Perception of music vs other forms of media
It appears to me that music gets criticized much more unfairly than any other form of mainstream or publicly consumable media. Especially metal. I am sure hip hop fans can relate to a great degree as well. But even the most mundane and wholesome forms of music seem to come under increased scrutiny in comparison to movies, tv or visual art.
I know many of us have heard someone say music is evil, satanic, too sexual, condones murder, and an absurd number of other bullshit. It's constant and there are people out there who truly believe it will warp the minds of the youth. I am certain if someone sites anything, music, video game, tv, art, as the reason they commit a crime or act like a jackass, it's only because they are passing blame to avoid responsibility for their actions.
I won't pretend like the music we listen to doesn't have some kind of influence on us. But no more than the tv shows we watch, the poetry we read, or the preacher we listen to.
There have been outliers in literature. I remember Harry Potter being called satanic. The Power Rangers were too. But almost all of this comes from the craziest corners of hardcore conservative christian culture. This isn't the case with music. It's still assumed among a large portion of society that metal is satanic or violent and that hip hop is anti police and violent.
They aren't entirely wrong, there are elements of that in music. But they generalize everything in the metal spectrum as containing these traits, and the fans as being of the same mind. This does not happen with books and movies. Furthermore there is nothing inherently wrong with satanic, violent, sexual, or any other "unsavory" content in music, just like there isn't in books, movies and art. In the end it's all art and entertainment. It is up to an individual to determine where their line is.
I don't recall there being an instance in modern history where a group of concerned parents ever got together to ban all contemporary fiction for young adults because Perks of Being a Wallflower was too graphic. Many may have taken issue with that specific book, but no one lumped everything in that genre into the conversation. There is no Tipper Gore style antagonist in the crime drama tv world.
It goes beyond just the unfair generalizing of an entire genre of art. Many of the most critical are also obscenely hypocritical. The same people who call metal heads evil for liking violent music soak up true crime documentaries and serial killer dramas. The same people who say it's satanic talk about American Horror Story at the water cooler.
Of course I would love to know why music, and metal specifically, get such different treatment. I assume in most cases it's simply because people don't like the music itself. Knowing that "I don't like the way that sounds" is a dumb ass argument, they pick and choose lyrics, often out of context, to try to dismantle an entire genre of music.
I know many of us have heard someone say music is evil, satanic, too sexual, condones murder, and an absurd number of other bullshit. It's constant and there are people out there who truly believe it will warp the minds of the youth. I am certain if someone sites anything, music, video game, tv, art, as the reason they commit a crime or act like a jackass, it's only because they are passing blame to avoid responsibility for their actions.
I won't pretend like the music we listen to doesn't have some kind of influence on us. But no more than the tv shows we watch, the poetry we read, or the preacher we listen to.
There have been outliers in literature. I remember Harry Potter being called satanic. The Power Rangers were too. But almost all of this comes from the craziest corners of hardcore conservative christian culture. This isn't the case with music. It's still assumed among a large portion of society that metal is satanic or violent and that hip hop is anti police and violent.
They aren't entirely wrong, there are elements of that in music. But they generalize everything in the metal spectrum as containing these traits, and the fans as being of the same mind. This does not happen with books and movies. Furthermore there is nothing inherently wrong with satanic, violent, sexual, or any other "unsavory" content in music, just like there isn't in books, movies and art. In the end it's all art and entertainment. It is up to an individual to determine where their line is.
I don't recall there being an instance in modern history where a group of concerned parents ever got together to ban all contemporary fiction for young adults because Perks of Being a Wallflower was too graphic. Many may have taken issue with that specific book, but no one lumped everything in that genre into the conversation. There is no Tipper Gore style antagonist in the crime drama tv world.
It goes beyond just the unfair generalizing of an entire genre of art. Many of the most critical are also obscenely hypocritical. The same people who call metal heads evil for liking violent music soak up true crime documentaries and serial killer dramas. The same people who say it's satanic talk about American Horror Story at the water cooler.
Of course I would love to know why music, and metal specifically, get such different treatment. I assume in most cases it's simply because people don't like the music itself. Knowing that "I don't like the way that sounds" is a dumb ass argument, they pick and choose lyrics, often out of context, to try to dismantle an entire genre of music.
Or this could all be my perception playing tricks on me. I live in the world of music. I don't watch a lot of movies and am pretty selective about tv. I read a lot but don't get involved in book culture, if that's a thing. So it's entirely possible everything I just said is incorrect.
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