Music Today: Entertainment or Influence to Murder?

1890 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Music as an agent of social change

Music Today: Entertainment or Influence to Murder?
Teen violence, murder, suicide; they seem to be becoming more and more rampant everyday. The media, as well as concerned, angry parents, look everywhere to find someone to blame for these tragedies. Their fingers are pointed in the direction of many music entertainers. Artists and performers are being badgered everyday for their lyrics and image they create for their fans. Can music really influence someone to acts of violence? Maybe, to the mentally unstable or uneducated. Is music at fault for these acts of violence? Absolutely not. It cannot be blamed for the crimes of obvious psychotic adolescents. The music business, mainly “death” metal, has been said to be at fault for major tragedies, for example the Columbine High School Shootings. In fact, one media spokesperson even related the two killers to Marilyn Manson because they were apparently dressed like him. This constant distraction of pointing the blame on someone else just strays our focus on the real causes. Music can directly express the personality of many individuals. The way the dress, the way they talk. Overall it expresses the way a person feels. However, can music be blamed for the actions some of it’s listeners my take?
Over the past ten years or so, music has been the scapegoat to many murders, acts of violence, and sexual abuse for many years now. Many cases have now opened with the introduction of Death Metal to music world. Since many murders are now rampant within young children and teenagers, there must be someone to blame for them. One example is in 1995 the Death Metal band Slayer was blamed for encouraging Royce Casery, Joseph Fiorella, and Jacob Delashmutt to torture and kill Elyse Pahler, 15-years-old. The parents of Pahler blame the disgusting lyrics of Slayer to the crime. The three boys, all fans of Slayer and bands of their stature, were all found guilty and are still serving time in jail. The Pahler’s tried suing both the band, and the record companies for making these albums available to young teens. However, the courts threw out all the accusations against Slayer and the record companies, with right cause. The music didn’t kill their daughter, the three boys did and are now serving their time (Horn, 1). Another case noted, 17-year-old Jay Fieldon Howell was arrested for stabbing a girl in the neck. The girl survived, but ...

... middle of paper ...

...r what he does with it? Or if he’s a teenager, should someone else be blamed because he isn’t as enlightened as an eighteen-year-old (Manson, 4)?”
There should be no praise for death in this world, whether it be in war or just cold blooded murder.
So is entertainment to blame for all these acts of violence, murder, and sexual abuse? The media commentators should ask themselves this question because their coverage of these events were some of the most gruesome entertainment any of us have ever seen.
Works Cited
Horn, John. "Heavy Metal: Music to Murder By?" Newsweek 4 Nov. 2000: pp. 46.
Manson, Marilyn. "Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?" Rolling Stone 28 May 1999: pp. 1-5.
Miller, Alec. "Rockin' in the Free World?" The Washington Post 3 Feb. 2001: pp. A20.
Morgan, Fiona. Mother's Who Think. 17 Jan. 2001 www.salon.com/mwt/hot/1998/12/15hot.html.
Temple, Johnny. "Noise From the Underground." The Nation 18 Oct. 1999: pp. 17-18, 20.
Waxman, Sharon. "Did 'Death Metal' Music Incite Murder?; Lawsuit Against Band, Distributors Could Overcome First Amendment Hurdle." The Washington Post 23 Jan. 2001: pp. E1.
(Sources from www.elibrary.com)

Show More
Related

  • The Nightmare of the West Memphis Three

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    The satanic cult panic in part contributed to the conviction of Misskelley, Echols and Baldwin. Baldwin himself describes this assumption; “I can see where they might think I was in a cult,” he said, in that 1993 interview, “because I wear Metallica T-shirts.” (Rich, 2013). The article goes on to explain that the crime happened at the end of the five-year satanic panic period that had plagued American popular culture. These boys did not dress like other teens; they did not listen to the same music. Metal music especially music from bands like Metallica were frowned upon because of their expletive lyrics. When the public established that the boys were different from them, they developed stories that would align with their beliefs. The article establishes that after several weeks of investigation and no clear leads, “rumors of satanic involvement assumed greater urgency” (Rich, 2013) By doi...

    Read More

  • Music and Murder

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Documentaries serve to draw a response through the use of literary techniques in order to present a particular point of view. Michael Cordell’s Music and Murder subscribes to this principle, the documentary focuses on three men serving prison sentences for taking a life and how music has changed and shaped their outlook on their own lives. Music, structure, verbal language and selection of detail all work on the viewers emotions which serve to draw a positive response towards rehabilitation in prisons.

    Read More

  • Rap is Crap

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    Is music powerful enough to incite antisocial and violent behavior? According Johnson, Jackson and Gatto’s study on the deleterious effects of exposure to rap music, subjects in the violent exposure conditions (rap music) expressed greater acceptance of violence. Subjects in the violent exposure condition also reported a higher probability that they would engage in violence (Johnson). Music plays an i...

    Read More

  • Musical Influence on a Violent Society

    2681 Words  | 6 Pages

    The event in Littleton, Colorado, 5 years ago was a shocking wake up call to our society. Because of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold’s fanaticism with artists such as Marilyn Manson, music was labeled as the culprit for negatively influencing the youth of America. Music is a tool of expression that an artist uses to vent their frustrations and to reveal their emotions. However, these artists do not see the moral boundary that they have crossed with their emotionally disturbing lyrics and dark melodies. To grab the attention of teenagers, musicians often produce music videos with a vivid portrayal of the song’s message. The heavy influence it has on kids today is in direct relation to the murders and shootings that are happening. The use of CD walkmans and the carelessness of parents are making it easier for children to get their hands on the “satanic music.” The anger expressed by these musicians shows the youth that violence is culturally acceptable. Due to the strong emotion that is portrayed in music, the youth responds to music more so than they do to video games, movies and TV. There are many components in music structure that influence violent behavior such as music videos, lyrics, style, and role model images.

    Read More

  • School Shootings in America

    509 Words  | 2 Pages

    Family environment and the press are two major influences resulting in the recent tragic school shootings. As much as society continues to focus the killing rampages on factors such as television and music, what children are exposed to in reality contributes to the violence. The most recent school shooting in Michigan involved a six-year-old first grader who killed a classmate with a .22 caliber pistol. The news coverage had vanished after two or three days, and I was left wondering what had happened. Considering the fact that the media wore the Columbine incident out, I wanted to know why they did not pay more attention to this school shooting. As evidence did arrive, it was discovered that the child lived in a household where cocaine, heroin, and many other illegal drugs were commonplace. Also in this “home” guns were easily accessible to the child. Children growing up in this type of environment certainly are likely to be held accountable for future violence. Even though I am against the news media presenting too much school violence, Americans should have been deeply disturbed by this shooting because of the child’s young age. The Michigan shooting should have enlightened Americans to the dilemma we face in this country. Two weeks after the Columbine High School shooting, information on the mass murder was still being broadcast on television. The press was feeding young viewers ideas on how to kill their classmates. News was reported how the teenage murderers acquired information regarding building bombs, obtaining guns, smuggling guns into the school, and proceeding to kill their classmates. A mentally unstable teenager could simply watch these news reports and write a book entitled, “How to Slay Your Classmates”. This onslaught was ridiculous and the news coverage should not have been permitted to continue for countless weeks. Society has determined three reasons on which to blame the shootings. First, the nation blamed it on television’s violent programs. Following that, Americans gave the music recording companies the evil eye as well as attacking the gun manufacturers. All of these reasons involve material objects that are unable to think for themselves. Televisions and CD players do not control themselves, people control them. Finally, boundaries controlling the television programs children view should be set by the parents. The same explanation applies to firearms. How can it be a gun’s fault that a person killed another human being?

    Read More

  • Media Violence: Censorship Not Needed

    1589 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the recent violent acts committed by minors was the massacre at Columbine High School. Later it was revealed that the murderers had listened to Marilyn Manson, played violent computer games (such as Doom), and watched The Basketball Diaries in which the lead character slaughtered his classmates and teacher in a very similar manner to the way the Columbine boys later did (Torr 14). Though the Columbine murders were horrific acts and were likely inspired by violent forms of media, they are atypical of mo...

    Read More

  • Exploring Whether or not Profanity in Music is Corrupting our Youth

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    Profanity in music, is it a problem that must be addressed now or is it even a problem that we as a society have the power to fix. There have been many different arguments on the topic of profanity in music, however the question remains should music be censored. In Robert T. M. Phillips’ address to congress he insists that we must act now to protect our society from the damaging effects of explicit music. Becky L. Tatum argues in her article “The Link Between Rap Music and Youth Crime and Violence” that the effects of rap music are basically unknown and extensive research must be conducted before causal assumptions are made. Martha Bayles suggest in her article “The Perverse in the Popular, that society is attracted to evils or negatives and therefore would not allow music censorship to be successful .Therefore the problem is that we have no adequate answer to the problem.

    Read More

  • Music Censorship is Not Needed

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marilyn Manson. Eminem. Limp Bizkit. Rammstein. All of these musical artists have been under fire in the past few years by government officials, the media, and activist groups. Supposedly, their music conveys too violent of a message. The sounds and words these artists have so carefully crafted have been targeted as the cause for violent acts, especially by young people. For example, Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold idolized German industrial bands such as Rammstein and KMFDM, as well as American shock rocker, Marilyn Manson. The public has been quick to blame these musicians for violence in the United States. People are calling for government regulations in the form of ratings, warnings, edited material, and even bans on such allegedly offensive music. But how far is too far? Should the government regulate what should rightfully be the responsibility - and the right - of parents or guardians?

    Read More

  • Rap Music and Gun Violence

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    Weather the music is to blame is another matter, maybe the governments. use music to cover up its own mistakes. Gun crime has risen rapidly in this country it has got to the stage of nearly twenty two firearm offences being committed every day. Some people now possess guns for self defence, in poor areas of cities. This is where violence and guns on the street is everyday life for some people.

    Read More

  • Music and Deviant Behavior

    1614 Words  | 4 Pages

    Often times throughout history and in today’s world, music along with lyrics of songs and musical artists are blamed for deviant behavior in adolescents and teenagers. Some argue that subcultures are created because of artists and their music which leads to groups of young adults taking part in deviant behavior, while others argue the opposite; that the behavior leads the person to listen to the music. There is also concern about the effect that music videos have on the behaviors of the listeners of music throughout all genres. Although there is not much extended research on music and the effect it has on its listeners there is plenty of speculation, theories, and minor studies.

    Read More

  • Rap Music's Influence Upon Teenagers

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many teens don’t realize that the music they are listening to affects the way they think. According to Morrison, a columnist whose writings focus on the impact of the choices people face every day, “Words do have meanings, meanings suggest thoughts, and thoughts lead to action” (Morrison). Even if the person isn’t affected right away by the violent lyrics of most today’s rap songs, eventually they will become more prone to certain thoughts. As Morrison stated, “In experiments on over 500 college students . . .

    Read More

  • Why Do Violent Lyrics Cause Teen Violence?

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    Music, a popular outlet amongst the teen community for exploring emotions and blowing off steam. Times have changed, and the way music and lyrics are perceived has developed in a violent fashion. According to new studies, that have occurred, violent music lyrics increase aggressive thoughts and feelings. I chose this topic because music is such an influential part of our lives that it often dictates the mood we seize to exist in. If violent thoughts occur, what can come of it?

    Read More

  • Negative Effects of Rap Music

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Violent song lyrics increase negative emotions and thoughts that can lead to aggression, according to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. 84, No. 5) [1]. Western Connecticut state university student Eliana Tropeano did a study examining the effects of watching violent rap videos. Tropeanos’ experiment found that videos containing violent lyrics, and degrading behaviors made the individual feel and conduct themselves in a more aggressive manner. The effects of how music provokes violence has been examined by many, this is due to the amount of people listening to music every day. Research has proven that exposure to such violence through the media heightens the youths chances of having similar aggressive thoughts and behaviors. In 1986 N.W.A released their first debut album introducing more explicit lyrics and violent destructive images in their videos such as “F—Tha Police”. This pushed other west coast rappers to begin u...

    Read More

  • The Role of Music in Society

    1731 Words  | 4 Pages

    Music has played a role in society since the dawn of man. Said to be the beginning of communication in early civilization, music and dance have influenced how we think, act and treat members of our own society. Song and dance is used in rites of passage ceremonies such as births, weddings and funerals throughout the world. Jamaican and Yoruba cultures have made many contributions to our society. The uses of this music as a vehicle for political issues, values, and beliefs have been used by many musicians from different cultures. I intend to discuss the Contribution of these two contemporary cultures music and their effect on society.

    Read More

  • The Important Role of Music in Society

    447 Words  | 1 Pages

    Music is an essential part of life because of the expression it allows people to have, its entertainment, and its therapeutic ways for the world.

    Read More

More about Music Today: Entertainment or Influence to Murder?

Open Document