I Need a Dollar

By Alek Hurst

Chris Webby and Mac Miller's: "I Need a Dollar" is a song about how hard life can be without money. When listening to the song it is evident how many symbols there are within the lyrics. At first glance, it seems as if Chris Webby and Mac Miller enjoy their life being a part of the lower class. As time goes on the truth comes out; being poor in modern day America is one of the hardest life styles in our society. Men play a very distinctive role in our world, and if the role is not fulfilled life will turn out unhappy.

The biggest symbol in this song that relates to gender oppression is that men are supposed to be the main source of income without relying on others. The fact that women are paid less for doing the exact same jobs as men shows that we expect men to make the majority of the income. Not only do women get paid less, but when looking at a chart of the top 10 richest people in the world, not one of them was a woman. Men must work hard throughout their lives to obtain an education and work a well paying job so that their families can live a happier life.

Another commonly stated symbol in "I Need a Dollar" is based on the fact that men tend to think about themselves more than others. I believe that this quality in men is based on history, and that because humans are animals with huge brains we also retain the animalistic quality of fighting for ourselves. Before the times where humans could even communicate with one and other, all our species thought about was trying to stay alive. This relates directly to the song because in every verse he talks about needing money in a first person perspective. When he says things such as "I" have accepted life is a bitch, "I" don't get to brag about money, and "I" need to work a seven dollar an hour day job, he is showing that all he has on his mind is the situation he is in. Worrying about one's own life and not thinking about others is an example of a quality that men share that is the polar opposite of women.

A common difference found between men and women is that men are more likely to abuse drugs than women are. It is very typical that men get into drugs sometime or another where women usually stay away from them. I am not sure the true reason behind this, but I do know that these habits can very easily take up all of a person's wealth. In Chris Webby and Mac Miller's life, this is exactly what is happening. In another song by Mac Miller he states how he doesn't just like marijuana, but has a "weed addiction." Before both of these artists blew up, it was probably very hard for them to afford every day necessities while supporting their addiction. When a man spends all of his money on narcotics, it is impossible to support any other hobbies and often very difficult to support a family.