Music Today: Entertainment or Influence to Murder? Essay -- essays res

Music Today: Entertainment or Influence to Murder? Teen violence, murder, suicide; they seem to be becoming more and more rampant everyday. The media, as well as concerned, angry parents, look everywhere to find someone to blame for these tragedies. Their fingers are pointed in the direction of many music entertainers. Artists and performers are being badgered everyday for their lyrics and image they create for their fans. Can music really influence someone to acts of violence? Maybe, to the mentally unstable or uneducated. Is music at fault for these acts of violence? Absolutely not. It cannot be blamed for the crimes of obvious psychotic adolescents. The music business, mainly â€Å"death† metal, has been said to be at fault for major tragedies, for example the Columbine High School Shootings. In fact, one media spokesperson even related the two killers to Marilyn Manson because they were apparently dressed like him. This constant distraction of pointing the blame on someone else just strays our focus on the real causes. Mus ic can directly express the personality of many individuals. The way the dress, the way they talk. Overall it expresses the way a person feels. However, can music be blamed for the actions some of it’s listeners my take? Over the past ten years or so, music has been the scapegoat to many murders, acts of violence, and sexual abuse for many years now. Many cases have now opened with the introduction of Death Metal to music world. Since many murders are now rampant within young children and teenagers, there must be someone to blame for them. One example is in 1995 the Death Metal band Slayer was blamed for encouraging Royce Casery, Joseph Fiorella, and Jacob Delashmutt to torture and kill Elyse Pahler, 15-years-old. The parents of Pahler blame the disgusting lyrics of Slayer to the crime. The three boys, all fans of Slayer and bands of their stature, were all found guilty and are still serving time in jail. The Pahler’s tried suing both the band, and the record companies for making these albums available to young teens. However, the courts threw out all the accusations against Slayer and the record companies, with right cause. The music didn’t kill their daughter, the three boys did and a re now serving their time (Horn, 1). Another case noted, 17-year-old Jay Fieldon Howell was arrested for stabbing a girl in the neck. The girl survived, but ... ...r what he does with it? Or if he’s a teenager, should someone else be blamed because he isn’t as enlightened as an eighteen-year-old (Manson, 4)?† There should be no praise for death in this world, whether it be in war or just cold blooded murder. So is entertainment to blame for all these acts of violence, murder, and sexual abuse? The media commentators should ask themselves this question because their coverage of these events were some of the most gruesome entertainment any of us have ever seen. Works Cited Horn, John. "Heavy Metal: Music to Murder By?" Newsweek 4 Nov. 2000: pp. 46. Manson, Marilyn. "Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?" Rolling Stone 28 May 1999: pp. 1-5. Miller, Alec. "Rockin' in the Free World?" The Washington Post 3 Feb. 2001: pp. A20. Morgan, Fiona. Mother's Who Think. 17 Jan. 2001 www.salon.com/mwt/hot/1998/12/15hot.html. Temple, Johnny. "Noise From the Underground." The Nation 18 Oct. 1999: pp. 17-18, 20. Waxman, Sharon. "Did 'Death Metal' Music Incite Murder?; Lawsuit Against Band, Distributors Could Overcome First Amendment Hurdle." The Washington Post 23 Jan. 2001: pp. E1. (Sources from www.elibrary.com)