Many people today blame any bad action done by a teen on one of two things. That is what this paper will talk about. Is music really the problem? Or is that just an excuse. Music does play a huge role in their everyday lives, but what is to blame here? Many people blame music for the destruction and desensitizing of our youths, but it really comes down to the parenting. (R&R Does it influence teens Behavior, 2).
Here are some Facts about Music and the Music Media.
- The typical American child watches 28 hours of TV a week and by the age of 18 will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. (Children's Defense, 1).
- Teenagers spend between 4-5 hours a day listening to music and watching music videos, and they name listening to music as their preferred non-school activity. (Children's Defense, 1) .
- Music Videos average 1 or more violent scenes a minute. That is more than cinema and TV. (Children's Defense, 1).
- 30% of teens know their lyrics to their favorite songs. (Impact of Music lyrics, 1).
Music has a very powerful influence on our emotions, moods and sometimes behavior. Historically, it has been used for such varied purposes as courage before battles, singing babies to sleep, enhancing the courtship process and accompanying rites of passage through life. In some cultures music has been said to influence governments to attempt to control or ban it. (Power of Music, 1) As you can see music has been apart of our everyday lives for centuries. Ever since the terrible tragedy of Littleton, CO many people around the country have been concerned about what music is doing to our society. Pop music is what people take their blame out on. Pop music really means Top-40, Heavy Metal, R&B, Rap, Goth and industrial. (CDs Don't kill People, 1) One thing people need to realize is that the lyrics aren't everything. Most people don't even know the lyrics. (Impact of Music lyrics, 1) Durham psychologist Stephanie Amaker said that music can influence a person's state of mind independently from the lyrics.
