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Contact details provided Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2005 17:43:02 -0000 I am 14 years old and I am entering a debate on whether to ban violent lyrics in songs, I am fighting against this. I listen to songs which contain explicit lyrics, as I am a fairly big punk rock fan. I believe that our actions reflect the music we listen to, not the music we listen to reflecting our actions. I am not a violent person, yet I still enjoy listening to other people’s experiences that they have written about in their songs. It helps also when you can relate to a song, so you know that someone else has gone through what you have. Bibi's Reply: Please let me know in which country you live. People like to consider the national influences in relation to your opinion, as each country differs tremendously in history, social attitudes, priorities and types of crime.
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From : Kevin
Blake Sent : 16 October 2004 13:44:12 Subject : Music Hello I am an 18 year old from Switzerland. I am doing a project on the influence that music can have on a teenager. It is a very difficult subject because nothing is proved. I still have found some hypothesis that I find might be right. So here is a part of my work (sorry for the english) Violent music (lyrics) can cause violence but never on it's own it is a huge amount of factors that make someone do a violent act. If a teenager feels rejected, hatred, no love in his family etc... and then goes to a concert where the band in their lyrics express the exact same hate he is feeling inside, their music will act like a catalyst to his envy to be violent. What we must not forget is that every person reacts differently to the same type of music and that a lot of people don't express their violent feelings through violence. Teenagers don't only listen to a certain type of music because they like it but also to be part of a certain social group. In my country teenagers who listen to rap hate the ones who listen to rock just because the ones who listen to rock are usually better integrated people in society. The ones who listen to hardcore techno often describe themselves as the true Swiss, so they hate the rappers(who are often 1st generation foreigners) who hate them in return. In this case music doesn't voluntarily want to be separate, but is used by teenagers to distinguish themselves and to create their proper identity. To distinguish themselves, each group of fans (be it punk, metal, hardcore techno, hip-hop) have their dressing code influenced by the media. For example it will be very hard for a rapper to become friends with a rocker because of his clothes. This way of thinking usually stops at the beginning of adulthood. The need of a teenager to distinguish himself from the others is finished because he has been able to create his own identity. I find that having a website like this is very important for debating on music and violence. If anyone knows of other websites or has some advice for my work please tell me! Thanks Bibi's Comment: Thank you for your valid input. Good luck with your project. |
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From : kimberley
taylor Sent : 18 November 2004 09:41:16 To : musicalenglishlessons@hotmail.com i dont agree with the fact that teenage violence is because of there music the music they listen to ha nothing to do ith how violent they are they could listen to pop and still be violent i listen to death metl and im not violent .........much ...hehe kimberley, australia Bibi's comment: No corrections have been made to this letter, so it can be seen in the right context.. All comments are welcome, whether serious or tongue in cheek. |
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From
: Stephen Miller <whiteballer1084@hotmail.com> Sent : 22 April 2004 23:40:02 Subject : Interview Questions If you have any knowledge at all on the topics, your input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again! -Steve Miller 1)
Do you think the rating system on CD's is effective? Bibi's Comment: Your questions are valid and well-worded. Unfortunately, my experience is minimal in respect of violent music. (My article was about music & violent images.) Therefore, in order to help you obtain the answers, your questions have been printed here. |
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: mahnoomin <mahnoomin@new.rr.com> Sent : 06 April 2004 16:46:52 Subject : violence and music Thank you so much for your web site. I am in the process of doing a research report for school on the negative affects of the media on children. Your site inspired me. Yes, you are right on track. As an Elder in the Native American Tradition, I do volunteer work with troubled children at a group home. Their stories break my heart. The state steps in and they are placed on 3 or more medications, for anxiety, depression and anti-social behavior. These are children from 10-16 years of age. Many of them come in with their rap music, heavy metal and all kinds of former gang member activities and attitudes. We sit them down at the big drum, take this other music away and teach them respect. The respect is in the ancient teachings about the drum, the grandfathers and grandmothers' teachings. We see these children start to open up. They tell their stories. They start to heal. It’s sad to see they are only given to us for 4-6 years, then are sent back all drugged and numbed, expected to be the parents to the parents who created their state of being. America is such a lie. We do not have freedom and rights; they have been taken from us by big corporate greed. Sex, violence, drugs, they are the things that sell, they run our economy, no president will stand up to the comedy of errors coming out of our television, through magazines, and music. I lived in Lake Geneva Wisconsin for four years and knew about the man who created Dungeons and Dragons. His own son committed suicide by attacking policemen with knives; they had to shoot the poor young man. A neighbor told me there are really strange satanic things going on in that home; kids come running out of there, in fear of their lives, wanting to get to the nearest route or road away from that home. There was an investigation and all is hushed up. It has never been a secret in that area, the man is into heavy black occult practice. He uses it to scare anyone he feels threatened by. Yet look at his revenues, look at Madonna, Marilyn Manson and others; are these the role models, morals and lack of respect we want for the children? Not me, in the Native Tradition my role as a woman, mother, grandmother etc. is to first protect them, teach, and give them a good moral structure to live their life, or to do what we call walking the Red Road by. One of the old Native Nation teachings are “ You can not defeat a Nation until the hearts of its mothers lie bleeding on the ground”. We are at that stage in the Americas. How many mothers need to lose their children to violence, drugs, sexual disease, before we all wake up. Where are our rights, to teach our values, to demand respect at all times, as elders and teachers. They have been taken away by government greed for what sells. It’s time for all women of all Nations to stand up and be heard. We need to save the children from this dangerous, destructive path our media is pushing on all of us world wide. Women have always been the strength of all Nations, even when done in silence. What we do in this generation affects the next seven generations. I look at the young girls showing ¾ of their bodies to go to school and know they are not there to learn. Where is the respect for themselves, it’s been changed by wrong role models, music, games, magazines. We have World Leaders who lie; they don’t go to jail, simply because of wealth and power. Young men, have shame these days, they look to false role models they can’t possibly be: the terminator, and the likes of anti-social morals. Why and how can a 14 year old child buy a CD sold as a regular item, containing words about perverted sex in the attic, live a normal life with normal values? I value your teaching it is good and strong and you are on the good red road of life. However we need to do more as women, collectively world wide to stop this dangerous assault on the children. Why does MTV exist? What is this teaching the young? It is time to take our rights back. I am all for freedom of expression as long as that freedom does not harm others. Here in the States everyone has freedom of expression, the Ku Klux Klan, the Nazi party, Skin heads and makers of violent media. Where do these rights end? At the destruction of our children? Bibi's Comment: I am sure your crusade will find support among many worried parents. All views on this subject are welcome. NOTE: Punctuation has been changed and one explicit description slightly altered. |
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From : <HarenM309@aol.com> Bibi's Comment: I welcome your
opinion about violence and music. A
surprising number of visitors come to the website to research this subject
they will be pleased to read your comments. Monica's feedback on the
first article 'The Perfect Teaching Medium' can be found on www.musicalenglishlessons.org/feedback-ESL.htm
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From: BARRON O.M Subject: Computer games and violence Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 17:33:51 -0000 I'm studying psychology at Swansea uni. My project's looking at music and emotion; as I was researching for it, I came across your computer games and violence article. I agree with you to some extent, that computer games can influence you. For example, I was playing a particularly addictive game the other day - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The idea is to run around a city, beating up and killing people, and generally causing mayhem. What makes this game particularly worrying is that it's all done to songs you've heard in everyday life. The game is set in the '80s. Every time you jump in a vehicle, the radio comes on. You can then flick between about a dozen radio stations that play real songs from the '80s. You do this whilst doing drive-by shootings, running people over, street racing and the like. You'll be pleased to know that you can choose to not have the radio on at all! Because it's all done to music you know already, that you hear in everyday life, I find this game blurs the lines of reality. I found myself looking at a car the other day, thinking, "that's nice, I'll have that", then realised what I was thinking..! But that's where it stops - because I realised what had happened. I don't think the game programmes people to be killers. Even though the soundtrack's real, I can differentiate between fantasy and reality. But then again, people with problems such as schizophrenia, where reality and fantasy become intertwined, may be at risk. I don't really know why I'm sending you this email. I suppose it's because you asked for comments, and it's something I find quite interesting..?! Good luck with everything, and I think your language teaching with music is a really good idea. Ollie Barron Bibi's Reply: Thank you for adding your comments. From the comments which I have had, you are the first to read my article from the angle which I intended. I did not know about the game you mention, so I am particularly grateful to you for mentioning it, as it is provides a useful example. As regards teaching with music, fortunately there is always a positive side to everything and another of my articles www.musicalenglishlessons.org/art-perfect.htm uses a similar argument in order to extol the benefits of teaching with music. Good luck with your studies. Psychology is a fascinating and endless subject. |
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From: "jessica" <jessica@midtel.net Bibi's Reply: Thank you for writing and it is nice to hear your interesting views. You have misread both articles as they are not as negative as you have interpreted them; however, your interpretation reveals how differently readers can view the same piece of writing. In answer to your question about poems being a cause for violence, I have never seen a poem which might have such a negative influence. I would therefore say that it is very unlikely, but not impossible; people are diverse and influenced by different things. It would be interesting to hear the views of a psychologist. |
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I too, have had a life long love affair with music and
music is almost entirely what I concern myself with apart from the day to
day necessities. I teach music and have taught music, music
theory and history for over twenty years. I have experienced changes
in popular culture and styles of music from, I think, a different
perspective. May I say that what I see happening in the past 10 or 15 years is quite frightening. Popular music has become, in fact, no longer the provenance of the individual artist but producers and accountants. Popular music today (with some notable exceptions) is created to be consumed, not appreciated. It has become a product. But more than that, to maximize sales music must celebrate what was once anti-social and deviant behavior. This is attractive to the young who are going through a period of rebelliousness as part of their maturing process. Unfortunately, the music does not reflect the joy of that rebellion as did the rock and roll era of the 50's and 60's. It propagates anger, misogyny, violence and worst of all ignorance. Among young blacks it derides all attempts at convention and the desire to improve one's life (see Bob Herbert, NY Times July 9) and so that education is scorned. These are no small matters. Furthermore, there is extensive research showing real psycho-physiological effects on the human brain wrought by repeated viewing of images of violence and listening to music with violent content. This is no accident. Big corporations know that the best way to control a population is through its art. How do they know this? From experience, for one. It has been practiced for hundreds of years in many countries that have been controlled by dictatorships. In ALL cultures and throughout time, music has been seen as a powerful catalyst in the formation of the ethics and character of both the individual and of society itself. Confucius himself wrote that, "in order to determine whether a society is well governed, all one need to do is to examine its music." Not is army, or its economy or its educational system but its music! Plato, perhaps the greatest thinker known to western civilization wrote extensively about the power of music upon society. He wrote, "Let me write the songs of a nation, and I will care not who makes its laws." These are but two examples of a philosophy that permeates all of mankind's cultures. All with the exception of our own. The arts no longer serve to hold society together, its myths to inform upon reality, reconciling all to the mysteries of the Universe. No, we see music as form of "entertainment" hence, we do not take its import seriously. And this is our downfall. Teen violence, alcoholism, depression and suicide are at an all-time high. Is this simply because of the music young people listen to? That would be a simplistic deduction, however, studies show that this music can powerfully alter states of minds otherwise not so inclined. Indeed, recent tragic events (Columbine, for one) have their origins in the music that the perpetrators listened to. Before it's too late, if it is not already, society needs to address the heinous state of music education in the country and restore it to its former high stature. Children on their way to a violin lesson rarely mug anyone. Joseph Ciolino, Assistant Professor, Arts and Humanities, NYU, The New School University, U.S. Bibi's Reply: I am grateful to you for writing. Your concerns are extremely valid. Children from well-balanced environments might be at less risk, but even they are not immune from negative influences. Many less-fortunate youngsters will just be swept along with the tide |
| Myself, being a teenager, i know what these articles are talking about. Parents these days, with the exception of mine, need to realize that the music doesn't encourage teen violence , it is about teen violence. For example, the band P.O. D and the song Youth of the Nation. Just putting in my input! Katie, California |
One of my students is doing a research paper on how violence in music affects teenagers. He found your site, and the article: Teen Violence and Music: the Real Connection by Marcus Strife, written in 2001. In his article, Marcus references Kathleen O'Toole's article in Rock & Roll article: does it influence teens' behavior. My student would like to see that original article by O'Toole, but we have been unable to even locate the magazine, Rock & Roll, if indeed it is a magazine rather than some other publication. Do you have any information about Kathleen O'Toole that we could use? Her email or place of work or study? The article you posted on your site SEEMS to have good information, but we cannot verify it or document it, and Strife did not cite his sources in a way that we can locate the original document. Since reliability, validity, and authority are keys to evaluating web sites, we hope you can help us.Thank you very much Teen Violence and Music: The Real Connection by Marcus Strife Lynn Lowell, District Librarian, M.S.A.D. #67, Mattanawcook Academy, Lincoln, Maine 04457 207-794-6711 Bibi's Reply: Marcus, your article has been extremely popular. if you read this, please contact me as I have mislaid your email address. |
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Hi, my name is Adam
Struzynski, and I am doing a resource paper on negative music lyrics
and i was hoping to get your input on this information. If you could
take time and answer my questions, that would be great. Bibi says: I have published two articles on this website which should answer these questions: 2. If vulgarity was taken out of music that has
it, would the songs have a significant impact without them? Bibi says: That would depend on the lyrics.
Look at the lyrics and remove the profanities and any vulgar idea and see
if what is left makes sense. Probably not in the majority of cases,
because you have removed the bulk of the lyrics. 3. What would you do to control the amount of vulgarity that is contained in songs? Bibi says: The days of censorship have gone. Therefore, open examination of these lyrics in schools (their purpose and impact) would expose them for their emptiness. 4. Do you think the gov't is doing its part to prevent explicit music from being sold to consumers under the age of 18? why or why not? Bibi says: Society used to help the parent in a
number of ways, but the 'Human Rights Act' has changed people's attitudes
and everything is seen as interference. Television has an important
part to play, but is busy trying to increase ratings in a very competitive
market, so has abandoned its responsibilities. 5. Do you listen to music that contains explicit
lyrics? why or why not? Bibi says: Not by choice, but often
accidentally, when listening to the radio. I listen for a while to
try and determine how the lyrics are being used and how they are changing,
then I switch off because they are so limited. The beauty of English
is that it is such a rich language, it can be entertaining, colourful,
suggestive - whatever you want it to be, without the need for profanities.
The use of profanities is a limited language for limited people;
nevertheless, I understand rebellious teenagers need an aggressive focus
until they have found themselves and this type of music provides it. |
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I
am the president of a non-profit music association called CAMEO
(Canadian Association for Musical Empowerment and Opportunity). We don't
allow music that we consider degrading and demoralizing to be played at
our events. If
the violent messages being preached by today's musical
"artists" have no effect, why were 53 women in New York's
Central Park sexually assaulted by gangs of thugs who were singing a
popular rap song and imitating the action in the video for that song? If
it's only words and music and they have no effect on people's behaviour,
why do advertisers spend millions on slogans and jingles to influence
your buying behaviour---- because it has no effect? Get
a grip. Words and music are powerful. They always have been and history
proves it. Stop defending the right of greedy entertainers and media
moguls to exploit the weaknesses of human nature and saturate us
with messages glorifying violence and mayhem. The
American Psychological Association says "the scientific debate
is over". Countless studies have proven a direct correlation
between violent entertainment and actual violence. Any person with
common sense can see it without such studies but there are none so
blind as those who will not see. Wake
up and smell the coffee and quit being an apologist for the cynical, the
brutal, and the degraded so-called "artists" who are playing
their part in the corruption of our entire society while they laugh all
the way to the bank. Sincerely, Ron Hughes, Canada. President of CAMEO (Canadian Association for Musical Empowerment and Opportunity) www.cameocanada.com Bibi's
Comment: Thank
you for your valid comments regarding violence in music. I will add it
to http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/art-violcomments.htm It will add a new dimension to this page and I am sure it
will provoke interesting comment. We have a high proportion of
visitors seeking information about violence and music. I
am unsure which pages you have seen on my website, but http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/art-perfect.htm extols
the benefits of music as a teaching medium http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/art-violence.htm warns of the brainwashing and detrimental influences when music is teamed with violent images http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/contributors/marcusstrife.htm
contains an essay which dismisses the link between violence and music. |
| As a teen musician writing a paper on the affects of music. I couldn't help but be fascinated with the article by Marcus Strife I to agree with him on the basis that every person interperates music differently, I myself sitting with my guitar writing a song on how my emotions strike me at the moment. For some the moment a song comes on that has slow or depressing tempo or mood can strike that "aloneness" in life and magnify it to a greater degree leaving the person that much more dettached and aware of their own sadness. I see music as a mood enhancer if you are happy then you get happier and if you are sad you get "sadder". With this thought i let music be what it is and those parents who say that its the musics fault are just trying to put the blame on something else for their own neglect of their own child BUENO2891@aol.com |
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I am doing a research project for my English argumentative essay. your site has been very helpful to me!! thank you!! I was wondering is there actual proof of increased hate crimes ( deaths to homosexual people, ethnic murders, murders based on sex, rape, child abuse etc.). Thank you for your time Received: 18.3.02 from FLIP4GYMNASTICS@aol.com BIBI'S COMMENT: Thank you for taking the trouble to write and inform me know that my website has been useful in your project. I will print your letter and maybe someone will contact you with the information you require. Good luck with your essay. |
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As a musician and a teen I must object. Music does not inspire violent tendencies; people do... The people who commit these crimes are treated badly both in and out of school; they feel victimized by "popular society". I've seen it myself; these people are treated like dirt. When they come home they escape to a world where they are in charge; they fantasize about getting revenge. Ma'am, I write music to help relieve my stress (ie: if my girlfriend breaks up with me I write a song); my lyrics sometimes can have a slightly dark message (ie: "my faith is broken, there's nothing left to salvage"), but they do not elicit any emotion in my listeners other than pity or understanding. I guess what I'm trying to say is that my music is my life. I respect your right to say what you think is right, but I ask that you think of people it affects. Without music, we have nothing to direct our "volcano of rage" at.. Respectfully yours Marcus Strife (16), Indiana BIBI'S COMMENT: I am sorry my article made you angry, but I would like to explain that I am not against music. In fact, I love and appreciate listening to every type of music from classical to folk to techno to heavy metal, etc. For this reason, I create worksheets so teachers can use Beatles' songs or folk songs to teach English to non-native speakers, because music is such a good teaching medium. I wrote an article about the benefits of music before I wrote the one about violence and computer games. My article was written to reflect my worries that when kids play violent computer games over and over, they are brainwashing themselves and, if the games are accompanied by music, then the brainwashing is much worse and can reinforce the negative messages every time they hear that music, whether they are playing the games or not. This article was inspired by my son spending hours on the same computer games with the music going repetitively. For someone just listening and not playing the game, the repetition is unbearable, but for the player, the music has meaning because (in a violent game) it is associated with killing. When I mentioned music stirring emotions, I was not talking about the lyrics, although people sometimes relate to lyrics; I was talking about the melody itself. Music is very powerful and affects the brain and emotions tremendously. It can even reach mentally handicapped people who cannot respond to anything else. Furthermore, even when people become brain-damaged (eg: with a stroke) they still respond to music which was important to them. Like everything, there are always advantages and disadvantages. The article you read, referred to some of the disadvantages, but I also wrote a very positive article saying how beneficial music is. http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/art-perfect.htm Hello
again, ma'am, BIBI'S COMMENT: The shootings are happening, because guns are readily available in America, In England, there are many angry teenagers, but they do not have guns. The worse they can do is fight with fists, knives or baseball bats; it is impossible to hurt a lot of people in a short time with just those weapons. Send your comments (Please include your name & country) |
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Hi,
I am an avid gamer. I like to play all types of games, everything from
adventure to extremely violent "shoot' um up" games such as
duke nukem and quake, but I'm a normal teenager. I have no violent
intentions nor do I want to kill people.I just find it odd that people
like to blame computer games for what other people do. like in columbine
the 2 shooters did in fact play violent games, but in an article I read
they were already taking pills or something for a mental condition, the
article mentioned that the game did not get them to commit the act, they
acted on their own behalf. well I wrote you this because I love to play
games, I spend a lot of time involved in the gaming community. I would
be what you would call a Veteran of the gaming world because I have
played them since I could afford them. right now I am currently very
active with all the games the Blizzard entertainment has published which
can be found at www.blizzard.com. they make wonderful games. And I see
no need for them to stop. I suggest that parents should have a
"group play" time which the parents play the games that their
children do to understand what their child is seeing. I have tried to
explain to my parents what I'm doing and they often watch and comment on
what they see. I'm sure they do not understand what is happening but they
can tell by my emotions that it is a safe game. I will admit that
I am high aware of the surroundings that I play in, if that makes any
sense. Well actually, I'll tell you this: games for me are a way out of
life, I can put myself somewhere else for a few hours at a time with no
worries, and no cares. I have built a tolerance for violence, i.e. I'm a
hunter and I have no problem killing an animal. But that is something
different. in the house that I am being raised in is very strict when it
comes to control of guns and I have learned at an early age of what guns
can do. Well, everything I have talked to you about was from the letter and the response you Marcus Strife had talked about, I might be way off and if I am I'm very sorry, so if you have any questions or comments please write me back. I just thought I would throw my 2 cents in on what I know a lot about. So thank you for your time if you should read this Kyle Cover, 16, PA BIBI'S COMMENT: I
accept that there are many teenagers (you included) who are not aggressive
towards others after playing violent computer games; it is lucky for
society that this is the case. Nevertheless, there are many who are
influenced and cause harm to others. A "group play"
time involving parents is an excellent suggestion and one which could
reasonably be adopted (or is already being operated) by many parents of
well-adjusted teenagers. Unfortunately, not every parent is willing
or able to adequately supervise and monitor their children's use of
computer games. |
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Can you contribute an article, or essay, or comment, on the subject of music, violence and cruelty? Send it to Bibi. If I consider it to be suitable for this website, I will publish it |
Hi! I sing like everyday and everyone says i got a shot to go
somewhere with it, i quit singin for awhile b/c of a serious car
wreck and now im getting back into it but i want my own songs, can
you help in anyway? I know what i want, and i will do anything to
get there. i sing just about anything, my main thing is pop
or punk. most of my singing is inspired by my ex boyfriend, who is
now my best friend, he pushes me to keep singing.i would appreciate
you posting this request, it would be great, maybe somebody could
help me out. thanx.
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