by Brian Botdorf

Created on: February 22, 2010   Last Updated: March 03, 2010

The music of the young: Why older generations turn it off

Is history repeating itself? Is it just the generation gap that separates our musical taste from our kids or is it more serious this time around? I can still remember my parents complaining about the music my generation was listening to and how it was too provocative and lacked meaning.

How music of their generation was so much better than ours. Now, I find myself saying the same thing. Of course the response is always, “Your just too old, too out of touch and you just don't understand our generation.”

I have often wondered if this is just a natural cycle of life for a parent to dislike the music of the younger generation or has the “musical bar” been lowered too much for artistic expression.

Is it really a matter of being “out of touch,” with the younger generation? Is it just a denial of being old, and not being “cool” anymore? Does it really lack meaning?, or has todays music exceeded its bounds of morality and responsibility if any? Is it still considered artistic expression when it effects the behavior of our youth in such a serious manner?

Music is an artistic expression and is generally a reflection of its time. Art is defined as, “The quality, production, expression or realm according to what is beautiful or appealing.” Of course, what is beautiful or appealing is subjective. We all believe in freedom of speech, but freedom of speech does have its limitations.

You cannot scream “fire” in a crowed hall because it may induce panic. Limitations to speech may also follow the “harm principle” or the “offense principle”, for example with pornography or “hate speech.” So when songs are written about women being “bitches” or brags about shooting a police officer, does it fall within the realm of being harmful or too offensive?

The many examples of offensive and harmful lyrics about antisocial, violent and degrading behavior are being listened to by our younger generation. A multitude of studies have shown how rap music has had a detrimental effect on our youth and reads like a “rap sheet” for the indicted youth.

Crime rates have increased dramatically by our youth as more and more children are going to trial as adults.

The glorification of killing, calling women “bitches” and endorsing the use of drugs in not an artistic expression. It is irresponsible. Lyrics such as, “Kill the white people, we gonna make them hurt, kill the white people, but buy my record first, ha, ha, ha.”, are not artistic expressions, but hate speech hiding behind a beat and calling itself rap music.

To say that these kind of hateful lyrics should fall under free speech is ridiculous. To say that these kind of lyrics are artistic is ridiculous. Call me old, out of touch and not cool, but I won't choose to just turn it off.

I know something destructive when I see it and I choose not to ignore it. It's as easy to see as watching a speech from Hitler or watching people burn crosses on a lawn.

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