Grossberg discusses Allen Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind when he discusses youth and how they have been affected by rock music. Bloom criticizes rock music because he says that great music should, “harness the passions to reason, but rock only appeals to ‘sexual desire undeveloved and untutored’” , and that it blurs the image of adulthood and maturity (p.196).
Rock music is not the only element of pop culture that is responsible for falsifying the image of adulthood and maturity. Advertising and television are also to blame for desensitizing people, especially kids, and making young adults believe that they are really mature. However, the images that young adults have of maturity are not always realistic.
He also says that rock music can cause young adults to rebel. Bloom is frightened by the idea that rock places youth outside of social control, the family, the academy and in some cases, the nation. He also notes that the link between rock and drugs presents another threat to the consumer culture, which is a fact proven by the American Medical Association (p.198).
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of hundreds of bands that have used sex in their music. They are known for being rebellious and for doing whatever they want, which furthers Allen Bloom’s notions about how rock has given youth a false image of maturity.
Rock isn’t the only kind of music that shapes the mind of kids and youth. Rap is also notorious for presenting controversial issues and for having explicit lyrics. Some kids are listening to it and thinking that referring to women as “bitches” is alright. People should be able to tell that it’s not right, but this isn’t always the case.
Music is only entertainment. But sometimes see it as more than that, and they can use it in ways that could affect them negatively. But if children and youth are sexualized before they are ready to be, popular culture could become even worse. If only there was a way to effectively censor music and TV…
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