their lives,” says Professor Peter Christenson of Lewis & Clark College (Christen and Roberts, 1). With music being a major portion of teenagers’ lives, does music influence teens to act in sex, drugs, and violence? Music can alter and intensify teenagers’ moods, furnish much of their slang, and dominate the setting of their social gatherings. Music styles define the crowds and cliques they run in. Teenagers use music most to control their mood and enhance emotional states (Christen and Roberts, 1). "Music can make a good mood better and allow us to escape or work through a bad one," Christenson states (1, 2). It can also be used to enhance bad moods, which has led some to believe music lyrics about suicide and violence against women have occasionally led troubled youth to commit suicide or violent crimes. "In one study, a heavy metal devotee reported that he loved the music because it put him in a good mood by which he meant a mood conducive to smashing mailboxes with bricks. Another said hard core metal put him in the mood to go beat the crap out of someone (Christen and Roberts, 1)." In a recent survey conducted on three college students, students were asked to comment on what types of music they thought lead to violent actions and are influential in violence. One student responded, “Blues may make a person feel more depressed and sad. Rap and Heavy Metal may motivate a person to be violent.” Another student claimed that music could influence some teens to “beating people up, harming the police, getting with girls, and using guns.” All three students agreed that music can affect the listener’s feelings, emotions, and thoughts that can often lead to certain motives such as violence (survey).The music industry is allowing the production of these violence promoting recordings to continue with such artist as shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, rapper Eminem, and the band Rage Against t...
