FREE ESSAY ON YOUTH VIOLENCE AND MUSIC

YOUTH VIOLENCE AND MUSIC

The prevailing opinion in the media is that listening to violent lyrics tends to lead to
violence. This idea permeates nearly all media, news and entertainment. According to the
conservative organization Empower America, the issue at heart is such music leading us on
a "slide toward decivilization" (Bennet and Tucker, 1995). The idea being that by
glorifying subjects like rape, murder, suicide and homophobia [the fear of homosexuals
and their lifestyle], these lyrics erode the judgement and thought capabilities of
adolescents.
In recent history, the popular solution to the problems of our society has been
censorship [the mandated editing or suppression of the music thought to be at fault]. The
Parents Music Resource Center [PMRC], headed by Pamela Howar and including such big
Washington names as Tipper Gore [wife of Democratic Presidential Nominee Al Gore] pushed
for Motion Picture Association of America [MPAA] style ratings of music (Deflem, 1993).
The PMRC's efforts resulted in the widely noticed "Parental Advisory" warnings.
While the adults seem to agree, the youth, adolescents and artists alike, seem to take a
different direction. The dominant point of view among younger audiences is that no one is
responsible for teen violence but those who act out. But there is a second view. We are
all equally guilty for the violent acts of youths (Manson, 1999).
Such violent acts, while increasingly spoken about by news and entertainment media, the
Centers for Disease Control report that violence in adolescents is down (Youth 2000).
Given the perceived impact of violent lyrics, and the immense popularity and friction of
this issue, it is surprising that little or no actual study has been done to back up any
of these claims (Hogan et al, 1996).
The ultimate goal of my research is to determine whether there is a real, causal
connection between violent lyrical content in music and violent feelings in teens.
However, given the monetary and temporal constraints, this ultimate goal will be broken
into several steps. The first step, which is relevant to this class, will ask, "Do
teenagers habits affect their belief on this subject?" The second will ask "Do teenagers
feel that lyrically violent music causes societal violence?" 
This topic deals with two central things: Real world violence, and violence in music
lyrics. 
Music lyrics, as a part of the vast media, are beholden to many of the same situations.
However, if research on media violence [such as violent video games, movies, and music
lyrics] is to be held credible, it must be done properly. There is, however some question
as to whether the research is being done in a scientifically correct manner. David
Gauntlett says that the "effects model" does research the wrong way round. "Media effects
research has quite consistently taken the wrong approach to the mass media, its
audiences, and society in general" (Gauntlett 1999). 
"Video games players, for example, are often discussed as undiscriminating, brainless
suckers by people who do not seem to have attempted to understand the meanings and the
appeal of these games, and whose views are supported (if at all) by inadequate, contrived
and predetermined research. Like the critics of TV and movie violence, they are guilty of
looking at this perceived 'problem' backwards -- by starting with the games and then
trying to make links to actual crimes, rather than by starting with real criminals and
seeing if they seem to have been centrally motivated or affected by video games"
(Gauntlett 1999). 
"The 'backwards' approach involves the mistake of looking at individuals, rather than
society, in relation to the mass media. The narrowly individualistic approach of some
psychologists leads them to argue that, because of their belief that particular
individuals at certain times in specific circumstances may be negatively affected by one
bit of media, the removal of such media from society would be a positive step. This
approach is rather like arguing that the solution to the number of road traffic accidents
in Britain would be to lock away one famously poor driver from Cornwall; that is, a
blinkered approach which tackles a real problem from the wrong end, involves cosmetic
rather than relevant changes, and fails to look in any way at the 'bigger picture'"
(Gauntlett) 1999). So, Gauntlett says, media research is overly biased toward finding a
link between violence on screen and on the street, and the solutions offered by such
research are overly simplistic, also focused on small changes in the media. Media effects
research tends to be fueled by thinly veiled conservatism.
In the United States, it is accepted that while popular music has become more sexually
lurid as well as more lyrically violent, it is still very important to adolescents, due
to their image and emotional needs (North, et al, 2000).
Given the noise in news media about youth violence, a common conclusion is that youth
violence is getting worse. However, the statistics published by the Center for Disease
Control [CDC] show that while homicide is still the #2 cause of death among teens, they
have come down in the second half of the 1990s. For instance, murders committed by young
males reduced by 34% between 1993 and 1997 (Youth, 2000).
So there are four conclusions to be made. First that music is important to adolescents.
Second that music has become more violent in the last five years. Third that teen
violence has gone down in the last five years. And finally, because of the conflict
between the second and third, that adolescents are thoughtful and intelligent consumers
of music.
Bibliography
Bennet, W. and Tucker, D. (1995). Lyrics from the gutter. Empower America. [On-line] Web
site address: http://www.empower.org/html/policy/culture/music/lyrics.htm
Deflem, M. (1997) Rap, rock and censorship: Popular culture and the technologies of
justice. University of Purdue. [On-line] Web site address:
http://www.sla.purdue.edu/people/soc/mdeflem/zzcens97.htm
Gauntlett, D. (1999). The ten things wrong with the effects model. News Media Studies.
[On-line] Web site address: http://www.newmediastudies.com/effects1.htm 
Hogan, M. (1996) Impact of music lyrics and music videos on children and youth. American
Academy of Pediatrics. [On-line] Web site address: http://www.aap.org/policy/01219.html
Manson, M. (1999) Columbine: Whose fault is it? Rolling Stone. [Online] Web site address:
http://www.rollingstone.com/sections/news/text/
newsarticle.asp?afl=&NewsID=8050&LookUpString=54
North, A.C. Hargreaves, D.J. O'Neill, S.A. (2000). The importance of music to
adolescents. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 255-272
Youth. (2000). Youth violence in the United States. [On-line] Web site address:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm