Music Cannot Be Blamed for Crime and Violence Since the beginning of time, music has been the heart and soul for
people all over the world, creating stress-relieving bliss that only
music can provide. For every emotion felt, there is a song expressing
it whether it is sombreness or anger. Violence and Crime is often
blamed on the artists' ability to communicate their souls. I'm here to
inform and persuade you that music cannot be blamed for crime and
violence.
The lyrics of a song can be interpreted in many different ways
depending upon the individual. These interpretations are often very
different to the intentions of the artist and can spark untrue
accusations to the artist, who can be blamed for the "secret messages"
in the lyrics.
Throughout history music has been blamed for crime and violence. In
the 1950's the relationship between African Americans and white
Americans, was very limited. African American music such as Blues Jazz
and Rap was often blamed for the crimes that African Americans
committed on white people. Obviously this was mainly a cause of racism
but still controversy surrounded the issue. White Americans believed
that the African American music was associated with the devil.
In the 1960's the Beatles were blamed for the Charles Manson massacre
because one of their songs was playing while the murders occurred. The
Beatles were a much-loved pop sensation by all teenagers in that
generation which...
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...retching her death out longer so that they wouldn't
lose the thought of her. Even though the 3 boys were caught and
prosecuted, they needed something else to blame so they wouldn't have
felt guilty about the clothes she was wearing, or the time of night
they let her out. These factors of the situation are always left out
discouraging people to believe that maybe it was the criminal's fault.
Music will continue to exist, and so will murders. Should we really
try to deter musicians? If we want music to be with us, to make us
happy, to be present when we are married and when we die, we will have
to remember that they are making music for the love of it and to make
people happy. They are not trying to kill people or send out
pessimistic signs to people with mental conditions. Violence and crime
cannot be blamed on music.
Music and Murder as a title for this documentary is very peculiar in that it hints that the two themes go together, many would see such a title as a paradox and that if rehabilitation was the only issue Music after Murder would be a more suitable title, however the emotional maturing through music is important in the documentary. Music recorded by the prisoners is played throughout the documentary, this attempts to give the viewer insight into the emotions felt by the musicians. The music is described by one of the prisons music teachers as “coming from the heart”, because we have not discovered the crimes that the prisoners have committed the music attempts to draw on feelings of sympathy from the viewer for the men. Much of the documentary is left to periods of the men’s music; these periods are an expression of emotion by which the notion of humanity and a second chance is put forward.
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...
“Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything.” – Plato
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.
Music with violent lyrics can increase aggression-related thoughts and emotions which can lead directly to violence. According to Craig A. Anderson, PH.D at Iowa State University, “Aggressive thoughts can influence perceptions of ongoing social interactions, coloring them with an aggressive tint.” Violent music negatively affects children by exposing them to things like Satanism, drugs, suicide, and sexual violence. Music depicting any type of violence to others causes and sustains the cycle of violence in youth.
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?
In the past couple of decades, music has been in trouble. It has been said to be the cause of deaths, suicides, unwanted sexual behavior, and other forms of indecency. It has taken blame for everything no one wants to be responsible for.
In the modern world today crime is at an all time high. Gangs are now
“Overall, increased acceptance of crime and violence appears to be linked with viewing violent or sexist rap videos rather than listening to rap music on its own (Johnson et al., 1995).” (Listening to Rap Music Does Not Make Teens Violent, paragraph 3) This points make the agreement with resource #2 Violence Rap Make Listener More Accepting Violence, they both indicated that music video which appears about violence and sexism would cause the bigger impact than lyrics. Another study compared the rap music and heavy metal music, and they found out that “Interestingly, university students who prefer heavy metal actually hold more hostile attitudes toward women, whereas their rap-loving peers tended to be more distrustful of the opposite sex (Rubin et al., 2001).” (Listening to Rap Music Does Not Make Teens Violent, paragraph 10) The research shows that rap music would cause less effect than heavy metal, and it won’t be a huge impact to cause violence crime. Therefore, it is not absolutely correct to say rap music and lyrics would make teens
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.
established to serve a dual purpose: the desire to create music and the need for
If one were to look back into the world’s history, one would find that an important and consistent element is the world of music. Music has presented itself in various forms throughout its spread and through our identification of its magical realm, people have been fortunate enough to come across a means of relation. Whether it is blues and reggae or rap and pop rock, there is music out there for everyone. Music can serve as a stabilizer for some, a relaxant to others, and to many a form of inspiration.
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?
Music plays a huge role in the structure of a society. It can have both negative and positive influence on cultures and communities. First, musical sounds and instruments can be a dividing factor between the people within the same culture. These opposing social and economic identities within these cultures can lead unnecessary animosity between the members. However, music can also be one of the forces that unite members of a culture and provide a sense pride for everyone. This makes it easier for people to display their identification to that culture.
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...