Violence In The Media

2 Pages 457 Words

Violent Lyrics That Cause Violence



Since the 70’s, music has been accused of being the cause of violent behavior. During the 70’s and 80’s, several heavy metal bands were being blamed for the sudden outbursts of violent behavior among teens. Back then, Ozzy Osbourne was the choice of blame among the media. They were accusing him of having secret messages in his ‘satanic’ lyrics, which hypnotized and manipulated the minds of young listeners everywhere. During the 80’s, punk bands began to take over the music scene. The media then directed the blame towards the new artists. In 1988, rap was invented. The media also changed their views on who to blame. They broadcast several stories on the news, on how new age music was affecting the lives of the next generation. Soon blame was put on the African American rap artists, believing that they were poisoning today’s youth. Rap music was becoming known as a bleak way for someone to express themselves, labeling rap as the newest rebel music. People were beginning to believe stories that rap music lead to substance abuse, crime, rape and killing. Between ‘94 and ’95, punk rock was taken to new levels, when Marilyn Manson created the first industrial rock album. His unique style and originality were not welcome among society. The media started to point fingers at Manson as well. But for some reason, youth were attracted to his image. Today’s media, places blame on Eminem. His brutally honest lyrics were taken as insult to a lot of people. The media argues that the lyrics are to shock and offend people, when they may just be something used to catch a listener’s attention. The media has created a pattern by switching the blame from artist to artist. Its no surprise that when the subject of violent lyrics comes up, teens always have a good argument, no matter which side they’re on.
There is one thing that is the same with all the artists who have been victims of the me...