Music's Effect on Violence

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Music's Effect on Violence

Music is an essential part of life in America today. Millions of Americans listen to recordings from a plethora of artists every day. Since the advent of Rock N' Roll, politicians, law enforcement, and several independent organizations have tried to convince America that music causes negative social impacts on youth. Of the social impacts that music is blamed for, violence is the most shocking. The assumption by the afore mentioned groups, that music causes violence in American youth, is very debatable. I firmly believe that music doesn't at all cause violence. I on the other hand, argue that music reinforces certain feelings and incites emotion in the listener as it is intended to do. Music can't be blamed for acts of violence, because it isn't music or the music industry that shoots up a school. It is the children who are committing acts of violence. Music is meant to incite emotion and convey meaning not to cause violence.

Teenage Violence is a problem that plagues America?s children. Suicide and School Shootings are two of the most visible and horrid forms of violence displayed by American children. Many parents have been quick to blame this violence on the music that violent children listen to. Although these songs may depict violent situations and feelings, the artists who are blamed for the violence intend the songs to incite an emotion in their listener, not violence. There are several cases in which a parent has sued a record company over an act of violence committed by they?re children. An example of this is the court case McCollum v. CBS, Inc. (1988) which was brought by the parents of John McCollum, who it was alleged, listened repeatedly to two Osborne albums, Blizzard of Oz and Di...

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