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.