Is Music Dangerous?

[ngotham93nd]

Musicians are often blamed for influencing mass murder sprees, school shootings, etc...Do you think there is any truth to these allegations? Obviously not all people who listen to Marilyn Manson kill people, but is it just a coincidence that often enough the people who commit these crimes listen to violent music? It seems we have no problem accepting that songs can influence our behavior in other ways, such as crying for example, but what about more extreme behaviors like murder? Will we ever hear of a deranged murderer who's favorite musician is Yanni or Kenny G? If it was coincidental, you would expect to find deranged murderers that listen to all kinds of music...right?
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Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you weep alone.

[TheEvilJester]

Personally, I have always thought stuff like that is complete bull crap. You can't blame movies, music, or entertainment in general for creating psychos. Johnny Q. Normal doesn't listen to Marilyn Manson, or watch A Nightmare on Elm Street and then suddenly wake up the next morning as Jeffrey Dahmer.

As it is, I don't exactly fan-girl murderers, so it isn't like I know their viewing and musical habits. I would venture to guess that their preferences are just as varied as any other group of people. You just don't hear about the psychos/murderers/etc. who listen to Yanni or Kenny G, or who watch The Gilmore Girls because the media doesn't sensationalize that as much. Yet, the second somebody who HAPPENS to listen to heavy metal, and/or loves horror movies also turns out to be a violent psycho.... all of a sudden it is all the media can seem to talk about.

Entertainment does NOT create psychos. If we had NO movies, TV, or music (or at least if we had none of the movies, TV, music, etc. that often get looped into this) we would STILL have psychos. Bottom line, IF somebody was crazy enough to watch a horror movie and decide "Hey! I'm going to try that!".... or listen to some heavy metal music and think "Hey! I'm going to go kill a bunch of people!".... They were already a psycho to begin with. It was bound to happen that they were going to flip out.

[melancholia]

There is zero proof that music, video games, movies, or any other form of entertainment causes people to become violent. Remember when David Hurcombe killed himself and his parents tried to sue Eminem because he listened to his music, and his parents believed the music caused him to kill himself? Yeah, they didn't win. Remember when the parents of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot everyone at Columbine high school and their parents blamed Marilyn Manson because they listened to his music? Yeah, they didn't win that case either. There is no form of entertainment that causes people to become violent. Music, video games, and movies do not cause violent behavior, it is a mental instability that already exists in the person who executes violent behavior.

[breathe123]

It's the persons mental health not the type of music they listen too, imo and combine that with drug & alcohol overuse & you get a bad combination that could push someone to do harm either to themselves or others.

[TheEvilJester]

As a matter of fact, I don't know which argument sounds more ludicrous, this or the one I constantly hear against diet sodas claiming they make you fat. The latter argument being that people will drink diet sodas, then therefore think because they aren't getting calories there that they can eat more. So.... yeah, okay. It's the diet soda making you fat. Not the jumbo triple burger smothered in mayo and the super sized order of fries.

In my personal view, arguing the entertainment creates psychos holds just about as much water.