Hambleton's Use Of Alcohol-Related Content In Pop Music

Due to an increase of pop songs that contain alcohol-related content the issue of whether or not alcohol-related songs are a factor in causing young people to drink has been raised in the media. In Jackie Sinnerton’s article, ‘teen’s safe drinking message drowned out by boozy pop songs and videos from Pink, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga’ which was published in The Sunday Mail (Qld) on 06 October 2013, it is contended that young people are being influenced by alcohol-related content in pop songs. Sinnerton employs a concerned tone to convince parents that their children’s health and wellbeing is put at risk by pop artists. She intends to reduce the amount of alcohol-related content being used in songs. Sinnerton uses an image of a young girl being surrounded

She uses expert opinion such as, “young people are starting to drink at an earlier age and most drink in ways that put their health at risk” from Dr Hambleton to support her argument. The use of expert opinion causes parents to believe what Dr Hambleton is saying and to have faith in the writer since an expert is supporting the writer’s opinion. This positions parents to believe that alcohol is a “dangerous presence in the lives of young people”. By having an expert state the danger of alcohol in the lives of young people, Sinnerton is encouraging parents to have the belief that the amount of alcohol-related content in songs must be reduced. Sinnerton’s concerned tone supports her argument because it reflects her attitude towards the issue. By claiming, “it’s not just music lyrics, but across-the-board alcohol marketing … angers Dr Hambleton”, Sinnerton is suggesting that alcohol marketing in general is affecting the health of young people and that it angers not only Dr Hambleton but herself too. With the use of expert opinion and her tone, Sinnerton supports her argument of alcohol marketing is pervasive and is putting young people’s health at risk, which supports her contention of young people are being influenced by alcohol-related content in pop

She uses a quote from Dr Hambleton that expresses appeal to family values. Dr Hambleton claims that although parents may be may be vigilant about what kind of music their children listen to, they cannot control “music with bad language, talk of alcohol, drugs and sex… pumping out of loud speakers” in public places. This statement causes parents to be concerned about the protection of their children, which will trigger emotions of fear. The use of appeal to family values will worry parents that their children will be influenced by boozy songs, this will result in parents wanting to reduce the amount of alcohol-related content in songs. Sinnerton uses facts such as, “children as young as 12 were dabbling in alcohol” from a recent study by Australian high school students in 2011 to prove that younger children drink alcohol too. The use of facts make the writer seem reliable and causes the audience to believe what they are saying. These facts position parents to be worried that their children may become alcoholics from a young age. With these concerns parents would want to eliminate any factors that would lead to this, including the issue of alcohol-related content being used in songs. Therefore, Sinnerton’s use of appeal to family values and facts support her argument of young people of all ages are being affected by alcohol-related songs, which supports her contention of young people