5 Seconds to LiveEssay Preview: 5 Seconds to LiveReport this essaySuicide, cutting, self harming. Three different words of similar meaning and all related to one certain genre of music, Emo. Emo rock, developed in the mid 1980 in the US as a subgenre to Hardcore Punk music, is widely known in todays society as negatively influencing music for teens according to many articles and media coverage regarding this genre of music. Evidence of this negative impact can be seen in the case of Hannah Bond of UK, who hanged herself in her bedroom to inspire an emo movement and the case of the ban of emo music from Russia due to its possible jeopardizing on national stability. With many of their lyrics containing verses and implication towards suicide and self harm it is easily understood why many critics would believe that Emo music is bad for teens that are easily influenced by the media today. Though emo rock as a bad reputation of causing mental or physical harm to their listeners, I believe that emo rock can be used as a type of healing salve that can generate a sense of belonging in society and a deeper understanding of your own state of being. In order to justify my stance on the subject of “Can Emo Music create a positive effect impact on society” I chose two journal to base my argument around: “Adolescent Boys Use of Emo Music as Their Healing Lament” by Aaron P. Anastasi from the Journal of Religion and Health, and “Music Preference, Personality Style, and Developmental Issues of Adolescents” by Kelly Schwartz, from the Journal of Youth Ministry.
Before delving into the research, let us first understand what emo stands for, because a better understanding will provide background knowledge to understand the stances in this essay. Emo is a subculture that is based around music and fashion. Typical stereotyped emo teens are characterized as dark, shy, introverted, angst ridden and associated with depression. Emo music is characterized for their sullen melodies, dismal imaging and implicit lyrics that tamper on the darker shade of society. Examples of these implicit lyrics are “Did you get what you deserve? The ending of your life” by My Chemical Romance song DEAD. Emo fashion is depicted as clothing heavily based around the color black and accessories based around silver or metal such as black converse, black short sleeved tight shirt, studded belts and wrist bands.
Both writers believe that music can affect the behavior of teens and how they may impact them. In Aaron Anastasis article, Anastasi believes that emo music can act as a source of acceptance for many adolescent boys who “desperately seek love and acceptance but often lack the means to attain it.” (Anastasi 303) He argues that people suffer and many of those people are adolescent boys who are trained under the “Boy Code”, a code where a boy is raised to be stoic, stable independence and never to show emotions which is considered a weakness. Anastasi states that because of these social standards and upbringing many adolescents have a difficult time expressing themselves emotionally and thus keep their suffering inside
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I see a bright future for all in music. Music can empower many youth with a deep respect for a life that they’ve come to love and to live with.
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In a 2014 essay titled “The Importance of Youth As a Source of Emotionally Transhumanity”, Anastasi states that youth cannot only become aware of the problems that exist in society but also the role music plays in a broader trend of cultural change: The role it plays in youth cultural awareness and acceptance, culture-specific cultural norms and the power of music in changing attitudes towards music. He argues that youth play an important role in inspiring them to take risks and accept their own identity and/or the values and ideals of each other.₠.
It is important to note how important and powerful cultural changes have been in the U.S. and around the globe, especially in regard to the subject matter that the music has been featured on. These global issues are a major driving force behind the increasing importance of music in our culture.
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We have a unique opportunity to explore music and how it can play a transformative role in our youth culture. Although the importance of music may be overlooked for many years, it’s important as a part of our youth community to see how we can use it to change our culture.
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With the recent success in youth music education in the U.S., a growing number of youth will feel they can be a part of the movement to educate their peers about music and to use that knowledge to influence their future.
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With the latest data from the 2013 National Youth Music Literacy Survey being released in March of this year, Anastasi concludes that the U.S.’s growing role in youth music education is one reason that it is important to understand youth music education as a critical tool in promoting social change.
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I am also curious about the recent study that states that young people’s ability to become aware of music can be influenced by their ability to identify some of the most vulnerable people and groups of young people in public life. This indicates that if kids were able to identify that someone was a potential threat to all of society they could use the music. My thoughts on the survey are as follows. As a writer who feels that the importance of music has been neglected in our youth, I believe that music is vital to be aware of because it has been used as a rallying cry for public awareness of and action towards the problems surrounding the social problems plaguing our society including poverty in the inner cities, homelessness and mental health issues. I would also strongly recommend that