Music responsible for violence?

Argos wrote:

Jestor wrote: Inspired by Proteus' selection, Pastor Mark's sermon, and the Day of reflection....

As we think about the past, don't become attached, move forward, just gotta "Let it Go"....

Think about the future, but don't obsess.... Pay attention to now, because it shapes your future.....

And finally, no matter our differences.... We are all "Homies"....

Remember, becareful if you "Run with the Hatchet".,

I find ICP to be very offensive. Not entirely because of their songs but also because 5 of their fanatical, so-called creativity loving "Juggalos" ganged up on a family friend and beat him down with keys in their fist, simply because they could. They had no reason, no provocation, he didn't even know them. Not to mention in places like Denver, they are basically a gang. The name ICP just makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.

That thread is not the place for a discussion, so I brought it here....

I'm sorry for your friend, truly....

The music didn't hurt your friend, but you feel its responsible, in part....

As the recent gun debate has shown, for me anyway, guns don't kill people, spoons don't make people fat, and music doesn't make people fight....

Its already inside them...

Not everyone who listened to Ozzie bit the heads off bats...

Video games don't make kids violent...

Not everyone who listens to the Grateful Dead or John Lennon become peace loving hippies....

This music exists....

And we often seek that which best expresses our internal feelings....

I listen to disco too.. Bee Gees, Survivor, ABBA....

I find, though, that our outside choices of music do reflect our inner feelings.

For example, you still support the music in spite of it being created by people who promote violence. It seems to me that if you support the music, you support the people who made it. It is possible to separate the creation from the creator, but you cannot stop the creator from profiting from the creation.

Did you listen to the three songs?

I don't know if it makes people violent but it has been suggested it makes people insensitive.

I personally dislike people grasping at excuses for bad behavior, be it on parenting, music, video games or anything else. Provided a person is older than a mere child and has a mind not impaired by illness or dysfunction, then said person has only himself to blame for the actions he chooses.

I do see what you are saying....

But, people are responsible...

They will blame music, video games, movie, dungeons and dragon (when i was young, they thought it was linked to devil worship)..

The guilty people don't want to seem responsible... "I'm a drunk", "I was high", "my parents ingnored/beat me"

And the victims need an answer, need a reason that another human could do "the crime"...

In the end, wecare responsible for our actions...

Not some fat guys who wanna act like clowns... (wait, I'm like that! )

Because clowns are scary... A good gimmick for sales...

I definitely agree with you about people being responsible. And I understand its human nature to look for culpability in a time of tragedy, but it irks me when onlookers try to shift blame onto something other than the person(s) who did something wrong.

For example, I'm honestly surprised no one tried to blame the school shooting in CT on video games. Although I guess that one got turned into a battle over gun control and ownership.

In my opinion, it lessens justice and muddles things up when we try to look for cultural or media causes for bad actions. If people learned responsibility and right/wrong when they were children, it wouldn't matter what games they play or music they listen to, because they wouldn't try to do the kind of things often featured by such brands of entertainment.

Personally I think that it's stupid to think that music alone actually has the power to force you into commiting violent acts.

However, I do think that successful musicians can have a very high level of influence over their fans. Odd Future are a prime example of this. I didn't know anybody wearing Obey and Supreme clothing untill those guys came out, they influence poeple to buy that clothing. Successful musicians can be role models to many, especially if you have some sort of emotional connection with their music or something along those lines. But that's the musician who has this influence, not the music itself.

I can see this issue from both angles.

On one hand, it's tough to believe that someone can listen to a song and then just start beating or killing people....regardless of the lyrics to the song or the name of the band or even what it represents. Marilyn Manson was actually blamed for Columbine. Does that mean everyone who likes Marilyn Manson is a killer? Unlikely.

On the other hand, there are studies that have shown that over time the subliminal messages in some songs can affect your mood. Does this make you a killer. No. But can those messages push you over the edge? Possibly. Someone who's told they're stupid repetitively will often begin to believe it. Someone who always listens to angry music may become far more easy to anger.

Everyone's brain chemistry and life experiences are different. Some people will get angry at something or someone, listen to angry music and it will allow them to vent their anger in a healthy way. Others will listen to angry music and it will alter their mood, making them easier to anger and more likely to snap. I don't believe you can just lump everyone together regardless of what the topic is. We're all different and we all come from different places.

Suppose you hear a song like "My Immortal" by Evanescense. For some people, it might make them feel suicidal. For others, it might make them feel good because they focus on the music rather than the lyrics. Others still might get angry because it reminds them of an ex or someone else who left them. I personally get depressed when I hear it because I think of someone who died. Music is powerful, true. But it affects all of us in different ways. Some good, some bad. Perhaps we just need to learn to start focusing on the good in our lives and remove the bad from our own lives...not try to remove it from everyone else's.

But that's just my thoughts.

My thoughts? It's like saying guns are evil. Guns are not evil, it's the people themselves. It's like saying religion inspires violence.

That's how I feel anyways.