Eminem, Chrysler Strike a Chord

There was a time when the very sight of Eminem (AKA Slim Shady, AKA Marshall Mathers) in his jeans and white t-shirt drove me up the wall. I thought his early rap stuff was stupid, trashy and filled with the kind of hate and mean-spiritedness of which the world needs less.

Just before the release of 8 Mile, I found myself enjoying one of his songs, Without Me. It was playful. It was funny. And the beat was undeniably killer. But I only listened to it when people weren't around.

Then 8 Mile came out. I’m not sure if it was he, or I, but something changed. First, the soundtrack was richer and more real than anything I’d previously heard from him. Secondly, it was about Detroit. It was about people like me and the people I grew up with — people who grew up in working class neighborhoods.

Eminem went from being a raunchy white-boy rapper to a blue-collar hero. And if there’s a segment of America that needs a hero, it’s the blue collar, because they, more than anyone else in the last 10 years, have been getting slapped around by a two-party system that’s selling off America’s economy to the cheapest bidder.

I can’t say I really like rap music. But I’m a fan of Em’s, and I check out his videos on YouTube whenever something new comes out.

But while his rapping skills are just unreal sometimes, he hasn’t connected with me the way he did in 8 Mile. Until last night, in the Super Bowl advertisement everyone in Michigan is talking about.

I loved it.

After a decade of watching Michigan’s blue collar get blamed for just about everything imaginable, someone stood up and said, “step off” in a very major way.

Talk about Manna from Heaven.

My dad and uncle collect a Big 3 pension. My sister works at Chrysler. I worked for Chrysler in college. For a lot of people I grew up with, going to college was never in their plans. Their ticket to a decent, middle-class life was working for the Big 3 or one of their suppliers. Right here, in Saline and Milan, we know that many of neighbor's incomes are tied to the old Ford factories, now under the umbrella of Automotive Components Holdings.

So I seethe inside when I listen to media blowhards, right here in Michigan, demonize the UAW and anyone who dares demand a good wage for their loyal work. Working on the assembly line isn’t easy. Talk to anyone still working in the plants; it’s only gotten tougher. Truth is, you couldn’t pay me $30-an- hour to do that work for 30 years. You couldn’t pay me $50-an-hour to do that work for 30 years. It’s hard work, and most of the people I know who whine about their wages don’t know the meaning of tough, hard labor, day-in, day-out.

It's no wonder why this ad makes Michigan workers feel like cheering.

In the old days, the Ann Arbor News and the Detroit Free Press looked out for the interest of blue-collar folks. Last year, the Free Press and AnnArbor.com endorsed Gov. Rick Snyder. Democratic Party opponent Virg Bernero, for having the temerity to defend Michigan’s workers, was written off as an irrelevant anachronism

Michigan’s response to the ad shows how out-of-touch the media is with everyday people.

Michigan’s workers built this state. They’re plowing the roads while you sleep. They’re fixing the water main breaks before you wake up and brew your coffee. And they’re building some impressive automobiles.

They’re not the enemy. They are the engine. And as anyone in Michigan will tell you, take care of your engine, and you’ll go far.