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One word - ParentsDec 29 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Music
The Bottom Line If you don't like it then don't listen. Its not up to music to teach people the difference between right and wrong.
Being only fifteen, I understand the effects that music can have on people my age. Teenagers are generally more grouped in this topic than any other age range, so I feel I have to put my point of view across in this subject matter. We are forever seeing in the news about kids taking guns into school and shooting classmates and teachers, or other crimes taking place. How often is it blamed on the musical artists that the offenders listen to? More often than not, it is. "Oh, its because he's a Marylin Manson fan." Not once in his lyrics does Marylin Manson say "Go shoot your classmates" or "Go murder someone," does he? No, he doesn't, so why is it always blamed on musical influence? People always look at the extreme. They have their views of "Good music" and "Bad music." I'm sure a parent would not object to their child listening to Britney Spears or N Sync, would they? At age 13 when I came home with an Eminem CD, my mum was cautious about it. When I came back with a Michael Jackson CD, she was fine about it. Eminem is a prime example of the subject matter here. When he came onto the scene with "My name is," he didn't really create much of a bad impression, but as soon as he released an album into the mainstream, all hell broke loose over his controversial lyrics. The song "97 Bonnie and Clyde" tells the story of the aftermath of Eminem murdering his wife and throwing her into a lake. As a parent or a critic, you would automatically see this as a bad influence, but as a fan, you see it differently. Thats the thing. People assume that everyone will take his lyrics literally. Admittedly some people do, but hey, its probably only about 2% if that. Eminem appeals because he is a rebel, he says what he wants, when he wants, how he wants to who he wants and his fans respect him for it. Parents see him as evil. I recently saw a documentary about Marylin Manson. It told the story of two Italian fans who brutally murdered a nun. It was immediately blamed on Manson because of his controversial, anti-christ lyrics. Do people ever think that these kids may be experiencing serious mental or emotional problems and that is what drives them over the edge? Nobody ever thinks to look to the parents for blame, do they? Eminem says in the song "The Way I am," '...and shoots up his school and they blame it on Marylin and they heroin, where were the parents at?' and in "Who knew" he says "So don't blame me when little Eric jumps off of the terrace, you should have been watching him, apparently you ain't parents.' Its so true. People fail to look at the positive aspects of Eminem and Manson's controversial lyrics. I am a fan of Eminen, Manson, Slipknot and many more. I'm a straight A student who behaves most of the time. I've never committed a crime, I've never intentionally hurt someone else and yet I am categorized with people who commit muder, just because we listen to the same music. Music has different influence on different people. At the end of the day, a musical artist is there to make music and put their message across. How you perceive it is up to you as an individual. Despite the many protests, you will always fail to get controversial artists banned because they make millions for themselves and their record companies. So, do artists have a social responsibility to uphold. No. Not in my opinion. People will listen to what they want. If you don't like what you hear, then don't listen to it. Its as simple as that. Parents - its up to you to teach your children what is right and what its wrong. Its not up to the musical artists they listen to. As long as you instill them with the values you want them to follow and they do so then you cannot fail.  |
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