Music - Bad Influence

So the issue in this thread is do lyrics and music influence people to do bad things, provoke violent behaviour in society?

Marilyn Manson is suject to blame of many suicides, but is this true?

Columbine was said to be influenced by Manson but what do you think?

It certainly has an effect, but to what extent can we lay that blame on such controversial music artists?

I think that Manson was made a scapegoat, somewhat unfairly, for what happened at Columbine. Ironically, his villification came as a knee-jerk reaction from conservative right-wingers (or is that whingers? ) who (rightly or wrongly) are against gun control.

On the flipside though, I think that most young people are shaped and influenced to some extent by musicians, celebrities etc, however alternative or mainstream their style is, because they are role models plain and simple.
That said, if someone's driven to kill by what they hear on a record, then I think that the seeds were already there, and you can't blame the music or musicians.
A massively greater number of people kill in the interest of financial gain (whether it be a robbery, gang killing, act of war etc), but you won't hear any outcries of 'ban capitalism'.

[edit on 10-3-2005 by Paul]

Originally posted by Wendellion
Columbine was said to be influenced by Manson but what do you think?

Then again didn't the killers go bowling in the morning?

Music can influence people but then again so can clothing, shoes, brand names, book, television, films, ATS , anything and everything can influence a person.

[edit on 10-3-2005 by UK Wizard]

People use any little excuse to transfer responsibility for ones own choices. The tv made me do it. The video games made me do it. The music made me do it. We are who ever it is that we are and are capable of whatever it is that we are capable of. Using an external source as an internal cause is absurd and immature.

Sure our personallities have been influenced throughout the whole of our lifes by our enviornment, but if we can not even control ourselves for the good of ourselves then we are not ourselves. We are mindless atomitons. One can't have it both ways.

anything and everything can influence a person.



bull sht not every thing can be blammed on something else

[edit on 10-3-2005 by outrider]

Go to any High School and you will see that music influences teens. There wouldn't be different social groups if it didn't. The crowd that exclusively listens to rap usually wears clothes that are associated with rap & hip hop and tend to act like the lyrics in the songs they hear (gangsters/thugs/hard asses). Punks, Goths, Emo., Popular, any type of music has a specific following that usually dress and do specific things. So yeah, music does influence people to do bad things, or good things, but like everyone else said, anything can influence anyone.

Marilyn Manson gave an excellent riposte to his accusers in Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine. Worth seeing for those few minutes if you have not seen it.

I find Metallica potentially more suicidally depressing than anything Marilyn Manson pouts about.

In response to Bangarangrufio's post: Not all punks goths or whatever listen to the same thing they might have the same ideas about things but not all of them listen to the same music. I have some friends like that and some of them listen to manson some to mettallica some to greenday or w/e the same music doesnt always go alongside the same type of people.

Marilyn Manson gave an excellent riposte to his accusers in Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine. Worth seeing for those few minutes if you have not seen it.

Yes I did see it recently, such a great film, and I found it amazing how many Americans did actually blame Manson!

Originally posted by outrider
anything and everything can influence a person.

bull sht not every thing can be blammed on something else

Influence a person, anything and everything can

blamed on someting else, not everything can, bull sht

Personally, I was evil before I ever heard any 'questionable music' I remember the first time I heard Slayer's South of Heaven album; ironicably (subtle Bushism), I was in heaven.

[edit on 3/11/05 by poonchang]

Originally posted by poonchang
anything and everything can influence a person.
bull sht not every thing can be blammed on something else

Influence a person, anything and everything can
blamed on someting else, not everything can, bull sht

Is that your Yoda imitation?

Personally, I was evil before I ever heard any 'questionable music'

Welcome to the club!

[edit on 11-3-2005 by Jonna]

Yeah, I know...weak:shk:

Just kinda pumped about the movie

Slayer

I knew before I even cared about Music I had an evil streak.
I listen to slayer and other stuff the Europeans in my school think makes me sucicidal pessissmistic and other wise FUBAR'ed.
I thought It was prozac that was what f***ed up the colombine kids.

Geeze! Is Slayer still together? I vaguely recall seeing them on the Clash of the Titans Tour back around 89' with Megadeth, Antherax and Alice In Chains. Now that was a whole different life ago.

Originally posted by maninblack
I thought It was prozac that was what f***ed up the colombine kids.

No, not prozac, their mad fit of rage can only be blamed on bowling!

A truly evil sport!

Only the weak are influenced by something as trivial as music.

Originally posted by JustAnIllusion
Only the weak are influenced by something as trivial as music.

Yes but that's not the issue here...it's still an influence, it's only the intelligent among us that let it influence us!

:clwnd nc:

[edit on 16-3-2005 by Wendellion]

For me music is not something that invokes violence, for me it is used as a way of stress relief. whenever i am anoyed, depressed etc i just put on some loud music and this calms me down. it is an escape from the real world. but to say that music invokes a violent society-i think not. it is society itself to blame. if you look back to say the 30's or 40's there was a lot more discipline and respect. it was the use of disciplne that helped to control the youth but these days there are no boundries set by parents and only loose ones set by schols etc. that is what i think is to blame

[edit on 5-4-2005 by Catfish]

Only time music makes me violent is when you have white farm kids acting like they black from the ghetto. I just usually yell at them though, telling them how they are white, not black, live in the middle of soy bean fields, and need to pull their pants up.

Pink Floyd can be really depressing if you are already depressed. But guess what? You already were.....

The Number one song people get high to is Dark Side of the Moon. The number 3 song people have sex to is Dark Side of the Moon.(I like Pink Floyd, so I like to find out strage things)