- Jan 31, 2009
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Who's stopping at music? Not me. I said other things like it, no? This means, video games, movies, and so on. They all play a major influence in people's lives, and how they behave in society.
I meant that more towards that the thread is about music and I was pointing out that there's been a finger pointed at other things.
And of course there are other factors; I said it was a major part, not the only factor. There is indeed upbringing, environment, etc, but recognizing things we normally view as "entertainment" as playing a role shouldn't be shot down, tossed aside, or ignored just because to some, it seems like a "scapegoat".
So, no, that's not the only thing we're pretending as a society. Absolving any part of what influences this deteriorating society is pretending, which I've seen both sides of this argument do.
Major part is still a qualification I disagree with.
Right now, people have much more access to the music, games, and visual media of their choice than in the last 20 years. A person can blast NWA, fight a fictional war, and watch Ronin for hours at a time on something that can fit into a pocket. Why aren't we seeing a proportional increase in violence across the board in places that have that kind of wealth (developed)? Why has violence, in fact, actually declined?
I'm not making such a binary argument as to say that culture has no influence on people. That's what culture does by definition. These things also emerge as a product of a society or culture through its views and experiences. I'm not surprised at all that it came out of Compton with a gun in one hand and snatching at material wealth with another. Currently Mexico is going through the same thing with Narco Culture and a massive internal conflict. Would "Narco Culture" have "Narco" in it without the narcos? Hmm, they called it gangsta rap.
Things just aren't adding up, especially if we're considering music as a major influence. And I think it is worth considering that we can see an increased influence of something disjointed from an expected increase in violence or bad behavior.
I label it scapegoating because that's my opinion when it comes to the game of hopscotch blame-it-on-the-blank approach to sourcing social ills. It doesn't mean there isn't room for people to have their own opinions.