To what extent does music REALLY effect our youth?
Oct 12 '00
I'm glad that I'm not a parent. There are so many decisions and choices that you must make for your child because they are incapable of making the decisions on their own. For example, you wouldn't let a three year old child play out in the street. This child may not know that playing in the street is dangerous, and therefore you must tell them that it is.
Having said that, I believe that children should have a certain amount of freedom to do and think as they please as long as it isn't doing themselves of anyone else harm. When I do have children, I would like to practice this belief with them. If a three year old little boy wants to play with a Barbie doll, preventing him from doing so cannot be completely justified. This activity is in no way potentially harmfull to the child. Allowing kids to do what they want helps them to develop a sense of self: to know what they like and what they don't like. It helps them to discover who they are, and this should not be hindered.
Kids inevitably grow up. The little boy who played with a Barbie doll at three is now fifteen, and has an extreme interest in music. Can the music that he listens be potentially dangerous? Should you not let him listen to the music, thinking that you are protecting him just like when you didn't let him play out in the street, or should you let him do as he pleases like when he played with the Barbie doll. This is a difficult question to answer.
There are a lot of parents who wont allow their children to listen to certain music artists. The only way that I can see them thinking that it is alright to do this is because they feel as if listening to the music is harmful to the child. The question must be asked -- does music really affect a child to the point of being a danger to him?
If I had kids, I would just ban music from the house if I thought that it would be most beneficial to them. Of course, it's not. Music is such a huge part of pop-culture. It's a part of being human. And I would never deprive any child of that.
This is my stance on the subject from personal experience. Remember that I don't want to try to get parents to encourage their kids to listen to groups like Marilyn Manson or Rob Zombie (popularly banned music from some households). If you don't let your child listen to this music, I'm not even trying to get you to start letting them do so. I just want to give the people out there something to think about when the time comes that they question the music that they hear blaring from their teens stereo that they seem to listen to 24 hours a day.
I'm going to use my little brother, Matt, as an example. Matt is 13 years old. He's in grade 8. He plays bass in the school band, and is an honour student. He has never hurt himself, or anyone else. He's very shy around people he doesn't know, but out-spoken and silly around his family and friends. His favorite band is Black Sabbath. He also likes Marilyn Manson, Nirvana, and Rob Zombie. Matthew has been listening to this music for a while now. My sister and I have been listening to Marilyn Manson for 4 year. Matt hasn't had an interest in music up until now. My parents let him listen to whatever he wants because they know that he is a well-grounded, stable kid. He's not going to do anything harmful or destructive due to lyrics in a song. They know how ridiculous this is.
Matt is a good example, because he is a good kid. He doesn't have any problems, and is having fun being young. There are children, though, you don't have such an easy time. Kids who have problems. Who knows where these problems have originated from -- their parents got divorsed? they have a low self-esteem? It's hard to say. If your child is like this you can usually tell. Some kids are just angry at the world, feel mis-understood or like an outcast. I feel as if these children have the potential flame inside of them to take this emotion and express it in a negative way. Anything can set off that flame, and turn it into a roaring fire. Maybe one day at school someone insulted this child and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Perhaps he/she had got an F on their english paper and it set the flame inside of them off. Anything could do this. I think that music can very well encourage negative emotions that the child is already experiencing. Music will never cause these emotions. I know lots of people who like 'the devil's music' as it's popularly referred to, and they haven't become satanists, they haven't tried to kill themselves, or anyone else. I think that if you put a gun into the hand of the right child, they will kill. It's just like music. It is like music is the feul to fire the flame. In other cases, like Matt's, it's just music: something to listen to, sing along with, to have fun with.
I think with the children who are inclined to feeling negative about themselves, society, other people, whatever, music should be monitored while they are still living at home. If your child is naturally withdrawn, and suddenly starts spending all of his time in his room with the music blaring, you should talk with him. Maybe listen to it with him. Ask him why he likes it. Pay attention to your kids. Don't just take a CD out of a child's hand just because the artist on the cover 'looks like the devil'.
Of course, all of this holds true with any genre of music -- not just heavy metal. If I had a little girl who had a low self-esteem, and became obsessed with Britney Spears, I would have a talk with her. You have to find out what's going on in your child's head if you are concerned that something is wrong.
Another point that I would like to make is that in some instances the age of the child may determine whether or not you decide to take a CD away from them. I wouldn't let a 6 year old child become obsessed with Marilyn Manson because at the age it's unhealthy for a child to be obsessed with anything. Young children should be playing outside or reading, not listening to songs about death and destruction.
And if you feel as if you've raised your children well, if they are stable, confident, happy children, why should you tell them what they should and shouldn't listen to?
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Epinions.com ID:
melanierose
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Member: melanie
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