Double Standard on Music

I was listening to a little music today, and by music I mean “garbage” according to my parents and a lot of people in the world. I was jamming out to a little ludicrous, Eminem, and even a sprinkling of Kid Rock. This Music has negative undertones, foul language, and even suggestive themes. This music doesn’t always lift my spirits but reminds me that when I’m down, I’m not the only one who gets down.

I once had a long and deep conversation with a parent who said that they don’t want their children ever listening to that kind of music. (First I support every parent in their choice to have their child listen to positive music. It is their responsibility to help their kids understand the choices they make and their effect on their life.)  But something caught me rather odd.  I asked if there was any non-Christian music that they were ok with their kids listening to. They responded, absolutely! There is a ton of music that is out there with good music and a good message. So the next obvious question was, ok, who do you like?

This is where I just sat back and chuckled a little; Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Toby Keith, Johnny Cash, Brad Paisley, and John Denver.

Now it isn’t the names on the list that make me laugh. I have been known to live on a prayer, as well as remind people that it is, in fact, my life(Jovi). I am also a fan of not missing a thing and I hate it when I see a dude who looks like a lady (Aerosmith) . I also believe sticking a boot up a terrorist’s @$$ is the American way(Keith). I am a big fan of Cigars, and I have said Hey, Hey Mr. Police man (Paisley). If you didn’t know me I am a big fan of feeling that rocky mountain high(Denver). Yet the one that got me most was the Johnny Cash reference.  I asked if it was ok to listen to Johnny Cash why wasn’t it ok to listen to Eminem? That is when I think I went too far. The parent who was apparently a huge Johnny cash fan said “how dare you compare one of the greatest folk/country musicians of all time to that hate spewing rapper.                                                                 

This is where I got upset. I asked who wrote the song about a battle inside a man’s inner conscience.  The parent said Eminem, which was correct. Who wrote a song about going to jail for killing a man in Reno. The parent said Johnny cash, which was correct. I said which artist wrote the song about getting high on Cocaine and killing a woman. The parent said Eminem, and that time the parent was wrong! That’s right it was Johnny Cash in a song called Cocaine Blues.

“Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds
I took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman down
I went right home and I went to bed I stuck that lovin' 44 beneath my head”

I think there is a misconception in the world today about what music is “Christian” and what music is ok for kids to listen to. I love Christian music and I love hard core, dark, rap songs. Well I started listening to K-Love out here in Denver, a Christian focused, radio station. Filling my car with love, joy, and songs of the redeemed, and it made me feel great. It lifted my spirit, got me excited for the day, and reminded me of the joy I feel. My only problem is after a while I couldn’t take all that happiness. I couldn’t listen to another song about how awesome our God is. Is that Weird? Am I a defective music lover because I have a limit on an entire Genre of music?

Of course not it just means I feel a lot of different emotions and music can help me channel how I am feeling. I believe this has the same effect  on kids but to even more extremes because they emotions are all over the place. So is it our responsibility to completely cut them off from certain music?  Of course not.   It is our responsibility to help guide kids to music that is there for when we are happy and music for when we are bummed out. I don’t think ANY music is inherently bad; it is the way that music is accepted by who is hearing it that makes it bad. If a young child, who believes anything an adult says because they are an adult, listens to Eminem someone messed up. But if a teenager, who understands that people say things to get them off their chest, because they are angry, or even because they say things to keep up a persona, hears a song, they can break it down better. I believe it is a parent’s responsibility to their children to help guide their music choices, but not make up the kids mind for them. Once you shoot down the music a kid connects with, to them, you are shooting the kid down.

So when you say that Rap, Metal, Death Metal, ScrEmo, or any other type of music is terrible but the music you listened to is just fine, go back and take a second look at some of your favorites, because I think you will find that your favorites said a lot of the same things they are saying today. They just sang it softer and with more savvy than today’s musicians.