The Power of Music (page 5)

Had they been born a decade earlier, their first choice in music would have been entirely different. The boys were in their teenage years when Ozzy Osbourne was everywhere, and thus they listened and learned. Since the emergence of MTV, teens have had much less exposure to different types of music. According to the Stanford Report, teenagers on the average watch between 4 and 5 hours of music television per day (Stanford Online Report). Teens choose the type of music that's on MTV because it's popular and accessible, and that music in turn shapes their political ideas.

I will use my roommate again to provide another counter-example. He chose to buy the Public Enemy CD not because it was in line with his political ideas, but because he was curious to hear how Chuck D had sampled Buffalo Springfield's For What its Worth. Although highbrow in taste, he was a teenager at the time, and watched MTV on a regular basis. He had seen an interview with Chuck D about sampling the song, and he immediately bought the album. Had Public Enemy not been accessible to him at the time, he would have never chosen to buy the album. He chose a music that was accessible to him at the time, but in no way did it shape his political ideals. He is still the same middle-class, white guy who will defend the status quo until his dying day. He is a perfect example that just because you pick a type of music that's accessible to you, does not mean it will shape you politically.

Page 1 of The Power Of Music
Page 2 of The Power Of Music
Page 3 of The Power Of Music
Page 4 of The Power Of Music
Page 5 of The Power Of Music
Page 6 of The Power Of Music
Page 7 of The Power Of Music