Pop music should be more
responsible Sunday Trevino |
 Sunday Trevino Reporter thesouthtexan@yahoo.com |
According to a recent report in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco use references are made in about one-third of Billboard Magazine’s 279 popular songs of 2005.
This does not just stem from just one genre of music but from all, although rap music does constitute more than half that contained drug and alcohol use.
In other genres, 13 percent were in country music and only 9 percent were found in rock.
For most of these songs, mentioning these things is one thing, but supporting the idea that you will benefit from drugs or alcohol socially, sexually or financially is also being stressed in these songs.
These “positive” influences are what worry parents most.
People have fought about this for years, explaining that music either has or does not have influence on our adolescents. This allows for the media and others to put responsibility on the music industry for not looking out for the well being of our children.
Adding to this statistic 2.4 hours of music is listened to by kids ranging from 8-18 years old every day.
Does this lead to a long lasting attitude or behavior?
I think it’s time we ask the adolescents whether or not they are listening to their radios every morning and evening, with the intent of drawing ideas.
Or, were these ideas always etched in our brains and only now we are becoming more blunt about this use.
The Beatles released a popular song called “Lucy in the sky with Diamonds.” This song had possible LSD references, but members of the band later denied the claims.
Now we have songs like “It’s hard out There for a Pimp” and we wonder if this is effecting our children. I think children are more aware of what is going on than 20 years ago.