Mellony Posted June 9, 2013 Posted June 9, 2013 So, do any of you censor what you listen to around your children? I don't feel a need to...but I'm just curious what everyone else does. I listen to all ranges of music like Frank Sinatra, Iron Maiden, Aus Rotten, Bikini Kill, Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters....obviously more than that. I think mainstream parents would object to the content of a lot of music I listen to in front of them..but I really see no harm in it.
Pepin Posted June 9, 2013 Posted June 9, 2013 Can you expand as to why you do not think you music would cause harm to a child? Can any music cause harm? Can some music cause harm? If so, what is the harm dependent upon? What kind of harm would music cause? I don't really have an answer to this question, with the exception religious and state supportive music that children are forced to chant, as that is a clear method of indoctrination through an induced trance state. On a side note, I've noticed that people are extremely confused when they find that I listen to some bands that are communistic or socialistic... Which I really don't get. For instance: I am absolutely in love with Animals by Pink Floyd which is a critique of capitalism, and people seem to think that due my thinking, I ought to be opposed to the album and despise it.
Mellony Posted June 9, 2013 Author Posted June 9, 2013 I personally think there is nothing wrong with music. Which is why I said I don't censor what my kids listen to. My question was does anyone here censor what their kids listen to.
_LiveFree_ Posted June 9, 2013 Posted June 9, 2013 my thoughts on what music is.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naBSCmIHUf8 [up for critique of course ]
Al Posted June 9, 2013 Posted June 9, 2013 I have a question, Nathan: what if you're feeling that another person wants revenge or is a sadist? Is it possible to feel empathy for negative emotions and disagree with them? What do you do about that? I'm not objecting to what you're saying - I agree with what you did say - it just seems like a lot of music is spreading "negative energy." To give my answer to the OP, when they were very young, we didn't play music they didn't like. Now I make no effort to keep stuff I like from them. My daughter didn't like it when I sang "Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who, for instance. Now that she's 16 and my younger daughter is 9, I've bought that song and some others. Although, I guess I'm actually inclined to sing that song particularly with a nastier tone than they do. So, I come off sounding scarier.
Pepin Posted June 10, 2013 Posted June 10, 2013 I personally think there is nothing wrong with music. I understand that your actions with not censoring music from your kids is in junction with the statement "that nothing is wrong with music", but why do you believe what you believe?
tasmlab Posted June 10, 2013 Posted June 10, 2013 I have my own music dillema as I compose and release some very violent music with some very subversive themes and some language that is outright obscene (my last album): http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tasmlab09 I now wonder what will happen when my own delightful three children find it!
_LiveFree_ Posted June 10, 2013 Posted June 10, 2013 I have a question, Nathan: what if you're feeling that another person wants revenge or is a sadist? Is it possible to feel empathy for negative emotions and disagree with them? What do you do about that? I'm not objecting to what you're saying - I agree with what you did say - it just seems like a lot of music is spreading "negative energy." To give my answer to the OP, when they were very young, we didn't play music they didn't like. Now I make no effort to keep stuff I like from them. My daughter didn't like it when I sang "Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who, for instance. Now that she's 16 and my younger daughter is 9, I've bought that song and some others. Although, I guess I'm actually inclined to sing that song particularly with a nastier tone than they do. So, I come off sounding scarier. Emotions aren't "negative" in the sense that there are emotions to be avoided. You feel what you're going to feel involuntarily. Controlling emotions is impossible. Controlling actions is what is important. As a human being, ideally you'd want to be able to empathize with every emotion. And you can't agree or disagree with something that is involuntary. That's like saying, "I disagree with the way my heart beats." Now, if you are not resonating with a certain piece of music, just turn it off. Music can only spread if their is a host to listen to it. It's the chicken/egg, cart/horse, hand shaking the opposite hand thing. Does violent music arise out of violence or the other way around? This is what I was saying about manipulation. When music is used as a repetitive tool to shape thought patterns and, therefore, action, this is a negative ACTION taken by the listener. You can't blame the music itself nor the composer (believe it or not). Take "The Star Spangled Banner", for instance. Originally written as a drinking song for a soceity of British poets, it is now the tune for numerous national anthems around the world. In the hands of a moderately skilled composer, the same music could be set for any number of situations. The listener always brings his or her bias/experiences/preferences to the tune. Do you think any one in America will ever be able to hear this tune without thinking about the American flag? And yet, that was not the intent when it was composed. What would the U.S. national anthem mean if it didn't have any lyrics? All of it comes down to, "Listen to what you like. Don't listen to what you don't like. Don't listen to any song over and over and over and over." Pretty simple. Just don't blame "the music" for spreading negativity. The negativity is in the mind of the creator. If it wasn't music, it'd be something else.
MysterionMuffles Posted June 12, 2013 Posted June 12, 2013 What I find about music--and I may be wrong on this so take it for what it's worth--is that depending on your personality, you tend to gravitate towards music that reflects it. Instrumentals that's up for debate, but I think at least lyrically you tend to gravitate towards songs you can identify or at least empathize with. From my personal experience, I was really into Korn when I was depressed little teenager lol. It helped me feel those emotions along with someone who wrote lyrics full of hatred and self defeat which is what I felt at the time. I used to think it gave me comfort to identify with Korn's lyrics but I think it just made me more sad. To this day I can still appreciate their musicianship because from their first 5 albums, I think they a unique signature sound that I find pretty awesome. I just have no interest in listening to their stuff anymore new or old because the lyrics and Jonathan Davis' whiny-ness puts me off. so nowadays I listen to a lot of math rock because I enjoy complex guitar riffs and I also listen to a little bit of metal if I could find any decent bands that don't scream or growl, as that is something I've lost my taste for also. I really couldn't take the aggression or the incoherent babblings anymore. What the hell am I getting at? I don't know. when I have kids, ill provide them with my library to start with but they're free to develop their own tastes as they grow older. Even if its rap that they get into, which is a genre I could never get too find of, at least not the mainstream crap. When it comes down to it I wouldn't limit my kids to what they listen to. As long as they don't let the lyrics influence them in any negative way if they happen to be negative, and let them know they can still appreciate the musicianship as a whole completely independent of the lyrics. Though I would argue that I would raise my kids well enough that they don't end up gravitating towards any destructively seeming music.
_LiveFree_ Posted June 15, 2013 Posted June 15, 2013 ^^ Absolutely! When you are not allowed to express how you feel, you'll express by proxy via listening to music that reflects those feelings.
Mellony Posted June 15, 2013 Author Posted June 15, 2013 I completely agree that my mood affects what music I listen to. I tend to gravitate to music with lyrics I can relate to, like music with a lot of political dissention or gives me a nostalgic feeling. I used to listen to Rage Against the Machine a lot. Their song "Killing In the Name Of" has a line, fuck you I won't do what you tell me, it's said over and over on the album version of the song. Some of my "friends" gave me a piece of their minds when I listened to that song in front of my kids. I just told them that I want my kids to say that to me...it means I've done my job right! LOL
Recommended Posts