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Music and its effect on young people
Music and its effect on young people
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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? Teens and the human populous have been draw to music, and the relief it gives off. As recent as the 1990’s, we’ve seen an increase in explicit and violent lyrics and deviant behavior in the music industry surrounding such genres as heavy metal, rock, rap, and gangster rap. During this past decade, lyrics are becoming more violent and sexually explicit. It is approximated that teens listen to an average of 40 hours of music a week, and somewhere along the way, a child will hear something derogatory, or cruel. Along with this, teens don’t necessarily interpret what is said through lyrics in the right manner. In one study, only 30% of those somewhat questionable lyrics by popular bands were comprehended by the teen population. …show more content…
Lyrics allow the listener to interpret the music in any which way they so choose, and for the majority of the time, the listener doesn’t process the lyrics effectively. Lyrics are under the most scrutiny due to explicit content, but when rapper ‘Precise’ was interviewed, he said he didn’t feel the need to kill any one, or bring harm to anyone. Video games, where are actually interactive, force the participant to do the killing, punching, or any other method of violence the game brings, which is what should raise concern to parents and media across the
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...
The main argument which critics use to show why the radio should be censored is because listening to explicit lyrics is linked to aggressive thoughts. This argument has some truth because studies have linked them, but the conditions of these studies also favors an increase of aggressive thoughts. Most of the studies show teenage boys who already having more aggressive thoughts because they are developing, playing more violent games, and being exposed more to the real world. These studies are also biased because most teenagers who listen to explicit music are being influenced by their parents more than the lyrics. As stated in an article debating radio censorship, “Parents still have a bigger influence over their kids’ behavior than music does” (Kiplinger). Parents who are aggressive tend to pass the trait to their kids whom tend to listen to explicit lyrics because of their previous exposure to violence and harsh
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.
Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Meng-Jinn Chen Ph.D, Brenda A. Miller Ph.D, Joel W. Grube Ph.D, & Elizabeth D. Waiters Ph.D (2006). Music, Substance Use, and Aggression. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 67(3), 373-381 .
It is widely believed that “the Rap industry is dominated by artists' who mostly dedicate their lyrics to either violence, drugs, or sex” (brightkite.com). While some rap songs fit this stereotype, a large amount of songs include emotional narratives that can often explain a situation someone is going through. According to the National Music Bureau, “65% [of listeners of rap] live in run-down homes, or impoverished areas, usually being inner cities” (brightkite.com). In addition, “teens are drawn to the fantasies of wealth, glamour, and sex appeal in rap videos”(Livestrong.com); since the majority of rap fans are living in inner cities, they are able to use rap songs to escape their realities and dream of a better life. This also allows for “rap [to offer] a creative outlet and a way to connect with peers” (Livestrong.com). This only proves that rap is beneficial despite the foul language or inappropriate topics because it allows teens to escape their possibly rough lives and fantasize about a place where life is full of exhilarating events and astonishing amounts of
Many people feel there is a great need for music censorship. People feel that music containing explicit lyrics have a negative impact on the youth. Jim Walsh of the Knight-Ridder wrote and article about how he feels about censorship on music. He insists that most modern day that music teenagers listen to should be banned. Music controls peoples moods, and music with explicit lyrics can cause teenagers to commit violent crimes. Walsh continues to blame music for all the problems that teenagers have, including committing suicide and doing drugs. Most parents agree with Walsh’s ideals towards modern day music. Parents have even gone to the extreme to get parental advisory labels placed on music with explicit lyrics. Children under the age of eighteen are not suppose to be able to purchase music with parental advisory label on them without a adult. I feel that the parental advisory sticker on record is a good idea, because it way for parents to know type of ...
Music, in some cases, can be a reflection of life experiences. Each genre has a different set of emotions and reactions felt by the listener. Rap music’s popularity has grown dramatically over the past decade. However, it has been the center of controversy regarding promoting violence in society. While some of its mainstream content can be rather explicit, rap lyrics altogether do not promote violence. Instead; they endorse positive messages, provide social commentary, and detail everyday life in urban cities.
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.
Have you ever wondered what was making that horrible racket coming from a teen’s car. The odds are that it would be some type of rap song, yet the beat was too loud for you to hear the lyrics. Based off what the mass knows about rap music, you were lucky to not hear the lyrics right, wrong. Rap lyrics have many senses of great poetry and life lessons that should be heard. At least some of rap songs relate to struggles, deaths they have suffered, or even respect of women that many do not believe that rappers would ever do. Rap music is becoming increasingly meaningful for not only adults but for older youth as well to comprehend about respect and an improved understanding of life with struggles and oppressions.
Could they have a dramatic effect on record sales? Some artists appreciate the fact that the labeling system is a voluntary program that has a goal to help families with young children, instead of seeking to censor the artist's work. As a teen consumer, beware! Studies have found that the average teen listens to music on the average of 40 hours per week! To date, no studies have documented a cause-and-effect relationship between sexually or violently explicit lyrics and adverse behavioral effects, but we all know how music can affect our emotions.
People are surrounded by music every day of their lives. They hear it in their homes, on the radio on their way to work; some people have even caught themselves humming the tune of their favorite song to themselves. But how many people actually listen and not just hear the music they are listening to? Teens in particular don’t realize the message behind the music they are quoting the lyrics to, or the effect it has on them. In today’s culture where rap music has become increasingly popular, many teens aren’t realizing what they are listening to. A lot of teens would argue that the music they listen to has no effect on them, but they are wrong. Rap music, especially, has had a major impact on teenagers in today’s society.
Imagine our youth all over the country being exposed to this explicit kind of language. There is no need to imagine, because it is already happening. Ever since the rise of Rap and Hip Hop music, teens have been turning to them to help solve their problems. However these kinds of music can be very destructive to teens. It is not the youth’s fault; it is the content that the music contains. Although Rap and Hip Hop music can be a force for good, they can also have an extremely negative impact on the attitudes and behaviors of our youth.
“As video games have become more violent and more sophisticated and the sales of video games has skyrocketed in the last few decades, youth violence has plummeted,” Ferguson says, citing evidence compiled by various federal agencies (Adams 3). Violence in video games is not a new issue. It has been debated and argued since the release of the first violent video game. As time has progressed, so has the evolution of violence and strong language within video games. Ratings have become more relaxed, and the lines between T (Teen) and M (Mature) rated games has gotten closer together. Violent games are becoming the normal and accepted of all games, and are being demanded by the gaming industry more heavily. Parents have always shied away from these games for their children, regardless of age. However, kids are getting these games whether they are the correct age (17+) or not. Young kids, less than ten years of age are playing horribly violent games and parents are fearing the repercussions. But video games are not to be blamed for child violence. Violence in video games does not cause children to become violent people later on in life.
Starting from the previous couple decades, labels such as ‘Parental Discretion’ and ‘PG Ratings’ have emerged. All of this is an effort to challenge the content that roams free in the media around us. Music is a universal ‘language’ that has spread and mostly effects each and everybody’s life simultaneously. Artists create music for their listeners but it goes through all the censorship regulations implied to ‘protect our society’. Is it really working? I don’t think so. Today, people themselves choose to be offended as artists and performers have worked their way around saying what cannot be said.
To conclude, those offensive lyrics by rappers and rockers shouldn’t be available. These should be banned for good to keep minors from detrimental music. The facts proves these offensive songs have a horrific impact on minors and shouldn’t be heard in music ever