The Music Shaping Our Society - 1099 Words

Emily Statt Dr. Joe Erickson English 1302 Section 30 8 October 2012 The Music Shaping Our Society When you turn on the radio and change it to your favorite station, what are most of the songs about? In today’s society, the majority of them are probably about sex, drugs, and alcohol. These are the principles mainstream singers like Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj are pounding into young people’s minds. Instead of directing their music negatively, these artists should try to encourage respectable behavior among our youth. I believe that the negative lyrics in many popular contemporary songs have a negative influence on the youth of America. Many artists encourage illicit drug use in popular songs of today and advertise them through†¦show more content†¦Look at the statistics on the number of teenage pregnancies in the United States compared to those of earlier times. Drug and alcohol abuse in the United States has also increased over the years and the ages seem to be getting younger. All of these things are very depressing and really make me worry how the ne xt generation will be if ours is this bad. Sadly, we are the only ones to blame for the way our nation is becoming, but the people we idolize play a huge role in the way we portray ourselves as a nation. It’s no shock that many of today’s popular artists are influencing the youth of America negatively through their lyrics and the way they present themselves. If these young pop artists would realize how much influence they had on our youth, they could really make a change for the better. Gerald Graff’s article â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism† backs up this statement and gives an excellent concept that these young artists should follow. In the article â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism,† Graff states that it doesn’t matter what you’re interested in, as long as you use what you find interesting and look at it through â€Å"academic eyes† (385). I believe that the following artists use Graff’s idea and apply it not only to their song lyrics, but also their way of life. Artists like Bono, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber are constantly giving to charity and setting good examples for their peers. More pop singersShow MoreRelatedMtv Essay1033 Words   |  5 PagesOREB 13000069 CRST1 ESSAY – OPTION 1 (MTV) MTV can be defined as â€Å"a cable and satellite television channel which broadcasts popular music and promotional music videos.† (oxforddictionaries.com.n.d.). Launched on August 1st 1981, MTV’s programme started out by helping musicians gain exposure through music videos. This helped TV audiences connect with music by new means. As MTV became more recognised, the network branched out by creating new means of entertainment. MTV has remained relevant byRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Waiting For Superman1023 Words   |  5 Pagesheroes in the DC Comics universe. 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