Rap as a Bad Influence free essay sample

Over the course of the one-year study, they were: Three times more likely to hit a teacher Over 2. 5 times more likely to get arrested Twice as likely to have multiple sexual partners 1. 5 times more likely to get a sexually transmitted disease, use drugs, or drink alcohol. What is particularly alarming about our findings is that we didnt find an association with just violence or one or two risky behaviors, says researcher Ralph J. Decremented, PhD, of Emory Universitys Rollins School of public Health.We found an association With a string of these behaviors. His study, published in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health, only involved black girls living in Birmingham, Ala. ? all of whom were already sexually active. While the researchers surveyed viewing habits for various types of rap videos, gangs rap was by far the most popular among the girls practicing these destructive behaviors. We will write a custom essay sample on Rap as a Bad Influence or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We wanted to focus on young, African American women, a population that is very vulnerable, Decremented tells WebMD. In these videos, men hold the rower and women dont and as a result, are subservient. Im not sure that the girls in our study were lashing out because of this, but more likely role- modeling the behaviors they see. The women in these videos are doing K, theyre hanging around with a man who is powerful, affluent, going to nice clubs and wearing nice clothes. For these girls, they may not be a bad thing. His team is currently expanding its research to investigate how these and other rap videos may influence behaviors across other racial, gender and socioeconomic lines.Although gangs rap videos depict tough inner-city street life, their largest viewing audience is white suburban youth, who have better access to cable television channels such as MAT and BET (Black Entertainment Television). Of course, this isnt the first time that rebellious music has been blamed for societys ills. From Elvis to Columbine, the songs of music-obsessed youth have often been blamed for anti-social behavior. But rap and in particular, the especially violent and sexually-explicit gangs variety has raised special concern.