The Effect of Music on Teens Today
Things you should know about your kids and or you, and why some music is bad…
The thing I think about music is that it sends out a either good or bad messages that will have a big impact on kids actions and ideas. Unlike times in the past music is creating a gap and separating kids into groups.
Now I know I can tell if a group of people lessen to rap music or not. Just by the way they walk, talk, and dress. And I for one think that rap music is sending out a bad message to everybody.
And most Goth and EMO music gets kids to cut and try to kill themselves. Crime, drugs, suicide, and teen pregnancy are all influenced by music. I’ve seen it time and again.
Now the thing that kids and mostly teens need to keep in mind is that these artists are just trying to make bank on the oh so many problems that teens today have.
Things like lost love and ghetto neighborhoods. Most of the rappers that are famous today grew up in first-class neighborhoods. They just know how to make money. You can’t trust people you don’t know. I’ve gotten robbed by guys who thought they were being just like their favorite rappers.
I myself have done drugs and involved myself in gang activity. And most of my bad ideas came from the music I liked at the time. But when I stopped doing drugs and lessening to rap music I started thinking for myself.
And now I’m a freethinker. I now you want your so called friends to like you and you want to fit in-but when you’re in jail or getting shot at because of the colors you’re wearing, the last thing on your mind will be how much people like you.
And if your friends stop liking you because of the things you do and don’t like… then they’re not your friends. True friends are a hard thing to find in life. But when you find a true friend hanging out with people who you know are not true friends will seen empty to you.
I’m fifteen and I know many things about life. And bad friends have left a scar on me too. When I was ten years old I started smoking cigarettes and weed because my “friends” said it was cool. But it isn’t really.
Remember, when it comes to what is right and what is wrong, you’ll know what to do.
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User Comments
drake
On September 15, 2007 at 5:51 am
I loved your article
Debbra
On September 23, 2007 at 12:45 am
Great article…should help open alot of eyes…will watch for more from you!!!!
JB
On September 25, 2007 at 11:25 am
Reading one of your articles inspired me to read all three of them. I look forward to more from you. You have more “life experience” than I’d want a fifteen year old to have, but you tell it like it is, and that helps others. Thank you.
anonymous
On September 29, 2007 at 5:26 pm
rock music.
me
On October 17, 2007 at 12:43 pm
this is going to help me do my oratory. great information. though some of the stuff i don’t agree with.
Anonymous
On October 28, 2007 at 7:55 pm
mmm ur article says how “emo” nd “goth” music gets kids to cut themselves nd so on… there mayb sum out there who might do it bcos in sum music it says to… but ppl have to understand its not music that does it… most of the tym its how we r labelled nd stereotyped nd so on… nd how we r treated at home nd skool or just walkn down the street… nd if we dress in wt is comfortable 4 us or how we express ourselves we get bashed or teased 4 it or told its wrong…im so ova how ppl pick out the emos nd goths… nd ppl who listen to rap music.. wt about those ppl who listen to country? they dress in country clothing but they dont get nythin said bout it or how they act… I hate how emos nd Goths r looked down to when most of the tym there sum of the best ppl u will no…
maria
On November 21, 2007 at 10:30 am
well it does effect music in alot of differnt ways
Rachelle
On November 21, 2007 at 3:37 pm
I think that some music can send bad message to some people becuz if they are like lonely then one time they listen to a music that really change them: I know how it feel to change the way u are becuz i’ve been in that situation too,when i was just 10 years old i started hanging out with a groups that is popular and thier making me smoke and i said no becuz it’s bad for me so ever since then i look out for a true for me to hangout with that will not make me do bad stuff. i also think that some rap song is bad for some teenagers becuz some song had bad words and all that stuff,maybe that’s where some people get their bad attittude from…..
Jemma
On December 13, 2007 at 11:16 pm
hi, i would just like to say that i have been listening to emo music for a good 10 years or so. Now i am only 17, and i have not tried to kill myself or been involved in “Crime, drugs, suicide, and teen pregnancy.”
i do understand where u are coming from but it is a bit insulting when u say that all teens that listen to this type of music do this stuff.
Chris
On January 7, 2008 at 9:32 am
lessen
Dont judge music scenes if you cant type it out right
Hellion
On January 7, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I agree with Chris, you should not judge music scenes (especially if you cant spell/type)
I am a 15 year old, same as you but i do not think i have enough experience or knowledge to be able to comment on what people wish to listen to.
I myself listen to almost anything, but its mainly rock (this includes emo and goth) I do not wish to cut myself or kill myself or hurt other people. I have many friends who listen to rap and they do not wish to kill people or take drugs.
Also Nick, you seem to contradict yourself. You start off by saying people who listen to this do this and people who listen to that do that, but by the end of your article you say when it comes to right and wrong you know what to do.
On that point you are right, people do what people do and it should not be blamed on their music taste.
I am wishing to write a discursive/argumentative (havent decided) on the topic “can music be blamed for teenagers actions?” I personally dont think it can, because like Nick said your actions are your own.
but from reading articles on the more extreame versions of music ie. Death metal which can be associated satanism and rap (the more exteame versions) which can be associated with gun violence.
but i am still not sure, are teenagers really that stupid, that they will follow lyrics? or are they that smart they can blame some one else and society are fooled? or are these music scenes already shunned so society will quite happily put it down?
anyone wanna answer the questions and give me your views on whither music can be blamed so i can make some sort of start on this essay
Double AA mic V
On February 4, 2008 at 10:46 am
This article is not true. Not all rap is bad and gives a bad impression. i DISAGREE WITH A LOT ABOUT THIS
Tay
On March 28, 2008 at 8:09 am
So many of you are ripping this article and saying how it was a waste of time .. Ya it was so not worth your time that you take the extra couple of minutes to speak your mind about it ? Right haha People have they`re own say on what they think about the influence on teens with music now days .. So stop churppin and listen to the free minded person .. * HeArT YaZz tHoO *
kryz
On April 2, 2008 at 2:56 am
stop mocking with her,she just wrote what she feels and what she wants to..
you guys must hAve your own businesses..
Kyle
On April 8, 2008 at 7:32 am
No offense,
But I do agree with Hellion.
jeen
On April 12, 2008 at 4:50 am
I guess people who has music backgrounds and are used to listening to musics such as heavy metal, rap, R&B, emo,goth etc, are usually not influence by the lyrics or the musics. Those who goes cutting themselves, commit suicide or commit other violence may act out as a result of many factors; financial problems, drug abuse, domestic violence, alcoholics, peer pressure or simply needs someones attention. Music comes into the picture as a finale so that suicide for instance becomes more dramatic and it is such a coincidence that we do hear loads of suicidal music nowadays. so, it depends solely on the individual.
Rose
On April 12, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Your article is very close minded and stereotypic. First off you cannot tell what type of music a person listens to by the way the look; thats profiling.
Rose
On April 12, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Second this is why teens dont listen and dress they way they do, people like you tell them that they are one way and so they act it. for example if you tell a kid that because of the way he/she dresses that he/she is a hoodlum that that kid will become a hoodlum and this is why we have delinquents.
redneck
On April 16, 2008 at 9:38 am
the lady’s right. That stupid crap is a waste of good music anyway COUNTRY IS THE WAY TO GO. YEE HAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FUEGO
On April 17, 2008 at 10:42 am
ok first dont profile people u cant tell what people listen to jus by the way teyact ad dress ive liste rap rock and “goth music and one of these things have affected the way i dressor speak.and for the guy uptop i like county to.second u for you who think that 10 yrs oldisnt enough time too drugs ndbe in a gang your wrong i know gang memebers tht have been in since 8. yes muscican are out make money but most of them did come out of the”ghetto” they’renot al lying to you yes tey did sell drugs yes they do kil people. they’re tellin you they’re life story through their music. teens follow them because they’re growin up in these predecriments
ray
On April 19, 2008 at 9:46 am
I am agree with nick mitchall that rap music is sending very bad massage to everybody, but the most influnce by is the teens because they do not have enough knowledge what is good for them or not
anonamyous
On April 24, 2008 at 11:02 am
i agree with the kids who think that this article was wrong. it is there choice whethere they dress like that or not i am not mad ar anything i just wantted to tell you that. i think that some people dress like they do because they think that thay is the style or something. maybe they talk like that because they have an accent or they just decide to. maybe they walk like that because they want to. like people alwyas say dont judge a book by its cover, look a little more into the pages.i listen to rap music and i play violent video games and i am just fine. it is kind of offensive when you say that all kids are like that.
gdf lkjhgfffd
On April 24, 2008 at 11:04 am
this did help my with my report though thnx
anonomyous
On April 25, 2008 at 1:51 pm
mk
amy
On April 29, 2008 at 6:37 pm
there are some points in what you said that i can agree with but there are also parts that i believe are not true. i grew up listening to hip hop and rap, i thought it was the cool thing to do since i am from an urban neighbor hood, i fallowed the trends, i spoke the slang but that was it, never did i think of joining a gang smoking pot or any of that. now my taste in music has changed, i listen to pop rock, emo, screamo, pretty much anything around those genres. never have i once thought about cutting myself or commiting suicide. i think its the person themselves who chooses to fallow the music and the lyrics. think about it if your happy, you had a good day and you happen to turn on the radio and a song, of your favorite genre is playing and the lyrics are about a plain crasshing or a girlfriend cheating, bullying or someone planning to get revenge, yes the song will bother you a little but your whole mood isnt going to change. Now imagine listening to the song when youve had a bad day everything seemed to b going wrong and you listen to the song, its going to affect your emotions 10 times more.
Danielle
On May 7, 2008 at 12:13 pm
this helped with my research project! and i dont know what side to go on its jut all so shcoking and intersting ll at the same time! i love that rush! but i do have to say that country, and pop are probably the best 2!
Sadie
On May 26, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Your article lacks citations and evidence to support it.
If you listen to lyrics from many emo bands, you’ll hear messages of hope, not cutting propoganda. Or of commiserating with things that most teens experience. It’s empathy. Not sympathy…these musicians have been there, done that.
And rappers that grow up in first-class neighborhoods? Which ones are you referring to? Certainly, those involved in trip-hop, house, trance maybe…but many rappers do have a talent that they harness to do what they do: manipulating words, producing tracks…they take a vernacular mastery and a strong ear.
I really suggest you cite your “sources” for your argument to be taken seriously, not just personal experiences.
prdiary
On June 3, 2008 at 8:46 am
If you can teach a child especially young teens they difference in listening to hip hop and being hip hop then the child will know the difference to the way they act and the slang they decide to talk. So many people look down on hip hop like its deadly or something. Hip Hop can be a time to have fun not all hip talks about the samething listen to Kanye West vs Lil Wayne. But yet Kanye might not rap about the same thing as lil Wayne but they may do a song together because they are one the most talented rappers lil wayne can rap about anything and kanye could rap about education and it will be hot. So don’t judge hip hop if you don’t know who to listen to and what every rapper is about in life and there passed.
stano
On June 6, 2008 at 3:25 am
Thanks for speaking the truth. Music does influence the way young people in general speak, dress, choose who to hang out with, and live their lives. Some music has hidden (subliminal)
messages in them which the sub-concious decodes without us being aware. Whatever goes into our sub-concious affects every facet of our lives including the way we think and react to situations that tend to provoke our emotions. Under such thoughtless situations the person therefore reacts without knowing what he/she is doing. In other words, he/she gets out of control or is translated to an instinct-dependant person or simply put, an animal!
angel in discreet
On July 1, 2008 at 3:29 am
i totally agree with u !!!!
angiel le cielo
On August 12, 2008 at 4:02 pm
i agree wit u.it does influence young people in good and bad ways. as a band player, i think that my lyrics can surely influence good on to people.
Courtney
On September 9, 2008 at 10:51 pm
i respect ur opinion but i listen to emo/goth…. or just rock in general and i don’t cut nor ever been influenced to cut myself just by listening to it!! that is ur opinion and not fact!!! i mean yes on some parts i do agree with you, like on how music plays a great part on influencing young people but don’t state something that is opinion based and make it seem like a fact!!
Colin
On October 1, 2008 at 10:48 am
Thank’s for the article, You helped me out with my English Speech, I myself am only 16 but love this topic. I totally agree music can be responsible for not just teenagers but every age’s actions/mood but to an extent. Like other comments thaty have been posted We do have final decision of our actions but the influences definitly help.
Thanks!
anonymous
On October 17, 2008 at 11:17 am
whoever wrote this act like they know everything. Just because people listen to rap music doesn’t mean they are bad. people listen to rap because they like th way it sounds.
emily
On October 22, 2008 at 7:33 pm
i ttly loved it!!!!it will soooooo help me write my oratory!
On November 13, 2008 at 12:59 pm
music is irrelavent to teen probs. if u cut u cut, if u have sex its usually not cuz usher said to!!! people listen to what they like not becuz their looking for life lessons or advice from the “rap starz” but simply becuz its good, has a good beat, is fun to rock out to, or maybe just goes with their style some how. i TOTLALLY and COMPLETELY disagree with EVERYTHING said in this article and im pretty sure every other teen, kid, or young adult in the world does as well!!!!!! no one knows why people do the things they do so no matter how much you wanna say your right…YOU ARE WRONG!!!! every1s different but their taste in music doesnt determine who they are or what they try/are/wanna be
sry but this is the truth…GET OVER YOURSELF AND GET OVER IT!!!
kevin
On November 14, 2008 at 9:58 am
your articlae sucks your evil prejudice punk
yadayadayada
On November 18, 2008 at 8:34 am
Im writing an essay on this topic and your article, along with all the comments on it, helped a lot. It was not a bad article and I think music definitely has an effect on people. I myself listen to emo music, and It does have an effect on me. That’s why i listen to it, but does that mean it has a bad effect on me, no. Same with rap, it has an effect on people who listen to it. People listen to music they can relate to. People aren’t becoming what the music wants them to be, people are already the way they are before they listen to it. They just perfer to listen to music that they can relate to. No im not cutting myself or wanting to kill myself, but still, not all emo music talks about that. I also know several people who listen to rap and have never done drugs, sold drugs, had sex, or anything of that nature. They just like the music. thank you and bye.
alex tp
On November 18, 2008 at 8:38 am
thats a bunch of u should have did more reasearch on this subject before posting an article and on the net first you said dat music told u to do but then at the end u said u did drugs because of you friend …which one is it…..and what rap was u listin to cause all rap isnt the same grow up and stop being so easily infulences…
c-bass
On December 12, 2008 at 5:10 pm
ok this to me makes no sence i am 16 and i spent more then half my life living in bad neaborhoods and moving around. ive seen one of my best frinds get stabed and killed. my parents got devorced when i was really little too little to remember now i havent seen my dad in 5 years and ive talked to him all of 2 times once just recently on my birthbay and i told him i wanted nuthing to do with him.i listen to everything from rock to rap and from techno to screamo. music has never been annything more to me then sumthing to here and enjoy. in no way has it ever afected the way i act or the people i hangout with. music to me is a passion thats why i soround myself with all kinds of it ive never seen it as an influence.
if you have questions for me “keep in mind im 16″ this is the link to my myspace
http://www.myspace.com/todo666911
anonym
On December 15, 2008 at 10:18 am
I don`t think that this was a very good article because you have prejudice about this way of music… you can`t say that the one thing that happend to you shall happen to everyone who listening to rap music….
Alyssa
On January 4, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Most rappers lived in run down neighborhoods.
Music is a way to express feelings. But parents just finds that blaming music and musicians easier than saying that they are bad parents. For example, there is a song called ‘Cop Killa’. Then Police blame the musician for the crime of killing cops after it was released. But when the job of police is taken they know that they might killed and know that it is a dangerous job. Also most crime is committed by people who have had a bad childhood(child abuse) or have a mental disability.
Most musicians are good people.
Annie
On January 25, 2009 at 3:41 pm
This is ridiculous. First and foremost, you can’t spell. Essays should be taken a little bit more seriously, don’t you think?
You also have absolutely no research supporting what you say, which really doesn’t help. When you simply state an opinion such as “Most goth and emo”—(which isn’t actually a word, just so you know)—“music gets kids to cut and try to kill themselves”, you need evidence to back it up.
Not only that, but the tone of the entire article is presumptuous to the point where it’s laughable. “I’m fifteen and I know many things about life”? Just because you went on a self-destructive rampage (if you really did) doesn’t mean that you know more about life than anyone else.
Oh, and teen pregnancy, drugs, suicide, crime? Do you seriously think music is to blame for these? There are many different things that push teens over the line, but it’s things like a death in the family or child abuse. Not rap songs.
Music is a mood-enhancer. If somebody uses sad music to further depress themselves after breaking up with a boyfriend or fighting with a friend, of course it’ll work. It’s called wallowing in misery. Being sad is a large part of life, which you claim to know so much about. It makes you stronger and helps you value the good times.
One final note: I’m not in awe of your incredible pain or wisdom. If you want to recount your life story, do it in a journal where we don’t end up reading it. I think you need to get over yourself and figure out that people are stronger than you think.
Trevor
On January 27, 2009 at 9:27 pm
all ppeople want is attention
cris
On February 4, 2009 at 12:34 am
this helped my research
Breanna
On February 9, 2009 at 10:20 am
I do believe that music has a great affect on not only teenagers, but adults as well.
I do have to say that you should give the kids more credit then you are. Just because some guy sings or raps about a killing doesn’t mean we’re all going to go and shoot people in our neighborhood- trust me. I do agree that those who are weak enough to fall into those types of thoughts have a weak mental state to begin with.
I guess you could say that in my school I am considered “Goth” or “Emo” and yes, I do listen to screamo music, along with other people and artists who, and I do know this, are not promoting anything good. Not all people who listen to emo music go off and cut themselves and try to commit suicide.
Cutting is a medical illness that can be backed up by the music, but something has to be wrong to begin with to cause self harm. A lot of kids who do cut themselves are just looking for attention. Because they’re not getting it at home or not getting it at all- I don’t know. You would have to find out the underlying problem before- and not blame the music.
Yes, music does have an effect on emotions. Sad music makes you feel sad. An upbeat happy tempo is made to make you feel happy, but what people have to realize is that that’s what it is for. Music is supposed to make you feel things. It’s meant as a form of expression and not as a major influence.
I am sad to think that people out there think like this when a toung artist, such as myself, could take much offense to this article.
himanshu
On February 9, 2009 at 10:10 pm
wow dude ive never seen a bigger idiot in my lfe. if you think that people beieve these stereo types then they must be gay seriously i listen to rap doesnt mean i kill cops and run around shouting blood every where i go. thats the stupid and some of my friends listen to heavy goth music and they dont cut them selves. i might add in that i get straight a’s and know the difference if smoking weed is bad or not….. and your only fifteen yourr a year older tham me
mlondi bhengu
On February 18, 2009 at 8:44 am
i think music has an effect on how teens act in public. especially when it comes to respect. they lesson to the song then they like the beat suddenly they want to learn the rhyme then they want to act like the artist e.g talk like them. then they also watch the music tapes they want to be what they see. when it comes to the community respect is what comes first especially the elders
person
On March 3, 2009 at 8:47 am
quite blaming your mistakes on something or someone else. your probabl all parents with kids who didn’t turn out right, but that’s your own problem. no one elses. i know i didn’t cut becuz of music. i cut to get my dad’s attention when i was younger. but now that i -do- listen to all types of music, i can vent through it and it lets me have fun, so me and my dad get a long 20 times better then before. i agree with annie.. sorry, i think that’s your name. I am also a fifteen year old girl. my mom had me in her teens, 16 to be exact, and it wasn’t do to music. i was a mistake at the time, but she’s doing just fine and has my little brother too now. so even that itself can turn out okay. you are looking at all of the bad things behind music and everything else, but did you ever think about the one’s it helps.
person.rdb.
On March 3, 2009 at 8:53 am
himasham or howeveer you spelt it, i agree with you too. i listen to rap and i’m doing good in school, have a job, and help round the house, and still have a life. i love my life and everything in it. including the music.
i don’t fight like crazy, i don’t walk around shooting people, or any of that. i sure don’t rap anyone, ha, and i’ll never abuse my kids.
music doesn’t have -crap- to do with how people turn out. the people’s environment has to do with how the people turn out.
so to everyone else putting down rap and anyone who listens to it. think about it. we’ll probably be happier then you. we at least have something to help us vent and live, more then you can probably say.
people come in all different ways, including thigs they listen to and style, so don’t judge. this is like being predigest(?) towards anyone who don’t live up to your standards..
that’s not very nice now is it.
jimmy
On March 3, 2009 at 11:37 am
i think that what the kid has to say has some weight but at the same time i do find it insulting. Yes i am one of the many people who falsly judge people based upon what they wear and in turn assume what they listen to. I think if anything is taken from this essay i would say that the kid does recognize pattern but is looking to narrow mindly at the whole thing. Granted the lyrics in most of these types of music are suggestive and allow for an underscoring theme but the choice to listen to this music is thiers. I will end with saying that im a lover of all music but not a lover of all lyrics
Jack Link's Beef Jerkey
On March 5, 2009 at 2:23 pm
you dun nuh shat about nuffin ya junkie.
Michaela
On March 17, 2009 at 12:37 pm
honestly, your article was pretty biased and half of what you said isn’t even true. Real “emo” music doesn’t talk about depressing things (most emos don’t even cut).
No offense, but you don’t know anything about what you just said…You can’t just judge somebody like that.
Kyle
On March 25, 2009 at 2:05 am
Music is just a form of self expression. Songs dont all say ‘you have to do what this song says,’ its just a way for the artists of the music to express themselves. Everybody listens to different genres because they like the music, its not just about the lyrics, but everyone interprets songs in different ways.
MLONDI BHENGU
On March 28, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I THINK I’LL I AGREE WITH KYLE, BUT NOT ALSO FORGETING THAT ARTIST EARNS A LIVING ON THE SONGS THEY RELIESE SO THEY SOMETIMES DO THINGS FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT . SO US TEENS SHOULD ALSO BE AWERE OF THAT BECAUSE THE ELDERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A NEGETIVE THINGS ON THE MUSIC WE LESSON TO
Bre
On April 2, 2009 at 8:45 am
I disagree with this article. Music has nothing to do with the way people act. Some of the things mentioned in the artists songs are for ENTERTAINMENT purposes only!! At the end of the day the artist has to cater to their fans, so they are going to put out songs that their fans want to hear. I believe that as a teen we know what’s right and what’s wrong so teens actions shouldn’t be blamed on the genre of music that we listen to.
Music Fan
On April 2, 2009 at 9:36 am
I highly disagree with this article. I listen to all kinds of music and it never affects what I do or how I behave and act. I listen to it simply for entertainment. I listen to everything from heavy metal to instrumental, and it’s just something that goes in your ears. The singers tend to say what they do so they can get more attention. Not to say “Hey, I sang this, so go out and do it!!” One of my favorite songs is about drugs and sex, but I don’t do either and i’m proud of it. People tend to curse in the songs I listen to. I don’t use any of that language. You have a choice and if you choose to do what the music says that’s your decision but not everyone does. Don’t judge someone you don’t know. You could end up entirely wrong and never know that you are hurting them by what you are saying.
Scared
On April 3, 2009 at 9:22 am
i listen to music…its good. Yea and there are subliminal messages in them that are kool. you should do everything that it tells you to…so emo kids i’m sorry. YOU CAN’T STOP THEM!!! the music industry has brainwashed thousands and you are just another victim!
Annoyed
On April 3, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Ok. So i have listened to “goth” music all my life, 16 years, and uhh…. i have never tried to kill myself. I’d like to point out that the kids who do try to kill themselves have issues at school or at home, and then choose to listen to “goth” or EMO music. I have grown up with the music listening to it with my dad but have had a pretty good life and have had no problems with trying to kill myself or cut myself.
Nicole
On May 1, 2009 at 7:37 pm
music does not tell kids to go and try these things.they do them on their own.and does not listen to what the song tells them to do.and the artist only writes these things because of the experience that they had to face in life.music is just how people let out their emotions. and maybe some people shouldnt be so impresionable and listen to things that sounds stupied or dangerious.i would know im a 14 year old girl.its pretty sad that i know this already and people who are older than me havent figured this out yet
Megan
On June 2, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I agree with some points you make in your article. But I must say that I disagree with your theory that all music has this effect. Also, I must say that I disagree with your theory that kids who listen to certain types of music will do what the music sugests.
I realize that there are enough kids doing things on account of music to make it obvious, but that is a general stereo-type. I know kids who listen to EMO and are the happiest people you can ever meet. They also don’t cut themselves or try to commit suiced. In the same respects, I am a cutter and I listen to classical and contemporary country most of the time. I also know people who listen to miley cyrus and the jonas brothers yet they do drugs and steal, so on and so forth.
Furthermore, most people don’t stick to one genre. Like I stated above, I listen to classical and country. I also listen to rock, screamo, pop, showtunes, etc. Continuing on this point. My best friend, who is the most honest and smartest person you could ever meet, listens to screamo and the Beetles.
I could go on all day but that would be tedious considering the fact that I have already showed you enough evidence that your theory has flaws. I am not saying that you are wrong. I’m just saying that I believe that you wrote your article based on a stereo type and that was created based on a small minority of teens.
Kianna
On June 4, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I fully disagree woth your article. I listen to rock music, and when I say rock, I mean heavy metal, and I am still very clean. I also listen to rap music and im fine.
riz
On July 1, 2009 at 7:42 am
I agree with the article, sure some generalisations were made but the main point that is made i believe IS true.
The music you listen to wether or not you go out and do drugs and smoke does influence you regardless of how small the effect might be.
What the writer is saying when ‘emo’, ‘goth’ and rap music makes people want to do these things im afraid the sad truth is, that some portion of individuals, mainly teens will go out and do the things they hear about in the songs they listen to. and that the so called ‘artists’ who write the songs have usually not experienced whatever it is there singing about and are just making the music for the money.
Caitlin
On July 13, 2009 at 8:56 am
You spelled “listen” wrong. Way to go.
Anonymous
On July 29, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Honestly, I have to disagree with you. People that try to imitate any musical artist are very weak and sad people. I am seventeen years old and a Christian that listens to metal, but I do not question my faith, praise violence or any of that. You’re article is your opinion, but to take the opinion of a guy that started to smoke pot and cigarettes at the age of ten and to then treat you with respect as you say that other teenagers are extremely impressionable is a complete fallacy. But there is one good point of your article, the fact that you were pressured to do stuff by other people shows that music cannot be the one and only thing to influence people. So before you write an article about influences please do us all a favor and think before you write.
Moose
On August 4, 2009 at 11:37 am
I’m not sure who will read this, but music does have effects on people. Music to some people makes them happier, sad, or just doesn’t do anything. I have no evidence to back these statements up other than my own experiences. I mostly listen to Alternative, Punk, and Indie genre music. I have never heard in one of the songs I listen to, that I need to kill myself or someone else. The article is extremely biassed towards blaming the music. I know that music helps my mood, recently I broke up with my girlfriend, instead of wallowing in self pity I went and listened to some upbeat Indie music. I cheered up and stopped caring. So ya music affects people, but their actions are THEIR actions not the artists.
Opinionated
On October 8, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Yes music effects every individual, I’m a firm believer that you can tell a whole story or have an intire conversation in music alone. But to say that music “makes” you do anything whether it be cut yourself, rob someone, or even kill yourself is absolutely ludacris. Every individual has the ablitiy to decern a situation, to say this is morally right or wrong. If you are incapable of listening to a song that sends a “bad” message and decipher that it is just that, than you are a complete idiot. People do with music what they want. They pull from it the message they want.
P.S. Most rappers grown up in terrible living situations which is why their messages are all the same. It’s the only thing they know. They RAP it to MAKE MONEY. It’s completely ignorant to say that they sell bad messages for that.. Most of the time the message is about what they went through and what they are trying to get out of, unless it’s about sex. (which is a whole different post)
Again every individual has a conscience, even when you WANT to do the wrong thing it tells you not to and what you do with it is your free will. So if people are cutting themselves cause they got the idea in a song they need help with themselves it’s not at the fault of the music.
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