Eminem 'spears' Lincoln

ABSTRACT

Artists have a lot of influence on our society because we have turned them into godly figures. It seems as though they are untouchable and unbreakable. Throughout history, humans have always had idols, but never of this kind. We used to idolize Abraham Lincoln, now we idolize pop-stars. Because of children's psychological development, they are more susceptible to certain influences, and music companies are using this to their advantage by targeting children and teenagers. Music is no longer entertainment, it is a business, which is why so many artists have the same power that country presidents have. Further studies are needed in order to truly understand and maybe find a solution to artist influence.

PAPER

An idol is "a representation or symbol of an object of worship; broadly: a false god" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Our culture has transformed itself a lot over the decades. We have always had idols and icons. We have given godly powers to objects and simple humans, and no one seems to see something wrong with this. To understand who, what, where, and why artists have influence it is important to look at three different aspects: history, psychology, and marketing. The history of idols and icons will help explain who our icons have been and who they are now. The psychology of influence will explain why artists influence us, and last but not least business strategies will help us understand who gives these artists their power.

Idols have always taken the place of something or someone humans can look up to, we can seek advice from, and get guidance from. In ancient times, icons were objects that people venerated in a religious matter. Slowly, with church interference, icons and idols changed from objects to people. Not too long ago, young children idolized political figures, war heroes, and astronauts.

After the war, the 1920's uplifted culture and society to a whole new level. This is when the vision of an idol changed. Children and teenagers started turning to television and movies to find a hero. Most had seen their fathers go through the war, and whether he came home or not, things were never the same. "Most Americans were unconcerned about the dark side of life. They were too busy enjoying the prosperity of the 1920s" (Schools History). Children needed new, brighter faces, and happier people to idolize. So they started looking past reality and crossed over into a world they did not know, a fake world of entertainment. Since many people didn't own televisions yet, most kids turned to sports figures. "Ruth was a media icon and fan favorite" (Turbulent 20's).

As communications progressed, American pop culture figures became idols. Today, children and teenagers see two huge stars, Eminem and Britney Spears, as their idols. Many children want to be just like those stars. So how exactly did our society go from idolizing Abraham Lincoln to idolizing Britney Spears?

First, communications has changed everything. Media is power. "Eisner is no Rockefeller and Bill Gates is no Vanderbilt and Steve Spielberg is no Carnegie. Eisner, Gates and Spielberg are far more powerful, for theirs is power not over oil, steel, and railroads - mere muscles of our modern industrial bodies - but over pictures, information and ideas - the very sinews of our postmodern soul" (Barber, 298). The media can propagate anyone and anything they want to become an idol for the public. The perfect example is the television show, American Idol. By the second episode, millions and millions of fans had "fallen in love" with one of the contestants. These contestants, one day before, were completely unknown in American culture, but now, they will forever be present in our society. All it took was one television show. This proves that the people with the most power in the world are those with the biggest communication connections. These people have total control of what they want a population to know and believe. They are almost as powerful as religion once used to be. A long time ago, people would turn to their priest for guidance, now many people just turn on the T.V and try to find a solution there. "Originally our goal was to uplift, enlighten, encourage and entertain through the medium of television. Now, our mission statement for The Oprah Winfrey Show is to use television to transform people's lives, to make viewers see themselves differently and to bring happiness and a sense of fulfilment into every home" (About Oprah). People can turn on the TV, watch any talk show, and instantly find a solution to any problem they might have.

According to Rolling Stone magazine, another important phenomenon of idolization is death. Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Jimi Hendrix, became immortal by dying. A dead rock star becomes perfect, and he'll stay that forever. He'll never change, never get old, never turn into something less great than at his peak, at the moment of his death. "It's not just death that turns you into an icon. It's how many people are watching when you die, and the way the camera can turn you into a martyr" ("The Dead Rock Star"). Again the media plays a big factor in this. Once the person is dead; they have no way in making themselves more popular. The media controls and decides who will become a star and who will remain hidden.

So why did the media chose Britney Spears and Eminem? They are not dead, so was it solely the media that propagated them to stardom? Yes! Eminem has a lot of talent but he almost gave up right before Dr. Dre discovered him (Eminem Biography - Rolling Stone). Dr. Dre is a producer and artist that already had established a name for himself in the music industry. So when he signed Eminem to his label, he gave Eminem the resources to make himself heard. It is my belief that all the controversy and media attention to Eminem's lyrics and personal life propelled him to be as big a star as he is. In one comparison of Eminem and George W. Bush, the author stated "Both draw their power from the compelling image of the strongman posing as the common man" (Goldstein). The working class male hero is such a popular phenomenon because most consumers are working class males, so it brings them hope and pride to see "one of their own" become a hero. Eminem emphasizes that he is just like the rest of us, which is why so many people can relate to his music. In Eminem's case, media has played a huge and important role, but so did talent.

Britney Spears was completely hyped up by the media. She started out as a young sweet girl, but quickly turned into a sex symbol for young girls. The media loved this because "sex sells". When