Over the years, scientists and researchers have been striving to find the connection between media violence and societal violence. In the community, researchers in one camp are trying to prove that people who are exposed to violence in music, television and videogames ultimately will exhibit increased aggression and ultimately violent behavior. With regard to music, scientists have said that listening to death metal and gangster rap causes listeners to become aggressive and violent, and have stated that related music from bands such as Slayer and Judas Priest influenced the youth who committed the shootings at Columbine High School. Music from gangster rappers such as “Tupac Shakur” and groups such as the “NWA” have also been cited for encouraging violence in many communities or neighborhoods, especially the slums in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Other entertainment Medias such as television have also been strongly accused, television for its obscene violence and video games for teaching children how to kill. Unfortunately for media naysayers there has been little to no conclusive scientific evidence showing media violence as a cause of societal violence.
The media becomes a scapegoat for those who refuse to admit that in some American households, exposure to violence and abuse, poverty, alcohol, drug abuse, and loose gun laws have influenced impressionable youths more than any rap song or “slasher” movie; a sub-genre of horror movies, ever will.
Many groups that are used as examples by researchers as being under the influence of media violence live in the projects and the ghettos of major cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, all of which have similarities. All these neighborhoods are lower class, mostly populated by minority groups such as African-Americans, Latinos and recent immigrant nationalities of all ages. The major connection is not the ethnic groupings or dislocation of recent arrivals alone, but of the history of violence, abuse and the presence of firearms in the home that already existed in these neighborhoods prior to the media boom. The musicians blamed for influencing and aggravating violence in the slums of the major cities, were born and raised in these areas. The music is in fact a reflection of the lives of these rappers, and the turmoil and violence experienced by the rappers growing up. Rap music lyrics are just a single example of violent music that is available in parallel with societal violence.
Beyond Rap, another form of music accused of encouraging violence is metal music. There are different sub genres of metal music ranging from “speed” to “death” metal and “Goth”. Accusations have been made against the genre citing its influence on young impressionable youths and on the aggression and violent tendencies that some youths have acquired, because of the time spent listening to this sort of music. An artist known as “Marilyn Manson” was brought to trial and used as a “lightning rod to the Columbine shootings” Manson was accused of influencing the actions of the troubled youths who shot and killed classmates and teachers at Columbine (Unknown). This was an absurd accusation and the case was dismissed on grounds that the boys were not fans of Marilyn Manson. The shooters had also left a note stating, “Don't blame anyone else for our actions.” And “This is what we want” (Unknown). Most of the rap and metal musicians had poor upbringings and were exposed to all sorts of violence, drug use and poverty throughout their adolescence. All cases accusing metal bands of coaxing the suicide and crimes of these youths have been dismissed due to the fact that most of these teenagers were under the influence of drugs and had depressing, violent upbringings. Germany has the largest audience for heavy metal music in the world; Germany has a well-established Goth culture and history; however the rate of violence in the community is significantly lower than in the United States.
Another camp of researchers conclude that in the matter of violence in music affecting society; it is the other way around, these musicians were influenced and enraged by the violence of society, and the music was simply a way of expressing the way these artists felt. Music had minimal influence on the youths who turned to crime and violence as it was proven that ninety-nine percent of these youths were exposed to emotionally and physically depressing and violent childhoods even before they began listening to rap or heavy metal. “Abused children are more sensitive to violence” (Chidley). These researchers conclude that violence leads to violence and therefore violence is a learned behavior. If anyone is to be blamed it is the parents or other members of the families of the violent persons.
