Controversial music lyrics: do they influence criminal behavior?

 

“Waiting the hour destined to die/Here on the table of hell/A figure in white unknown by man/Approaching the hour of death/High priest awaiting dagger in hand/Spilling the pure virgin blood/Satan’s slaughter, ceremonial death/Answer is his every command,” These are disturbing lyrics directly quoted from a song titled “Altar of Sacrifice” by the so-called “death metal band” Slayer.  These lyrics are a source of sorrow, anger, and confusion to parents of fifteen year old, deceased Elyse Pahler.  Months after her disappearance, sixteen year old Royce Casey, a friend of Elye’s, came forth and confessed to aiding in the murder of Elyse.  Casey also identified two of his friends, fourteen year old Joseph Florella and sixteen year old Jacob Delashmutt, as taking part in the killing.  Lead by Casey, the police found Elyse’s body choked and repeatedly stabbed.  Members of a “death metal band” themselves, the boys, guided by the lyrics from “Altar of Sacrifice,” explained that the fifteen year old girl was chosen to die because she was “a blonde-haired, blue-eyed virgin” and that she was to be sacrificed to the devil.  Their plan was to find an altar and sacrifice her body there.  Her body, however, was left under a tree and formed into the shape of a “pitchfork.”  The boys were all sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison.  However, for the Pahler’s that wasn’t enough.  Under a “California business statute,” the parents sued Slayer, including their record company, for marketing and selling “harmful and obscene products to minors” (ABC News excerpt).

 In today’s society, lyrics like these have become common place in the media of music with such artists as Marilyn Manson, Eminem, and Dr Dre, just to name a few.  The rap community, in particular, has taken a lot of criticism in recent years for lyrics which contain themes of drugs, violence, and hatred for women (Krohn, Suazo).  Controversial lyrics are often viewed in one two ways when it comes to the issue of whether or not they influence criminal activity.  The first view is that harsh lyrics, like those of Slayer and Manson, negatively influence the impressionable minds of society, often the minds of vulnerable young people.  A study of high school students published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, linked suicidal thoughts, drugs, violence, and depression to music in the genre of rock/metal. The study suggested that “disturbed and drug-abusing” young people preferred this type of music.  In general, students who listened to rock/metal music reported feelings of depression, and on the whole, those students consumed more alcohol and smoked more tobacco and marijuana (Martin, Clarke, Pearce).  In this view, the music and lyrics are blamed more than the actions of the individual committing the crime. 

One of the most recent and popular controversial artists is white rapper Eminem.  With lyrics filled with violence and racism, Eminem has found himself in many battles with those who say that his lyrics encourage hatred and violence (Krohn, Suazo).  Battles over lyrics, however, do not hold well in court because artists are protected under the first amendment of the Constitution.  Artists use their freedom of speech to protect their right to expression (ABC News excerpt).  There has been some attempt to censor music with disturbing lyrics.  Parental-advisory labels have been placed on music CD’s and audiotapes to warn people, mainly parents, of the content of the music.  However, they have had little effect on the sales of the music they are trying to ward people from.  Some people feel that the labels have had the opposite effect on children.  They feel that young people are intrigued by the labels, and will buy the music to rebel against their parents.  In order for the labels to be truly effective, parents have to monitor the music their children are purchasing.  Music with adult content is also censored by Music Television (MTV).  For example, certain songs like “Smack My Bitch Up” by Prodigy are only played by the station at certain times in the early hours of the morning, one am to five am (Duin).

The second view on whether or not music lyrics influence crime and violence is that of people who place the blame on early childhood and bad parental influences.  The people who hold this view blame not the music, but the individual and their background for violence and criminal activity.  Recent studies have been done that provide a new way of looking at why some people are more prone to become violent offenders than others.  Dr. Bruce Perry, of the Baylor College of Medicine, believes that children who experience the stresses of “abuse, neglect, and terror” are more inclined to have “physical changes” in the brain.  He says the result of such stresses makes the brain’s “fight or flight” hormones more easily activated.  Thus, the child will demonstrate more spontaneous aggression.  New research also suggests that bad parenting skills influence negative thoughts in children.  Children who suffer from abuse in the home, whether it is emotional or physical, eventually stop responding to the pain they suffer.  The child’s emotional stability is harmed, and they often develop antisocial personalities.  Children brought up in such homes start to develop an attitude that the world is against them.  As a result, they have trouble empathizing and sympathizing with others.  They begin to alienate themselves from their peers, and as a result, they find comfort in the angry music lyrics that identify with their situation and attitude toward life.  The artists who sing the lyrics become their role models.  They become vulnerable to the messages in the music, and violence is often the result (Begley).

Personally, I believe that the music itself is not what influences a person to commit a crime.  Many people listen to controversial lyrics everyday, and it doesn’t result in violence.  However, I do believe that children who are brought up in a harsh environment are more susceptible to violence and criminal behavior.  These children find comfort in music that they can relate to.  Unfortunately, the music they often do relate to isn’t positive and doesn’t promote a better lifestyle.  Just by listening to it, controversial music can be a very healthy way for some people to release aggression.  I feel that artists should be allowed to freely express their ideas.  Even though I disagree with some of the content of certain songs, I do feel that artists should be protected under the first amendment.  I don’t think that censorship is the answer.  Raising children responsibly is the answer.  Parents need to pay better attention to their children, and they should be able to recognize when their child is in trouble emotionally.  I do realize that there are other reasons why people commit crimes other than they were raised poorly.  However, I do feel that it plays a big part in whether or not a child will become vulnerable to the content of some music.