Your Credit File Is Easy (It's Not)

4.Most people tend to believe that it would be easy to correct any fraud that could happen to them. Please do not be fooled. It is very difficult to repair your credit, not to mention time consuming. On average the current victim spends about 175 business hours trying to prove their innocence and correct the mistakes on their files. The problem is, it doesn't stop there. Don't forget just because you might have caught the fraud going on in your name now, the thieves still have your information, meaning they will strike again.

There Is No 100% Way To Stop Identity Theft

5. This one is plain and simple. As much as we would like to believe we can fully stop identity thieves, YOU CAN'T! There's no sugar coating this one. If a thief wants to steal your information he will. It doesn't matter if you think you are the most cautious person in the world. It doesn't even matter if you have an Identity Theft Protection Plan that claims they prevent Identity Theft from happening. It's sad to say but it is only a matter of time before you or someone you know becomes a victim of fraud.

In Conclusion...

Keep in mind there are hundreds of ways to minimize the risk of becoming a victim of Identity Theft. The most important however is that you find ways to become aware. Even though Identity Theft Protection Plans are not 100% guaranteed, you should find one that not only reimburses losses, but monitors your account 24/7, offers monitoring for minors, and most importantly, restores your credit.

Identity Theft Facts   Identity Theft By Family And Friends   Identity Theft - 5 Ways You Can Become a Victim - Identity Theft Protection and Credit Card Fraud   Five Myths Concerning Identity Fraud   A Review of Krolls Identity Theft Shield Program