Music responsible for violence?

I listen to, and write, a lot of rock and metal and there is something I have learned about the nature of these types of aggressive genres. Much of it deals more with therapeutically empathetic expression than as an antagonistic influence of ideas and emotions. It is typically intended as a medium through which the listener can direct, digest and/or dispose of frustrations or high levels of other types of emotional power so that it is less likely to build up silently and uncontrollably shot out in a direction that can be hurtful / fatal toward themselves and/or society around them. But there will always be cases when it does not turn out this way since not every listener works the same in all the various circumstances in which they feel inspired by this music.

Does art reflect us or do we reflect art?

Music and other things can influence an untempered mind....eventually the lines of reality and fiction blur and you start to see what would be socially unacceptable as perfectly okay.

For instance if you are raised in a society where women are treated as equals then taken into somewhere like the middle east you will be appalled by the way the women can be treated.

This is influenced from the society...the same thing happens with music...

Although music/games/movies etc are NOT to blame they DO have influence and this can be proven through psychology...for instance if you play a violent game at a young age it can influence you to see "killing" someone as completely acceptable.

We as humans try to pin it down to a reason "why" things happen so in which we can prevent them...saying "Oh that person just felt like doing it" isn't true because if that was true then why don't we all just randomly snap?

It comes down to a combination of things that all add up and create the cocktail...

You can't have a 3 course meal with only one ingredient can you? (Metaphor)

Music can affect mood...for instance when I'm at the gym I listen to rock/metal cause it really pumps me up...if I'm sad I listen to "Feel good music" and it eventually elates me a little.

So if a game say's it's okay to shoot someone...they'll just "respawn" in a little while...then the human brain will start to associate that as fact...which removes the fear from killing a human being.

I could go on about this for hours but I think I've made my point so I'll stop here.

- M

this is going to sound mean...

i personally think that anyone that is weak minded enough to let an outside source(music,video games,tv, etc) influence their actions should either be locked up or lobotomized...

i've listened to the same music, played the same games, watched the same shows, etc...and i'm not out there killing people or acting like a complete @$$...i know that I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY OWN ACTIONS... not some song, or some video game, or tv show, or any person...i have a functioning brain, i can think and reason, and make my own decisions, i know that music, games, tv, etc are all fiction....IT'S NOT REAL...anyone that can't distinguish reality from fiction shouldn't be walking free...

RyuJin wrote: this is going to sound mean...

i personally think that anyone that is weak minded enough to let an outside source(music,video games,tv, etc) influence their actions should either be locked up or lobotomized...

i've listened to the same music, played the same games, watched the same shows, etc...and i'm not out there killing people or acting like a complete @$$...i know that I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY OWN ACTIONS... not some song, or some video game, or tv show, or any person...i have a functioning brain, i can think and reason, and make my own decisions, i know that music, games, tv, etc are all fiction....IT'S NOT REAL...anyone that can't distinguish reality from fiction shouldn't be walking free...

I'm prone to agree with you, at least about there being something seriously wrong with those who can't distinguish fantasy from reality. It's an important skill and a basic requirement to function in life. It's one thing to be inspired or knowingly influenced by fiction (like, say, a bunch of people working to create a real-life Jedi path) and another to be incapable of realizing that killing people may be ok in a game, but is definitely a big no-no in real life.

Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.

Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.

In a way, I am glad that I am weak enough to allow some things to influence me. I am also glad that I have the ability to choose what, or how much influence I allow it to have. I don’t think I can say this where it doesn’t sound “weird” but I am truly grateful that I am open to influence. I’m certain that RyuJin was referring to the influence given by games and music and the such, but I wanted to clarify my understanding.

Without outside influences… I would not be where I am now.

Wescli Wardest wrote:

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Without outside influences… I would not be where I am now.

I'm sure you act responsibly though?

Whilst you may be an adult who is fully capable of doing something does not mean there are others as strong willed as you may be...there are some whom are so easily influenced it's literally like a Shepard with his flock on the way they obey.

Take drugs for example, you could potentially link the rise in drug taking to the rise of celebrities taking drugs.

To be "famous" and "successful" I must live their life style...so if I take drugs...I will be like them...if I go around killing X Y Z I will become just like the protagonist of video games.

It's more so on a subconscious level than anything...you essentially don't know you're doing this.

Sometimes I catch myself blurring reality with fiction after extended periods of game play...especially with how realistic graphics are becoming...why does a dream feel real when we dream it yet when we wake up we realise it's a dream? Same principals apply there.

Not all the time, that is for sure!

I’m sure we all had different childhoods, but we were all children once. I can not say how it is for another or why adults behave the way they do.

I do not put the sole responsibility of anyone’s actions on any one thing nor do I excuse anyone for their actions because of a series of things. Life is complex and so are the experiences that help to shape each of us. That is one reason I generally do not support broad statements.

I’ve also heard of justice needing to be served to those that do not behave in a manner that is in line with the majority. But how can one blame an apple for being an apple in a basket of oranges? For are expectations of the people in the world to be on the same playing field we should come from the same back ground, and we don’t. That does not excuse anyone, but perhaps it means we should try and help rather than condemn.

All things we come in contact with affect us and we them, rather they are an expression of or for, a source of or for venting, or just affect us in a way we don’t know or can’t describe. I don’t pretend to have the answers but I am certain that patience, understanding and compassion can help lead us to them.

not to mention... If you believe you are strong willed enough to remain untouched by what you experience... You could very well be the weakest of them all...

Best way not to get caught is not to play a part in it. I don't have a TV. Havent had one in years. Sure I'll get my hands on some shows and all... But regular TV? When I see it, it makes me want to chuck now. I opened a woman's magazine once and understood why homosexuality was on the rise. I can even tell the impact my missus work colleagues have on her.


Though obviously if you live like I do you'll probably end up like me, asking the kind of questions no-one else asks, everyone wondering "wtf is wrong with this dude".