Advice on a paper: School Violence + Violent Music
- Thread starter rmorse
- Start date
Aaaaaaaaaaaand submitted.
Rally, I totally would have done that too, had you posted that last night. Today I just needed to edit/format the paper. Didn't want to add another section, lol.
Rally, I totally would have done that too, had you posted that last night. Today I just needed to edit/format the paper. Didn't want to add another section, lol.
Oh, and a couple of you expressed interest in the paper. Let me know if you really do want to read it...
princess;3092426; said:I'd like to read it
I'll let you read mine on Sigmund Freud's theory.
Sure thing.
I gotta figure out a way to get it to everyone, without copying and pasting...I think that will mess up all the formatting.
Screw it. Copied and pasted. Hopefully the format isn't too bad:
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[FONT="]American culture revolves around violence. Listening to today’s music, watching television and movies, playing the many violent video games, and watching the news all show the high prevalence of violence. Even at a young age, children are exposed to violence through cartoons such as “Tom & Jerry”, where the two main characters are in a constant struggle. This overwhelming amount of violence that children are exposed to on a daily basis is often cited as the reason why “many” of our youth are so violent. However, it is foolish to assume that this exposure is the main reason youth sometimes act out in violence; likewise, it is foolish to assume that many of our youth are violent. Violent programs and music certainly have an effect on our adolescents, but not all of our youth are violent; adolescents that act out in violence represent only a small portion of the population. The problem is not the prevalence of violence that the children are exposed to; rather, it is the way some of the youth internalize and interpret this violence.[/FONT]
[FONT="]On April 20, 1999, Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered the school, carrying multiple weapons and bombs. At approximately 11:19 a.m., the two boys began a massacre that would end with 13 students killed, 23 wounded, and both young men committing suicide. This shooting, one of the deadliest the United States has seen, immediately thrust the country into turmoil, with many people asking why? One reason for the shootings seemed to be Marilyn Manson; immediately after the shooting, people began to point their fingers at the shock rocker, accusing him and his lyrics for influencing the boys, as well as placing partial blame on violent video games. “The boys had obsessively played cartoonishly bloody video games like Doom and Quake, worn the black clothing long favored by hard-rock fans and listened to the operatically gruesome music of Marilyn Manson and the German bands Rammstein and KMFDM” (Powers, 1999). While violence is prevalent in the lyrics of popular heavy metal, rock, and rap songs, this is not the problem; the issue is the adolescent’s inability to decipher between what is entertainment (in the form of music, movies, TV, video games, etc) and what is real life.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“During the last decade, we have seen music lyrics become more and more violent and sexually explicit” (Rense.com, 2004). The last three decades has given rise to such heavy metal bands as “Dying Fetus” (1994), “Cannibal Corpse” (1988), “Bloodbath” (1999), and “Rotting Christ” (1987), to name a few. The band names themselves serve to give a glimpse into the vulgarity of their lyrics. Just as disturbing as the heavy metal bands is the recent rise of rap “artists” glorifying violence, as shown by the names they give themselves and their albums. For example, such rappers as “Ghostface Killa”, “Killa Mike”, “Smif n Wesson”, and “Three 6 Mafia”, albums such as “Get Rich or Die Trying”, “Ready to Die”, “It’s Dark, and Hell is Hot” and even record labels such as “Death Row Records” show that the violent themes are not just limited to heavy metal bands. The lyrics of these artists’ work are full of rhymes glorifying the sexual degradation of women, the thrill of armed robbery and murder, and the easy money that comes from dealing drugs. However, if these violent themes were truly influencing and pushing our youth to the brink of violence, one would expect to see a similar rise in the number of school shootings and other violent events in conjunction with the growing popularity of types of music artists. In contrast, the exact opposite is observed; the number of homicides occurring on school grounds, the amount of schoolchildren bringing weapons to school, and the number of children who reported being afraid of an attack on school grounds have all been steadily declining since the early 1990’s (Cornell, 2006). [/FONT]
[FONT="]Interestingly, the supposed front man of violent metal, Marilyn Manson, is not what the media portrays him to be. Blamed for the Columbine shootings and other acts of school violence, Manson is stereotypically viewed as the epitome of violent teenage music. However, examining his lyrics tell a different story; they are not the violent-filled cesspool of hate that media claims, in fact, quite the opposite. One such example is the song “Get Your Gunn”. After Columbine, several news articles attacking Manson immediately latched onto this song, without understanding the meaning behind the lyrics. The song is about the murder of Dr. David Gunn, by pro-life activist Michael Frederick Griffin. On March 10, 1993, Dr. David Gunn was exiting his car at the abortion clinic where he worked, in front of a group of Pro-Life protestors. Walking away from the protestors, he was shot three times in the back by Griffin. Griffin then proceeded to call an ambulance and “quietly surrendered to police” (Booth, 1993). Manson’s song “Get Your Gunn” addresses the hypocrisy of using violence and murder to protest violence and murder. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Another interesting aspect of Marilyn Manson is his use of cover songs. In fact, with his 2004 release entitled “Lest We Forget: The Best of Marilyn Manson”, there were three cover songs. In a CD filled with Manson’s self-proclaimed best songs, three of the songs were not even written by him. It is ironic that some of the lyrics of the man who was blamed for Columbine are the same lyrics that were being sung 25 years prior.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Violent themes are not just limited to music. Today’s television, movies, and video games all incorporate some sort of violence, and it is an unrealistic view of violence at best. Media often fails to portray the negative externalities and repercussions that come from such actions, such as the emotional distress one might experience after committing such an act, or the legal difficulties that would ensue. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rates movies, and places the films under five different categories, depending on the amount of sex, drug use, and/or violence depicted in the film. These five categories are G (General Audiences), PG (Parental Guidance Suggested), PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned), R (Restricted, Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian), and NC-17 (No One 17 And Under Admitted) (mpaa.org). Likewise, television shows are also rated using the same guidelines. When examining the rating system on the MPAA website, “G” rated films contain “nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture” (mpaa.org). However, even the shows and movies that have received the rating “G” still teach violent motives to children, even suggesting that these motives are fair and without repercussions. “There’s probably not one of us who hasn’t sat in front of the television set watching the Coyote get hammered, the Three Stooges and their antics, or the Ninja Turtles with their high kicks and Karate punches, only to watch them walk away unhurt, and their adversaries walking away to fight another day” (Last, 2001). Even more interesting is the idea that some of the shows and movies that received the “G” rating are teaching children and adolescents that the violence is a necessary reaction to the problem at hand. For instance, in the Disney film “The Lion King”, the main character is thrown out of his kingdom by his uncle, but yet returns to defeat him at a later date. Throughout the film, the main character is seen using his wit, as well as violence, to solve various obstacles placed in front of him. “The film repeatedly presents violence as an acceptable solution to most, if not *all* conflicts, even the most minor of disagreements, and some parents may not want such a lesson to be taught to their children” (imdb.com).[/FONT]
[FONT="] As one can infer, it is not just the violence in today’s music that is reaching children. In fact, violence surrounds us at every stage in our life, just in different forms. So why then, if everyone is exposed to this violence on a daily basis, is only a select few acting out? It is not just a small portion of the television, music, and movies that have such violent depictions, these violent actions can be seen all across the spectrum of shows, from comedies, to dramas, to cartoons, etc. Also, all of these shows tell the same story about violence: It is ok to be violent; it is necessary to be violent. “Statistically speaking, 47% of the violent acts on television do not harm the victim, 86% of the violent acts have no negative repercussions, no one dies, no one goes to jail, and no one’s life is ruined. And 73% of the time the “bad guy” goes unpunished” (Last, 2001). [/FONT]
[FONT="] A recent phenomenon, Music Television (MTV), blends both music and television, and as such, adolescents are no longer limiting their music to their ears. MTV allows adolescents to not only listen to the music, but also watch it. Launched in the 1980’s, MTV changed the way “music” was defined. Adolescents now saw how their favorite artists dressed and acted, and began to emulate them. Stores such as “Hot Topic” (1996) began popping up, specializing in band t-shirts, stickers, patches, etc. Adolescents no longer showed their support for music through what CDs they owned; music could be something that defined them, in every aspect of their lives. The children now associate an image with their music.[/FONT]
[FONT="] Unfortunately, MTV also created a false image. Bands such as “Immortal”, “GWAR”, “Judas Priest”, “Insane Clown Posse”, etc. began to adopt an on-camera persona of what they wanted their fans to see. Rappers “Insane Clown Posse” wore heavy clown makeup, heavy metal band “GWAR” dressed up as sci-fi/horror creatures, and British heavy metal band “Judas Priest” wore skintight leather adorned with metal studs during all of their live shows and videos. However, interviews and photos of them not performing show the artists dressed in “normal” clothes. I.e., plain t-shirt, plain pants, and no make-up or excessive metal studs. What the artists express both in their lyrics and on camera is not reality; rather, it is simply entertainment. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The entertainers themselves are well aware of the difference between what is portrayed in the movies or in lyrics, and what reality is. Examining the New York based death metal band “Cannibal Corpse”, we see a band that has made a living off of being as vile as one can get. All of Cannibal Corpse’s albums were illegal to purchase in Australia due to the offensive content. In addition, in Germany, the band was forbidden to play any song off of their first three albums in concert, nor sell those albums. With albums such as “Butchered at Birth”, “Tomb of the Mutilated”, “Bloodthirst”, “Gore Obsessed”, and “Kill”, to name a few, Cannibal Corpse depicted extremely gruesome and detailed killings in almost every song produced. They even inform the listener how to dispose of the body, in songs such as “Disposal of the Body”. “If you don’t cut open the stomach, the corpse will rise and float. The victim is discovered dead, rotting organs float” (Disposal of the Body Lyrics). Yet not one of the members has been arrested for murder. Their lyrics, album art, and shirts do not portray what they believe is reality. In fact, when questioned about the band’s lyrics, Alex Webster, the band’s bassist, responded “I think people probably aren’t that desensitized to it, you know including myself, like you know, we sing about all this stuff and you watch a movie where you know it’s not real and it’s no big deal, but if you really saw someone get their brains bashed in right in front of you, I mean you’d react to it, no matter how many movies you’ve watched or how much gore metal you’ve listened to…” (Wilschick, 2007). Cannibal Corpse is not alone in this aspect. The majority of rappers and heavy metal musicians have not been charged with homicide, rape, or any other variation of the violence that they write about. Granted, a select few have been arrested for these crimes, but, like the school shooters, it is an extremely small representation of the population. [/FONT]
[FONT="]There is no denying the effect that violent lyrics have on adolescents. In fact, according to a study performed by the American Psychological Association (APA), songs with violent lyrics increase aggressive thoughts and emotions, and this increased aggression is directly related to the lyrics being of a violent nature. Using 5 experiments with 500 college students, researchers played seven songs with violent lyrics by seven different bands, as well as eight songs without violent lyrics. The students were instructed to listen to the songs, and were given various psychological tasks to complete. An example of one of the tasks was to fill in the blank to complete words such as h_t. The students that were listening to the violent songs tended to complete the word with violent words, such as “hit” instead of “hot” or “hat”. (Anderson, 2003)[/FONT]
[FONT="] While violent lyrics may increase aggressive thoughts or feelings in listeners, a normally developed adolescent should be able to suppress these feelings and not act out in a violent manner, as well as decipher between the fantasy depicted by the music, and what is reality. If this was not the case, we would see millions more acts of violence as the millions of fans act out on these aggressive tendencies. Indeed, several studies have examined children’s ability to decipher what is real and what is fictitious.[/FONT]
[FONT="] One such study has identified two portions of our brain that deciphers reality from fiction. These two sections are the anterior medial prefrontal and posterior cingulated cortices (amPFC and PCC). “Based on this finding, scientists have hypothesized that our brains may distinguish between reality and fantasy because real things tend to have a higher degree of personal relevance than fictional things do” (Zyga, 2009). In an experiment performed by several German universities, 19 volunteers viewed the names of familiar/real people (Family members, celebrities, etc.) and the names of fantasy people (Cinderella, Easter Bunny, etc.). When viewing the familiar names, the volunteers showed an increase in the amPFC and PCC. This study shows that a normal brain can decipher between what is fictional, and what is reality. (Zyga, 2009)[/FONT]
[FONT="] In another study performed at the University of Virginia, researchers have discovered that this ability is present in children by the time they reach the age of 4 (Woolley, 2006). This study suggests that healthy, mentally-developed adolescents should have a strong sense of what is real and what is fictitious by the time they are enrolled in the first grade. Conversely, an adolescent who is truly influenced by the music to the point of committing an act of school violence must not have a firm grasp on the difference between entertainment and reality.[/FONT]
[FONT="] In today’s society, we are constantly immersed in violence, across all forms of media. This constant barrage of violent reasoning rubs off on adolescents, as shown in some of the studies performed on the effects of violent lyrics. However, while this violence may increase aggression, it is not a cause for school violence. School violence stems from the inability, among some adolescents, to decipher between what is entertainment and what is appropriate for real life. Instead of attacking artists such as Marilyn Manson or Rammstein, activists should be placing effort into methods that have been proven to reduce school violence. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Anderson, Craig. "Violent Music Lyrics Increase Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings." American Psychological Association. 6 May 2009 <http://www.apa.org/releases/violentsongs.html>.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Booth, William. "Doctor Killed During Abortion Protest." Washington Post 11 Mar. 1993, sec. A: 01.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Cornell, Dewey G.. School Violence: Fears Versus Facts (Landmark Essays). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Last, Louise. "School Violence in AllPsych Journal." Psychology Classroom at AllPsych Online. 6 May 2009 <http://allpsych.com/journal/schoolviolence.html>.[/FONT]
[FONT="]"Motion Picture Association of America." Motion Picture Association of America. 5 May 2009 <http://mpaa.org>.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Powers, Ann. "The Nation; The Stresses of Youth, The Strains of Its Music." The New York Times 25 Apr. 1999, sec. 4: 18.[/FONT]
[FONT="]"The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). 5 May 2009 <http://www.imdb.com>.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Webster, Alex. Interview with Aaron Wilschick. Pure Grain Audio, New York: 2 Feb. 2009.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Woolley, Jacqueline. "Young children learn to tell fact from fiction." PhysOrg.com | Science News | Technology | Physics | Nanotechnology | Space Science | Earth Science | Medicine. 6 May 2009 <http://www.physorg.com/news84473786.html>.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Zyga, Lisa. "What is 'Real'? How Our Brain Differentiates Between Reality and Fantasy." PhysOrg.com | Science News | Technology | Physics | Nanotechnology | Space Science | Earth Science | Medicine. 6 May 2009 <http://www.physorg.com/news157029052.html>.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Beyond the Violence:[/FONT]
[FONT="]Examining the Link Between Violent Media and School Violence[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Bobby Morse[/FONT]
[FONT="]EDSP499
Music, reality, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference[/FONT]
Music, reality, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference[/FONT]
[FONT="]But we as entertainers have a responsibility to these kids.[/FONT]
[FONT="]--Bizarre[/FONT]
[FONT="]If your child is more influenced by our music than by Mommy & Daddy, both you and your offspring have much bigger problems than our lyrics.[/FONT]
[FONT="]--Jimmy Urine[/FONT]
[FONT="]Introduction[/FONT]
[FONT="]Music[/FONT]
[FONT="]“During the last decade, we have seen music lyrics become more and more violent and sexually explicit” (Rense.com, 2004). The last three decades has given rise to such heavy metal bands as “Dying Fetus” (1994), “Cannibal Corpse” (1988), “Bloodbath” (1999), and “Rotting Christ” (1987), to name a few. The band names themselves serve to give a glimpse into the vulgarity of their lyrics. Just as disturbing as the heavy metal bands is the recent rise of rap “artists” glorifying violence, as shown by the names they give themselves and their albums. For example, such rappers as “Ghostface Killa”, “Killa Mike”, “Smif n Wesson”, and “Three 6 Mafia”, albums such as “Get Rich or Die Trying”, “Ready to Die”, “It’s Dark, and Hell is Hot” and even record labels such as “Death Row Records” show that the violent themes are not just limited to heavy metal bands. The lyrics of these artists’ work are full of rhymes glorifying the sexual degradation of women, the thrill of armed robbery and murder, and the easy money that comes from dealing drugs. However, if these violent themes were truly influencing and pushing our youth to the brink of violence, one would expect to see a similar rise in the number of school shootings and other violent events in conjunction with the growing popularity of types of music artists. In contrast, the exact opposite is observed; the number of homicides occurring on school grounds, the amount of schoolchildren bringing weapons to school, and the number of children who reported being afraid of an attack on school grounds have all been steadily declining since the early 1990’s (Cornell, 2006). [/FONT]
[FONT="]Interestingly, the supposed front man of violent metal, Marilyn Manson, is not what the media portrays him to be. Blamed for the Columbine shootings and other acts of school violence, Manson is stereotypically viewed as the epitome of violent teenage music. However, examining his lyrics tell a different story; they are not the violent-filled cesspool of hate that media claims, in fact, quite the opposite. One such example is the song “Get Your Gunn”. After Columbine, several news articles attacking Manson immediately latched onto this song, without understanding the meaning behind the lyrics. The song is about the murder of Dr. David Gunn, by pro-life activist Michael Frederick Griffin. On March 10, 1993, Dr. David Gunn was exiting his car at the abortion clinic where he worked, in front of a group of Pro-Life protestors. Walking away from the protestors, he was shot three times in the back by Griffin. Griffin then proceeded to call an ambulance and “quietly surrendered to police” (Booth, 1993). Manson’s song “Get Your Gunn” addresses the hypocrisy of using violence and murder to protest violence and murder. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Another interesting aspect of Marilyn Manson is his use of cover songs. In fact, with his 2004 release entitled “Lest We Forget: The Best of Marilyn Manson”, there were three cover songs. In a CD filled with Manson’s self-proclaimed best songs, three of the songs were not even written by him. It is ironic that some of the lyrics of the man who was blamed for Columbine are the same lyrics that were being sung 25 years prior.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Television and Movies[/FONT]
[FONT="] As one can infer, it is not just the violence in today’s music that is reaching children. In fact, violence surrounds us at every stage in our life, just in different forms. So why then, if everyone is exposed to this violence on a daily basis, is only a select few acting out? It is not just a small portion of the television, music, and movies that have such violent depictions, these violent actions can be seen all across the spectrum of shows, from comedies, to dramas, to cartoons, etc. Also, all of these shows tell the same story about violence: It is ok to be violent; it is necessary to be violent. “Statistically speaking, 47% of the violent acts on television do not harm the victim, 86% of the violent acts have no negative repercussions, no one dies, no one goes to jail, and no one’s life is ruined. And 73% of the time the “bad guy” goes unpunished” (Last, 2001). [/FONT]
[FONT="]MTV[/FONT]
[FONT="] Unfortunately, MTV also created a false image. Bands such as “Immortal”, “GWAR”, “Judas Priest”, “Insane Clown Posse”, etc. began to adopt an on-camera persona of what they wanted their fans to see. Rappers “Insane Clown Posse” wore heavy clown makeup, heavy metal band “GWAR” dressed up as sci-fi/horror creatures, and British heavy metal band “Judas Priest” wore skintight leather adorned with metal studs during all of their live shows and videos. However, interviews and photos of them not performing show the artists dressed in “normal” clothes. I.e., plain t-shirt, plain pants, and no make-up or excessive metal studs. What the artists express both in their lyrics and on camera is not reality; rather, it is simply entertainment. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Entertainers’ View On Media Violence[/FONT]
[FONT="]Effect of Violent Lyrics[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Deciphering Between Entertainment and Reality[/FONT]
[FONT="] One such study has identified two portions of our brain that deciphers reality from fiction. These two sections are the anterior medial prefrontal and posterior cingulated cortices (amPFC and PCC). “Based on this finding, scientists have hypothesized that our brains may distinguish between reality and fantasy because real things tend to have a higher degree of personal relevance than fictional things do” (Zyga, 2009). In an experiment performed by several German universities, 19 volunteers viewed the names of familiar/real people (Family members, celebrities, etc.) and the names of fantasy people (Cinderella, Easter Bunny, etc.). When viewing the familiar names, the volunteers showed an increase in the amPFC and PCC. This study shows that a normal brain can decipher between what is fictional, and what is reality. (Zyga, 2009)[/FONT]
[FONT="] In another study performed at the University of Virginia, researchers have discovered that this ability is present in children by the time they reach the age of 4 (Woolley, 2006). This study suggests that healthy, mentally-developed adolescents should have a strong sense of what is real and what is fictitious by the time they are enrolled in the first grade. Conversely, an adolescent who is truly influenced by the music to the point of committing an act of school violence must not have a firm grasp on the difference between entertainment and reality.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Conclusion[/FONT]
[FONT="]References[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Booth, William. "Doctor Killed During Abortion Protest." Washington Post 11 Mar. 1993, sec. A: 01.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Cornell, Dewey G.. School Violence: Fears Versus Facts (Landmark Essays). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Last, Louise. "School Violence in AllPsych Journal." Psychology Classroom at AllPsych Online. 6 May 2009 <http://allpsych.com/journal/schoolviolence.html>.[/FONT]
[FONT="]"Motion Picture Association of America." Motion Picture Association of America. 5 May 2009 <http://mpaa.org>.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Powers, Ann. "The Nation; The Stresses of Youth, The Strains of Its Music." The New York Times 25 Apr. 1999, sec. 4: 18.[/FONT]
[FONT="]"The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). 5 May 2009 <http://www.imdb.com>.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Webster, Alex. Interview with Aaron Wilschick. Pure Grain Audio, New York: 2 Feb. 2009.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Woolley, Jacqueline. "Young children learn to tell fact from fiction." PhysOrg.com | Science News | Technology | Physics | Nanotechnology | Space Science | Earth Science | Medicine. 6 May 2009 <http://www.physorg.com/news84473786.html>.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Zyga, Lisa. "What is 'Real'? How Our Brain Differentiates Between Reality and Fantasy." PhysOrg.com | Science News | Technology | Physics | Nanotechnology | Space Science | Earth Science | Medicine. 6 May 2009 <http://www.physorg.com/news157029052.html>.[/FONT]
DEATH METAL!!!! Lieberman cant stop me!Nice essay! Really well thought out, i'm impressed.
You could actually link my essay to your's from a child psychology point of view - the social learning theory that behaviour is observed in many ways inc the media and modelling.
You could actually link my essay to your's from a child psychology point of view - the social learning theory that behaviour is observed in many ways inc the media and modelling.
princess;3094818; said:
Interesting....Are you still working on your essay, or are you done?
And thanks for the kind words...Yea, it's not terrible for a night-before essay, lol.
