Is Today's Music Negatively Affecting the Youth?

[The Black Whirlwind]

lack of respect, rebellion against the establishment.....

you know, i consider those qualities.

i saw this video a few days ago by the Pusycat Dolls with Jay Z or something. Mostly, it was a bunch of women dancing around in revealing outfits and and giving some dudes lapdances. Whats the problem?

"you want a girlfriend that's hot like me? You want a girlfriend that raw like me?" were some of the lyrics

 

[Crystallas]

No, not negatively affecting the youth. Does music become part of their enviroment? Yes. Does their enviroment affect them? Yes.
Music will allways be a factor to how someone turns out. But I think its less the music that creates the "negative" responce then the industries demands. Your talking about generations of people that were able to get into fist fights and never see a law suit. Before people would get into fights and get their asses kicked. Now what happens? It exists by all means, but not like it did before, and people just didnt care before. Kids dont get stuffed into lockers like they used to, they dont take lunch money, and they dont paint grafitti allover the walls like they used to ect ect ect... Its just a diffrent type of violent and "negative" expression. Something that will exist until the end of time. Each generation will show diffrent trends, and until music has reached its most radical of "negative" trends, each generation will find its own way to be unique.
I say bring it on. All anyone will ever do is speculate, and if you completely take away artistic freedom and only allow certain things to be said and done, then people will rebel.

 

[michel]

hi fromtheheart

Rap and Hip Hop are a type of music and thus self-expressions. I think they're absolutely okay for adults, but for children, most are unfit for them. There are some rap and hip hop songs out there that does not contain vulgar language or any of the things mentioned previously, but rather are just about love and hardship in general. Those I think are okay for anyone to listen to, but the rest contains at least one or more of the things mentioned before.

I was really into rap and hip hop until about a year or two ago (i'm 17). That is until I started hearing rap songs on the most meaningless things ever. This and the fact that my cousin moved around me and started looking up to me made me stop. I wanted to set good examples for him because he's had a rough life. I have to admit though, there are some that pumps me up like Eminme's "Till I Collapse." When I feel like I can't do something, hearing this song helps a lot (the song is about not giving up).

I think both you and fromthe heart answered Sunstone's last question. I am surprized to see that people have similar views to mine - I thought I would probably be labeled as a 'Gumpy has been'

Andy (my oldest) write songs; of course I have to show that I think they're 'great' as music, but he does tend to dwell on the macabre, and his own rebellious views on society as a whole. It's difficult being a parent sometimes, trying to encourage, with positive criticism............

 

[Mister Emu]

you know, i consider those qualities.

You call yourself a jedi? :tsk:

I don't know, some people can't take it. Some people listen, and get it in their heads', while some recognize it for the entertainment that it is. As with everything, detrementality(is this a word) depends on the individual.

 

[Unedited]

Futurama has all the answers:

Leela: Kids don't turn rotten just from watching TV.
Fry: Yeah. Give a little credit to our public schools.

Bender: And so I ask you this one question: Have you ever tried simply turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?

 

[Neo-Logic]

I think people said the same things about comics years ago. Calling kids to be violent and vigilantes. See, I love soul music and Jazz. Much of it talks about passion and making love. This does not mean I am going out to have sex because of this.

The music I was refering to were much of the Rap and Hip Hop songs out there. Trust me, if you listened to most of them, they're not at all like Jazz or soul music. It's a different beast.

saw this video a few days ago by the Pusycat Dolls with Jay Z or something. Mostly, it was a bunch of women dancing around in revealing outfits and and giving some dudes lapdances. Whats the problem?

The problem is that these types of music videos are played on television channels where anyone, including kids, free access to them.

Futurama has all the answers:

Leela: Kids don't turn rotten just from watching TV.
Fry: Yeah. Give a little credit to our public schools.

Bender: And so I ask you this one question: Have you ever tried simply turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?

:biglaugh: Funny. The problem is though, it's not just the lude music videos that are played on television channels, but the radio as well.

No, not negatively affecting the youth. Does music become part of their enviroment? Yes. Does their enviroment affect them? Yes.
Music will allways be a factor to how someone turns out.

If music is such an important factor in our lives, and kids which this topic is about, isn't exposing them to a lot of the bad rap and hip hop songs that are out there a no-no?

 

[Ori]

The shroud of inaudibility has fallen, begun the music wars have

 

[LongGe123]

While it may be true that these songs do contain some pretty coarse language, and I concede that as a pointless un necessary feature of some modern music, it's also true that not all modern music is at all like this. You make it sound like these are the only people out there on the air.

As for negative influence, well...didn't songs from the 70s and 80s contain some pretty radical ideas? Didn't the Beatles, who many young people idolised, write their songs while high on god know's what? Weren't songs by some bands about anarchy, sticking it to the establishment and disrespecting authority? Does everyone act like that now? Do you see all kids these days taking drugs, and actually copying the sexual stuff that comes up in these songs?

NO, of course not! Kids aren't stupid, in fact they're cleverer than ever these days. So they wear the clothes and walk around like idiots, so what? They're kids! It's nothing more than a fad, which will undoubtedly be replaced with something else before long. I don't deny that some kids take things way too far, and can end up hurting not just their own lives but the lives of others, but that doesn't warrant it being applied to all kids. If it was anything more than a fad, then it would always have been around. Can you think of anything (apart from war and corrupt leadership/government) that has lasted as long as human history? NO, because everything's always changing.

In addition, how likely do you think it is that most kids are going to have the grapes to do anything in reality that these songs blare out? Most of them only act in a different way to look cool. They'll change to something else as fast as they changed to being like that.

You want to know what I think is a lot worse for today's youth? The fact that governments are willing to nearly bankrupt a nation making war on others, the fact that nations' leaders LIE to their people and send soldiers to die in far off lands for no reason. How about governments that think cruise missiles are more important than flood aid? That's something to be concerned about, that's something we have to protect today's youth from. That's something that will do them REAL harm.

 

[LongGe123]

One other thing actually - If we're so concerned about how these kind of things, like music and television, will negatively affect out children, then why don't we just try to educate them about it? Aren't people just trying to find something else to blame, even if they haven't tried to throw some reason into the court first? Perhaps we underestimate the intelligence of young people, perhaps we have lost faith in them.

BAD BAD. If you're a parent, then you're the person the child copies the most, no matter how much you think the music is affecting them, you're affecting them more. You can teach them more (and more profound things) which they will inevitably see as more valuable than what any song has to offer them.

 

[Hal_Jordan]

[qs="[url="member.php?u=2700"]Orichalcum[/url]"]Yes and no. You have to remember that the majority of mainstream music is awful.
However, there is a lot of good underground stuff if you got time and money.[/qs]

Preach on, brother...

 

[Hal_Jordan]

While I beat the drum of 70's and 80's music as the best in my opinion, there were many groups that spoke out against the power these bands weilded over the children to corrupt them. Everything from lyrical content and the horrible lie that was back masking, music then was supposed to turn us into devil worshipping, drug abusing, murdering God haters.

But it didn't; all that it did was remind why adults were so closed minded and ignorant. Ozzy bit into a bat one night onstage (allegedly thinking it was rubber) and was bitten as a result, incurring rabies. From that ONE occurance, he was villified by the leaders of the day, and people that didn't know any better were told that he did it every concert, and that it was some sort of Satanic rite (they used the terms Satanist and devil worshipper interchangably).
Now, did the emergency rooms start filling with kids with rabies after trying bite into various living things?
NO.

Elvis, The Beatles, The Sex Pistols, Ozzy, Marilyn Manson.....they all were accused at one time of corrupting the youth, and maybe a few disenfranchised people took things a little too far; but the artists cannot be blamed. Although I do think that as an artist, you have a responsibility to not just do anything just to make a buck....
If a person is troubled enough to gang bang, shoot at a cop, bite the head off a bat, kill their parents, etc, then ANYTHING could have pushed them over the edge.
What music was Hitler listening to?
What about Jim Jones? Pol Pot?

I echo LongGe123 sentiments; educate your kids, tell them that just as Arnold is not really the Terminator, the lyrics are most likely an exagerration of the artists lives.
It doesn't mean that they should be emulated or revered.

 

[Scarlett Wampus]

What kids takes from music reflects their feelings and the environment they live in. I don't think there's too much to worry about. If anything the thing that bugs me is the pressure modern kids are under to look good and be cool. The people on these videos are impossibly glamorous.

 

[Hal_Jordan]

What kids takes from music reflects their feelings and the environment they live in. I don't think there's too much to worry about. If anything the thing that bugs me is the pressure modern kids are under to look good and be cool. The people on these videos are impossibly glamorous.

Yeah, I agree. These celebrities did not until recently, divulge their 'secrets', and people that may have had a low self esteem were led to think even less of themselves.
These people have personal trainers, dieticians, makeup and hair people, fashion consultants; most everyone goes to school or work for at least 8 hours a day then they turn on the tv and somehow are made to feel that they need to look like these glamorous caracitures of real people.

If they learned to develop the inside, it would express itself on the outside; confidence is very sexy and appealing.

 

[Aqualung]

I'm jumping late to give my views - Yes!! Today's music, with it's strong emphasis on beat and low melody is making kids hyperactive. No creativity in the music they listen to is fueling (though definitely not causing) today's rise in "ADHD"

 

[Bangbang]

I guess we could compare music to literature. Both can be very dangerous.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I'll never understand why some people act like violent entertainment is new. Some classic authors back in the 1800's and early 1900's, such as Poe and Lovecraft had some violence orientated stories. Even back in the Elizabethan era, Shakespear plays had much violence and sexually orientated dialogue, but I have yet to hear of parents complaining about thier kids reading Shakespear. I strongly believe a childs behavior can be molded by thier parents. If a parent doesnt care at all, then they might start being violent and disrespectful.

 

[Bishka]

Do you think there is a relationship between this kind of music and violence in children?

I believe in certain situatios, yes, some music can be realted to violence in children. I'm actually more considered about the sexual lyrics. Music like this is encouraging younger children to be sexually open and promiscuous(spelling?). There are 8 year olds singing this song, do you want an 8 year old girl to act like that?I don't think so. Anyways. That's my soapbox.

 

[Abram]

This question has been asked since the begining of music. Music is always changing and growing. Elvis was hated by parents, the Beatles worshiped Satan, so did AC/DC. Now it's the same thing, old people getting older and a generation of new young people moving in. They dress wrong, they watch bad TV, they play to many violent video games. So what? A child is developed by their parents and the love and discipline that is projected from them. I grew up on Too Short, NWA, Nightmare on Elm Street, Platoon, and every war video game out there. Hey look I made it! People are looking to blame something else and won't take responsibility for them self's. Grow up, get over it and move on. Leave music alone and let it be an art that people can use to express whatever they want. Anger, happiness, confusion, love, hate, rebellion, all emotions we have all felt and had to deal with.

Don't blame music, blame the parents!

 

[Aqualung]

This question has been asked since the begining of music. Music is always changing and growing. Elvis was hated by parents, the Beatles worshiped Satan, so did AC/DC. Now it's the same thing, old people getting older and a generation of new young people moving in. They dress wrong, they watch bad TV, they play to many violent video games. So what? A child is developed by their parents and the love and discipline that is projected from them. I grew up on Too Short, NWA, Nightmare on Elm Street, Platoon, and every war video game out there. Hey look I made it! People are looking to blame something else and won't take responsibility for them self's. Grow up, get over it and move on. Leave music alone and let it be an art that people can use to express whatever they want. Anger, happiness, confusion, love, hate, rebellion, all emotions we have all felt and had to deal with.

Don't blame music, blame the parents!

Sure, all that music talked about anger, etc., but at least it had melody. Today's music (pop music) doesn't have that. Children are being raised on beat, not melody. Melody can influence creativity; beat just makes you want to get up and dance (hence techno has very little melody). Yes, it's a problem that parents are raising their kids in front of televisions and the like, so they can't burn that extra energy, but it wouldn't be nearly as bad if the kids were listening to melody instead of beat.

 

[Abram]

Sure, all that music talked about anger, etc., but at least it had melody. Today's music (pop music) doesn't have that. Children are being raised on beat, not melody. Melody can influence creativity; beat just makes you want to get up and dance (hence techno has very little melody). Yes, it's a problem that parents are raising their kids in front of televisions and the like, so they can't burn that extra energy, but it wouldn't be nearly as bad if the kids were listening to melody instead of beat.

I don't know if you and I have the same understanding for melody? or beat?

But I think I might be miss understanding you anyway? It sounds as if you are saying that this pop generation is going bad because they aren't getting their dose of melody? or that beat makes you bad?