Trey Jensen Professor Gabriele Rios Mapping Project ENC 1102H Music: Harmony and Disharmony Music and

society have an intricate, complex relationship. People are shaped by the inspiration of their favorite songs. One of the most famous lines in music history is imagine all the people, living life in peace. In the masterful work of the Beatles Imagine, the Beatles strived for cultural harmony created by their music. Music has connected society since its birth. It is a channel through which people can relate. As the most commercial art form in modern society, music brings different people together on a global scale. Though music is such an important aspect of how people identify themselves, it is music that helps people decide what they do not wish to identify with. What a person listens to often helps define what he or she is like personality-wise. More often than not, an individual is grouped with a preconceived idea on how he or she is supposed to act based on how his or her preferred music choice is commonly represented. It is this action that can inhibit an individual in their daily life. A stereotype is a category that people use to organize their social world. Stereotypes are considered cognitive structures which contain knowledge, beliefs and expectations about a human group. They are generalizations that function as significant models in societal grouping. Stereotypes, with their cognitive practicality, actually have many negative repercussions to individuals who do or do not want to be grouped into them.

In a society of avid cultural segregation, it is commonly mistaken that the musical interest of an individual is indicative of that individuals interests, values, and beliefs. Each music genre corresponds to the stereotypes of cultural demographics like punks or rednecks. Every different brand of music is burdened with the stereotypes that it breeds. Heavy metal is a style of rock music that features heavy lyrics and high energy sound. The intensity of heavy metal music results in a marginalized perception of the people who are interested in it. Metal heads are often generalized as people who are so influenced by the music that they pursue self-destructive identities. Heavy metal is publicly understood to endorse dark, even satanic themes. Hip Hop music, with its vivid reflection of its ghetto roots, is expected to generate, and be sought out by violent people. It has often been criticized for its violent, misogynistic, and homophobic themes. Though these general ideas are misrepresented, the field survey I conducted reinforces these commonly held notions. When asked about their thoughts on the two genres and the typical fan associated with said genres, the participants backed the stereotypical ideas with answers that correlated exactly with what is commonly expected of the fans by the general populace. These generalization works the same for any other popular genre on the musical spectrum. Electronic Dance music is hardly mentionable in conversation without reference to party drugs like ecstasy or a music festival, and nobody forgets that country is for rednecks. Cultural generalization becomes unfortunate when an individuals music interests is thought to reflect the interests and values of the individual, rather than exclusively a taste in music. Naturally, negative categorization encompasses the public opinion of individuals of each musical interest. Any avid listener of heavy metal is subject to the stereotype of a drug-fueled, corrupt individual. The ties rap music has to gang affiliation is at the forefront of the parental

conscience, as is the danger of heavy metal. A child who develops interests in Heavy Metal and long hair is a likely cause for concerned parents, just as a car blaring funky Hip Hop beats is likely to raise an eyebrow of a nearby cop. The immanence of these stereotypes and the discrimination it breeds is a damaging pressure on individuals in society. Young people, in their personal intrinsic quest to find who they are, are adoptive of themes from the music they listen to. For example, an avid listener of country music is likely to have a cowboy hat lying around somewhere. The problem is that the slight mannerisms and habits that music fans pick up is blown out of proportion in the eyes of the public. Young people who envelope themselves with music are going to be expected to act a certain way, and in turn, often react by absorbing the stereotype pushed onto them in the first place. Compton is one of the most famous hot spots in Hip Hop, and thus, breeds children who grow up with the reputation of coming from such a notorious neighborhood. Being viewed by the public as a potentially gang affiliated person, and being like other gang affiliated people in terms of cultural similarities, play impressionable roles in a young Compton natives life choices. Raps prominence in Compton likely contributes to its colorful crime statistics. This type of pressure leads kids to believe that if they like a brand of music, they would also enjoy the lifestyle that the stereotype specifies. What then, does this mean for the white kid who likes rap, or the introvert who is into electronic dance music? In the midst of cultural generalization of people with different music interests, is a hybrid sea of culturally interconnected people. The world is not inhabited by peoples of social uniformity, but of people of varied interest in popular culture. The demographics of Disney music fans would be largely expected to skew towards children and females. While conducting a field study on music genres, several persons admitted to an insecurity in their liking of Disney music, and how they rarely disclose their interest in it out of

fear of discrimination. Conscious of such social perceptions, men often deny their interest in Disney music, so as not to be reduced to a homosexual or as being immature. Similarly, a fan of indie music may be regularly labeled a hipster, and furthermore, arrogant. It wouldnt be wise for someone in an interview to let slip an indication that they like electronic dance music, or they might fall victim to the looming probability that they do drugs. Discrimination even works on a regulated, every-day schedule. A white driver is likely to become nervous if the car pulling up next to them is packed with black people blaring loud rap music, and inversely, a black driver will tense up in the company of white people with country music. Whites and blacks obviously mesh in society without conflict in most circumstances, but its the addition of music that serves as enough evidence for grounds to suspect that the opposite race is that kind of black or white person. All of these societal burdens result directly from the outlook on the different musical subcultures and the discrimination that it entails. This dichotomy that music draws, between those who belong to that kind and those who dont, is in itself a dividing mechanism in the grand scheme of social interaction. Due to the stereotypes that music inhibits, people construct barriers between themselves and those who are not like themselves. Thus, the wondrous bonding miracles of music is rendered to be in fact, partially destructive of social relationships, with its ability to distinguish in spite of its ability to connect. Music genres come with their own distinctive set of subcultures, and when individuals are faced with pressure to embody their respective musical cultures, they proceed to react critically. Some find themselves epitomizing their expected subculture, while other fans have to deal with the public expectation and judgment of a lifestyle that does not characterize themselves. The fantasy of music is that it can bring together different people to live life in peace, it also carries with it burdens of stereotypes and discrimination: its tragic disharmony.

Works Cited:

Shobe, Hunter, and David Banis. "Music Regions And Mental Maps: Teaching Cultural Geography." Journal of Geography 109.2 (2010): 87-96. ERIC. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. Fried, Carrie B., Ph.D. "Stereotypes of Music Fans: Are Rap and Heavy Metal Fans a Danger to Themselves or Others?" Journal of Media Psychology 8.3 (2003): Web. 24 March. 2014 Hovanisyan, Lucy. "Five Music Fan Stereotypes." 34th Street Magazine RSS. 34th Street, 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 02 Apr. 2014

Rentfrow, Peter J., Jennifer A. McDonald, and Julien A. Oldmeadow. "You Are What You Listen To: Young Peoples Stereotypes about Music Fans." Group Processes and Intergroup Relations 12.3 (2009): 329-44. Web. 30 Mar. 2014

Negut, A, and P Sarbescu. "Problem Music Or Problem Stereotypes? The Dynamics Of Stereotype Activation In Rock And Hip-Hop Music." Musicae Scientiae 18.1 (n.d.): Citation Index. Web. 2 Apr. 2014

3-16. Arts & Humanities

Field Survey conducted by Trey Jensen, survey on opinions and thoughts of different music genres.