Editor,
I'm assuming that Jeremy Reynalds, writer of Friday's column, "Eminem Condones Anger," is an English major.
How else, without practicing on the puzzles created by William Faulkner and James Joyce, could he possibly have decoded Eminem's complex lyrics to reach the unheard of possibility that Eminem condones anger? I'm being sarcastic of course. I'm actually assuming that Jeremy Reynalds is an idiot for saying the most hackneyed thing possible about one of the most overly-debated subjects possible.
To make matters worse, Reynalds does not have any new insights to give regarding this tired issue. Half of the article is devoted to quoting Eminem's online biography and lyrics, and most of the other half is spent merely parroting what others say, such as Leanne Potts of the Albuquerque Journal and gay advocate John Aravosis (how interesting is it that Reynalds does not mind using a homosexual to condemn someone, but using the donation from a gay organization to feed the homeless is abominable to him).
Reynalds does, however, figure out that Eminem's lyrics, "just reflect what happens when a troubled kid grows up and can't deal with the inner turmoil that's been raging inside for years."
I retract my English major assumption; only someone studying psychology could make such an astute observation. Was it the part of the biography that declares him to be "violently warped" or the description of his "painful existence" that tipped you off? Synonym use is not the same as synthesis, Jeremy.
Reynalds' idiocy was forgettable when I thought that he was just an aspiring journalist who wrote a terrible article because a deadline forbade him from anything else or because his editor ordered an article on a specific subject about which he had no opinion.
However, when I found out today that he's a grown man, I was stunned. Then I read about his refusal to accept money from a gay organization for his homeless shelter, Joy Junction, and that he said, "We do not condone the gay lifestyle .We felt that by taking the money, we would in essence, be condoning what they preach."
Is this the same man who, just days ago, chastised Eminem for singing, "hate fags? The answer's yes." I ask you, Jeremy, what's the difference between the two of you? At least Eminem admits that he should not be considered a role model and doesn't parade himself as a philanthropist. When reading his interview with www.elitepremier.co.uk, one might see more so-called Christian compassion than in Reynalds' actions.
Of course I'm not trying to say that Eminem is a Christ-like figure, I'm only trying to remind Reynolds what Jesus spent the most time preaching about. Was it the murderers? No. Adulterers? No. Obscene language? No. It was the Pharisees.
You're handy with the synonyms, Jeremy, so you should know that that means "hypocrite."
Michela Dai Zovi
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Arts and Sciences student
