Does Heavy Metal Cause Teen Violence?

Heavy alloy has had a bad astonish since the dawn of the genre onto the music scene. Slipknot, Ozzy Osborn, Marilyn Manson, Judas Priest, and Slayer are just just about of the household names on the surface scene to bemuse serve under fire for supposedly inciting suicide, and in somewhat cases murder. Its a fire that the media has been more than happy to stoke, quick to insinuate links mingled with the brutal lyrics and performances of force out.To quote Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider, e very(prenominal) time a serial killer, mass murderer, Satanists, or any abuse person in our society anytime the medias found out that theyve listened to loaded down(p) surface music it has been scotchn up as the reason for why this person is doing the things that they do (Dunn). And he couldnt be more right. As in the case of Marilyn Manson and the Columbine shootings, the media is more than happy to stoke the flames of controversy, even if the evidence points to the contrary. Vio lence has been around a lot longer than we have, says Corey Taylor, choke vocalist and lyricist for the band Slipknot. Though violence and heavy metal seem to be intimately intertwined there is a difference in the midst of seeing and doing. I have listened to enough metal for me to essentially be a serial killer, says James McMahon from UK music magazine NME, But theres something in me that says no, thats not what I confide life is about. Serial killers existed before Slayer, you know.Im a big lover of horror movies but Hostel, Saw, those torture-porn films, I find myself repulsed metal is pantomime comparatively. As one young Norwegian metal fan told the UKs Guardian newspaper, Its all fantasy none of this is real you cant take this badly its just like a movie. According to Sam Dunn, anthropologist and director of alloy A Headbangers Journey, People look at heavy metal and label it for all sorts of things because we need booming answers to complex questions.I think that its easy to target a heavy metal band for inciting violence or making kids turn to a cult than it is to actually look at real problems in the real world (Dunn). So what REALLY causes untrained acts amongst teenagers? According to William Fleeman author of Managing Teen impatience and Violence, teen violence is a growing problem in the United States and many of the underlying causes have nothing to do with musical preference. For instance, Fleeman states that abuse of drugs and/or alcohol contributes to teen violence.Violence among teens often stems from actions taken while intoxicated as well as crimes committed to obtain drug and/or alcohol. Another possibility is teens laid low(p) with mental issues. Metal health issues and conditions often show an inclination for unpeaceful behavior. Fleeman also states that teens living in unstable environments in which parents are ramshackle and/or abusive tend to act out violently delinquent to first hand exposure to violence and/or neglec t.And as in nearly cases some teens are motivated to participate in heedless and violent behavior as a result of match pressure. They sense of smell the need to fit in do to whatever reason and as such act out to look cool. Also, and this is possibly the most surprising reason of all, many teens that tend to do poor scholastically are more likely to behave violently in and away(p) of school. They feel undermined, even stupid and as such tend to act out as a way to gain acknowledgment (Fleeman).While Fleemans research depicts teen violence to be at an all-time luxuriously research buste by the FBI from 1990 through 2007 has shown that rates of unspoiled violence amongst youths under the age 18 has plunged by 49%, including unprecedented declines in murder (down 66%), rape (down 52%), robbery (down 32%), and serious assault (down 28%) (FBI). Furthermore, large-scale surveys such as Monitoring the proximo and The American Freshman have found students today reporting higher(pre nominal) levels of happiness, optimism, leadership interest, and volunteerism and lower rates of smoking, drinking, depression, dropout, and materialism.And if thats not enough to blow you away, the youngest teens showed the biggest improvements. So what causes teen violence? Is the media to blame? Is it drugs, metal health issues, neglect, peer pressure, or even bad grades? There may never be a satisfactory answer, but as far as metal is concerned, sociologist Donna Gaines had this to say, For young people, its a place to belong where you can have intercourse other possibilities and transcend everyday life in a very glorious way Is heavy metal a sacrament? For some people, it is.If it keeps kids alive, if it gives them hope, if it gives them a place to belong, if it gives them a sense of transcendence, then I believe its a spiritual force. I believe its a pipeline to God (Dunn). And according to Dunn, You either feel it, or you dont. Works Cited 1)Dunn, Sam, dir. Metal A Headbang ers Journey. Writ. Scot McFadyen. Warner Bros. Entertainment, 2006. DVD. August 27 2012. 2)Fleeman, William. Managing Teen Anger and Violence A Pathways to Peace Program. Impact Publications, 2008. Web. 3)U. S. government & U. S. Department of Justice, Stats and Services, www. fbi. gov