Enter
      the
      Torlal
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Does
      the
      government
      have
     
     
      the
      right
      to
      limit
      what
      music
      hits
     
     
      your
      eardrums?
     
    

    
     
      This
      debate
      was
      reignited
     
     
      last
      week
      when
      Ontario’s
      Attorney
     
     
      General
      Jim
      Flaherty
      requested
      the
     
     
      Canadian
      government
      deny
      entry
     
     
      to
      the
      country
      for
      the
      American
     
     
      rapper
      Eminem.
     
    

    
     
      Eminem,
      whose
      real
      name
     
     
      is
      Marshall
      Mathers
      III,
      is
      no
     
     
      stranger
      to
      controversy.
      His
      lyrics,
     
     
      which
      feature
      unbridled
      attacks
     
     
      against
      practically
      everyone
      under
     
     
      the
      sun,
      have
      angered
      many
     
     
      would-be
      censors.
     
    

    
     
      Critics
      claim
      that
      Eminem’s
     
     
      music
      incites
      his
      fans
      to
      commit
     
     
      violence
      against
      women
      and
      homo-
     
     
      sexuals,
      two
      of
      the
      rapper’s
     
     
      favorite
      topics
      to
      spout-off
      against.
     
     
      In
      order
      to
      nip
      this
      problem
      in
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      bud,
      many
      censors
      want
      to
      see
      his
     
     
      music
      banned
      from
      store
      shelves.
     
     
      Others,
      as
      we
      saw
      in
      Toronto,
      want
     
     
      to
      charge
      him
      under
      Canada’s
      hate
     
     
      crimes
      legislation.
     
    

    
     
      Is
      Eminem
      really
      the
      prob-
     
     
      lem
      in
      society
      that
      many
      lead
      us
      to
     
     
      believe
      he
      is?
      Should
      he
      be
      cen-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sored?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      No.
     
    

    
     
      It
      is
      easy
      to
      find
      snippets
      of
     
     
      anger-laced
      lyrics
      in
      Eminem’s
     
     
      music,
      but
      what
      the
      critics
      do
      not
     
     
      address
      is
      the
      fact
      that
      he
      unequiv-
     
     
      ocally
      states
      in
      interviews,
      as
      well
     
     
      as
      in
      songs
      such
      as
      “Stan”
      that
      he
      is
     
     
      not
      serious
      about
      his
      subject
      mat-
     
     
      ter,
      and
      that
      he
      does
      not
      support
     
     
      violence
      against
      any
      group.
      In
     
     
      other
      words,
      he
      says
      what
      he
      does
     
     
      to
      create
      controversy,
      which
      in
      turn
     
     
      leads
      to
      increased
      album
      sales.
     
     
      That
      is
      why
      his
      latest
      album
      broke
     
     
      sales
      records
      around
      the
      globe.
     
    

    
     
      On
      the
      issue
      of
      inciting
      vio-
     
     
      lence,
      any
      fan
      devoted
      enough
      to
     
     
      take
      his
      message
      seriously
      is
      famil-
     
     
      iar
      with
      the
      fact
      that
      he
      does
      not
     
     
      support
      violence
      against
      his
      moth-
     
     
      er,
      father,
      wife,
      homosexuals,
      or
     
     
      boy
      bands.
      To
      him
      it
      is
      just
      a
      joke.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      may
      not
      be
      a
      funny
      joke,
      but
      who
     
     
      is
      the
      judge
      of
      that?
     
    

    
     
      Critics
      of
      the
      man
      say
      that
     
     
      it
      does
      not
      matter
      whether
      he
      is
     
     
      serious
      or
      not.
      Some
      gullible
      fans,
     
     
      they
      insist,
      will
      not
      understand
      the
     
     
      true
      message,
      and
      will
      act
      violently
     
     
      in
      the
      name
      of
      Eminem’s
      work.
      Of
     
     
      course,
      we
      all
      know
      that
      Charles
     
     
      Manson
      interpreted
      “Helter
     
     
      Skelter”
      as
      an
      incitement
      to
      kill.
     
     
      The
      problem,
      therefore,
      is
      in
      the
     
     
      individual
      willing
      to
      harm
      others,
     
     
      not
      the
      music.
     
    

    
     
      _
      What
      would
      happen
      if
      the
     
     
      government
      did
      block
      Canadians
     
     
      from
      listening
      to
      Eminem?
      The
     
     
      music
      would
      simply
      go
      under-
     
     
      ground,
      where
      no
      regulatory
      body
     
     
      could
      touch
      the
      material.
      As
      we
      can
     
     
      currently
      see
      with
      the
      internet,
     
     
      which
      is
      ungovernable,
      music
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BROWSE
      IT!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ——
      LR
     
    
   
   
    
     
      www.cblocals.com
      is
      not
      only
      a
      resource
      for
      Cape
      Breton’s
      underground
      music
     
     
      scene,
      but
      it
      is
      the
      web
      site
      with
      the
      highest
      traffic
      east
      of
      Montreal.
      It’s
      sloppy,
     
     
      but
      it’s
      useful.
      Like
      The
      Buzz.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Margarets
      Museum
      is
      a
      suspense/mystery
      that
      has
      Cuba
      Gooding
      Jr.
      as
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      RENT
      ITI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      lawyer
      who
      writes
      a
      book.
      Despite
      the
      name,
      there
      were
      no
      Counting,
      Black,
      or
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Russell
      Crowes
      injured
      in
      the
      making
      of
      the
      movie.
      (We
      get
      lazy
      sometimes)
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      EXPRESS
     
     
      University
      Plaza
     
     
      566-19T1
     
     
      SPECIAL
     
     
      15”
      pizza
      with
     
     
      three
      toppings
     
     
      $9.99
      +
      tax
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      12"
      works
      and
      9”
      cheese
      fingers
     
     
      $11.99
      +
      tax
     
    

    
     
      Please
      Present
      coupon
      to
      driver.
     
    

    
     
      Only
      one
      coupon
      per
      customer
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      12°
      three
      topping
      and
     
     
      12°
      garlic
      fingers
     
     
      $12.99
      +
      tax
     
     
      Please
      present
      coupon
      to
      driver
     
     
      Only
      one
      coupon
      per
      customer.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Free
      delivery
      to
      UPEI
     
     
      and
      Brown's
      Court