What comes to mind when one thinks of heavy metal? Many people
think of words like "evil, satanic, suicide, and murder." These
are not uncommon subjects that heavy metal discusses in its lyrics. Recently,
heavy metal has come under enormous fire from parents because it has supposedly
lead teens to murder, suicide, depression, and general misbehavior. Does heavy
metal music really affect a teen's behavior in any way? The AAP (American
Academy of Pediatrics) stated, " Music can summon a range of emotions,
most of which are wonderful. Yet there is some music that communicates potentially
harmful health messages, especially when it reaches a vulnerable audience"
(AAP, 1996). Teenagers are easily influenced, so they fall into the category
of the vulnerable audience the AAP is talking about.
There are millions of teens who listen to the same type of music
and are not influenced at all the by the lyrics. So why are some teens more
influenced than others? The teens that are influenced the most are the ones
suffering from depression, caused by either not fitting in at school or problems
at home. They are the ones who identify the most with the lyrics that heavy
metal artists sing about. These are the ones who generally commit suicide
and murders that are associated with heavy metal lyrics. The most recent event
that heavy metal music has been blamed for is the Columbine shootings. People
said that lyrics sung by Marilyn Manson drove Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
to commit those murders. Further analysis done by the Colorado police showed
that the teens had severe depression from social problems at school. This
is not the first time heavy metal music has come under fire. "In the
mid 80's the heavy metal band Judas Priest and singer Ozzy Osborne were accused
of putting subliminal messages in their music causing teens to commit suicide"(Gamboa
2002). Both were sued by the parents and both cases were thrown out of court
due to lack of evidence. Further investigations of those cases showed all
the teens suffered from emotional problems that were never identified. Although
some artists do sing about questionable topics like murder, suicide, and violence,
parents should look to more clear explanations like social disorders before
blaming the lyrics of a particular artist.
Many parents still blame music for violence, arguing that many
violent acts are committed word for word from the lyrics their teen heard.
The parents feel if the artist did not sing those lyrics their child would
have never committed the crime. They would have never fathomed the idea, and
without the influence of the artist, the crime would have never been committed.
However the backbone of this essay is best exemplified through the previously
cited quotation from AAP, which explains that music, can be potentially harmful.
Teenagers will not necessarily be influenced by lyrics, but it can occur in
some cases. If a teen was reckless enough to commit a violent act then it
is likely that the small influence that the music may have had on their decision
is inconsequential. Most heavy metal artists often complain that their songs
are misinterpreted and are falsely accused of singing about violent topics.
Parents often misinterpret lyrics and then blame musical artists for inducing
the crime. Parents need to take a good look at lyrical content before making
a false judgment about the songs they complain about.
So does heavy metal music affect teenager's behavior? Heavy
metal music can affect the way teens think and act but usually only affects
the ones who are easily influenced. Parents often blame heavy metal for suicide,
murder and misbehavior but these problems are more closely related to social
problems. Heavy metal music does not cause behavior problems. It's more related
to social problems and should not be blamed for acts of violence among teens.
-James Holmes