Pubdate: Mon, 11 Feb 2008
Source: Barbados Advocate (Barbados)
Copyright: Barbados Advocate 2008
Contact:  http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3499
Author: Nicholas Cox

IS THE MUSIC TO BLAME?

RECENT comments from a member of the judiciary  regarding the impact
of references to drugs, alcohol,  and violence in popular music played
in Barbados have  once again sparked a firestorm of criticism about
what  our children are exposed to.

Without a doubt there are many, many unsavoury  references in popular
music and some young people do  adopt the behaviour depicted in songs,
but this group  is obviously the minority. The jury is still out on
the  wholesale impact this music has on behaviour, as can be  seen in
the United States, which is also grappling with  the issue, and where
a study was recently released by  the University of Pittsburgh School
of Medicine in  which the references to drug and alcohol in the 279
most popular songs from 2005 were measured.

The study, which was mentioned in the New York Times  last week, found
that 20 per cent of R&B and hip-hop  songs referenced drugs and
alcohol, while a 77 per cent  of rap songs contained these references.
The article  said in part, The study authors noted that music
represents a pervasive source of exposure to positive  images of
substance use. The average adolescent is  exposed to approximately 84
references to explicit  substance use per day and 591 references per
week, or  30 732 references per year. The average adolescent
listening only to pop would be exposed to five  references per day,
whereas the average adolescent who  listens just to rap would be
exposed to 251 references  per day.

Whether any of this matters remains an open question.  While the
impact of exposure to images of smoking and  alcohol in film has been
well documented, less is known  about the effect of music on childhood
risk behaviors,  it added.

First, I must argue that if we blame music for exposing  our young
people to drugs, alcohol, and violence we  also have to blame movies,
video games, television, and  even news programming, in fact popular
culture in  general. But then we have to ask if this exposure leads
to the behaviour that is causing concern and whether  censoring the
mass media to which children have access  will really solve the
problem and if this or similar  actions are the right remedy for the
situation. It must  be noted that young people are prone to
experimentation, it is a part of being young; US  presidential
candidate, Barack Obama, for example, has  written about his
experimentation with alcohol and  illegal drugs in high school and
college. While I am  not condoning Obamas actions, or those of young
people  that do the same, I wonder if this behaviour is caused  be
popular culture or if its just a part of growing up.

Admitting that young people are more than ever before  being made to
face important decisions at an earlier  age, and that some of them are
succumbing to vices that  could ruin their lives, is a critical step
in  addressing some of the societal issues in this country.  Placing
the blame on any one medium and moving towards  censoring the playing
of dancehall, hip hop, or rap  music in the interest of protecting
children is not a  realistic solution, especially when this
demographic is  so savvy at sourcing whatever they want on the
Internet. Instead, what is needed to combat the  influences being
portrayed in popular culture is a  socialisation based on strong
values and good  education, and adults that lead by example. Children
should be encouraged and equipped to make sound and  rational
decisions with the aforementioned moral base  and the majority will in
turn resist the negative  imagery to which they are exposed on a
constant basis.
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MAP posted-by: Derek