Is Pop corrupting kids?

[Ms.MJ Fan2007]

I found this artcial on some other website!

Is pop corrupting kids?
Posted Wed 11 Aug 2010 12:24 BST by Ben Gilbert in Behind The Music
Over the last 20 years, pop has grown up. The genre has sealed its place amongst the most lucrative fields in global entertainment, dominating media headlines and captivating the imaginations of countless teenagers. But in doing so, has it gone overboard, compromising innocent thrills in a haze of raunch and sensationalism?

That's the claim of one of the 80s' most significant producers, Mike Stock, one third of Stock Aitken Waterman, who helped launch the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Rick Astley, masterminding numerous chart hits during the trio's golden era. But he is not impressed with where pop is at in 2010.

Stock blames the genre's current stars for "sexualising" youngsters everywhere. "The music industry has gone too far. It's not about me being old-fashioned. It's about keeping values that are important in the modern world. These days you can't watch modern stars - like Britney Spears or Lady Gaga - with a two-year-old.

"Kids are being forced to grow up too young. Look at the videos. I wouldn't necessarily want my young kids to watch them. I would certainly be embarrassed to sit there with my mum," he explained. But does Stock have a point? Certainly, this year has seen a procession of semi-naked, sexed-up singles and videos from the likes of Beyonce, Gaga, Katy Perry and Kylie.

But many of these have a more mature audience, particularly in the example of Kylie, who have grown up with the star. Better examples can be seen in the work of Britney, who launched her pop career as a Catholic schoolgirl on heat in the ‘...Baby One More Time' promo and has gone on to base her entire career on 24/7 sleaze, both in pop and her real life.

More recently, Miley Cyrus has been transformed from the wholesome, all-American good girl star of ‘Hannah Montana' into the man-eating, leather-clad Lolita bad girl of recent single ‘Can't Be Tamed'. All this in just two years. It's a dramatic change. But is it the same one we expect or want from our own children? Or is the pop world simply setting a terrible example to its biggest fans?

Is Mike Stock right? Are the music stars of today guilty of "sexualising" the world's youth? Or is it just harmless pop fun? Have your say below...kred"][/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]

Soruce: http://new.uk.music.yahoo.com/blogs/behind_the_music/16246/is-pop-corrupting-kids/

 

[DuranDuran]

Hmmm..... Stock (with his partners) produced a few of Samantha Fox's songs in the 1980's, so he can't talk.

 

[144000]

and i guess there will be people who will choose the latter choice..that it's just good harmless fun.:mello:

 

[Tony R]

Fully agree with him. Even as a fan of Madonna I turn on some music videos today and although I'm a million miles away from being a prude I'm disgusted by what I see.

I think when the music has no content you need to find another way for people to talk about you.

 

[DuranDuran]

^^^^That's silly, kids are more influenced by their environment than some music videos. Basically, what Stock is saying is the same thing people said decades ago about jazz music, country & western, old R&B and blues (which was called "Jungle Bunny" or "Race" music), TV shows that would only Elvis Presley from the waist up, or the Beatles were some sissies because of their long mop tops. In 1960s US, after The Beatles became popular, guys that started growing long hair were sometimes attacked and beat up by the police or other people. Marvin Gaye mentioned this is What's Going On. People have also said that listening to Heavy Metal will either cause you to commit suicide (Ozzy Osbourne & Judas Priest were taken to court for this) or worship the devil.

 

[Severus Snape]

Partly, yes. The other half, however, comes from those who support it--the parents. Nine year old kids have no jobs, so who do you think buys the magazines, albums and merchandise related to these pop singers? The parents do!

When parents stop giving in to their kids' demands and dressing their little girls like strumpets, the whole industry will have to change what it churns out directly to kids (Miley Cyrus, HSM, the whole Disney Channel lineup, etc.)

I'm far from being old-fashioned, but there's a line between being progressive and letting pre-pubescent children dress like teenage whores. It's just creepy, and while some parents may say "there is nothing sexual about a nine year old wearing a miniskirt and makeup. It's just cute, it's just play, or it's what everyone is doing." Yeah, to you and I it's just cute fun, but there are a lot of sick people out there who already see kids in an unnatural way, and to me, doing that sort of thing is akin to luring them in.

Having a nine year old sister who is, well, that way, I worry about what she'll turn into when she's older. Sure, she LOOKS like a kid, but the things she's into and wishes to emulate are more appropriate for teens and tweens. It's just creepy and, to me, illogical. When I was that age, I didn't give a damn about celebrities, or boyfriends, or looking pretty for (insert boy's name here.) I just went out and played, using my imagination like a normal child. Where did they all go?!

I can't tell you how many mothers I ring up at work who buy teen magazines (full of pop culture gossip and things that interest teens) for their seven year old girls. In my mind I'm like "WTH is wrong with you?!!" But hey, her kid's likely demise isn't my issue, so I keep quiet.

So, my point is, don't let your -13 year olds watch or listen to the likes of Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, etc. They'll be better off without. If they really want to listen to music, introduce them to artists with real talent, like Michael.

I can tell you that the industry won't change until it sees that what it presently is doesn't sell. The only way to stop them from "corrupting" kids is, sadly, to speak their language: money.

 

[Tony R]

^^^^That's silly, kids are more influenced by their environment than some music videos. Basically, what Stock is saying is the same thing people said decades ago about jazz music, country & western, old R&B and blues (which was called "Jungle Bunny" or "Race" music), TV shows that would only Elvis Presley from the waist up, or the Beatles were some sissies because of their long mop tops. In 1960s US, after The Beatles became popular, guys that started growing long hair were sometimes attacked and beat up by the police or other people. Marvin Gaye mentioned this is What's Going On. People have also said that listening to Heavy Metal will either cause you to commit suicide (Ozzy Osbourne & Judas Priest were taken to court for this) or worship the devil.

^ It still stands that many music videos are chock full of images that are simply not suitable.

I know that you can say this about every generation from Elvis being banned from the waist down to the Sex Pistols to Madonna but I feel it really has now passed an acceptable threshold.

I don't mean Britney or Kylie, I think he's wrong with those examples but Gaga and many R 'n' B videos are just wrong. Maybe you only start to feel this way when you have kids and are sensitive to what they watch but many of the videos getting airplay should be after the watershed like 'Justify My Love' was back in the day.

 

[DuranDuran]

^ It still stands that many music videos are chock full of images that are simply not suitable.

I know that you can say this about every generation from Elvis being banned from the waist down to the Sex Pistols to Madonna but I feel it really has now passed an acceptable threshold.

I don't mean Britney or Kylie, I think he's wrong with those examples but Gaga and many R 'n' B videos are just wrong. Maybe you only start to feel this way when you have kids and are sensitive to what they watch but many of the videos getting airplay should be after the watershed like 'Justify My Love' was back in the day.

The same people who complain about music videos and song lyrics are the same ones who take their kids to horror and Harry Potter movies, play violent video games, or watch Arnold Schwarzenegger films, anime, pro wrestling, and soap operas. They can't say one thing is bad and the other isn't. The environment is the main influence. Millions of people listen to goth music, and they don't go on a shooting rampage at a school or mall. People just want to use a scapegoat for things.

 

[Tony R]

The same people who complain about music videos and song lyrics are the same ones who take their kids to horror and Harry Potter movies, play violent video games, or watch Arnold Schwarzenegger films, anime, pro wrestling, and soap operas. They can't say one thing is bad and the other isn't. The environment is the main influence. Millions of people listen to goth music, and they don't go on a shooting rampage at a school of mall. People just want to use a scapegoat for things.

What a gross generalisation.

And I'm not saying it's the main influence, of course that's the environment. I'm just saying that some videos go way too far.

 

[twinklEE]

Partly, yes. The other half, however, comes from those who support it--the parents. Nine year old kids have no jobs, so who do you think buys the magazines, albums and merchandise related to these pop singers? The parents do!

When parents stop giving in to their kids' demands and dressing their little girls like strumpets, the whole industry will have to change what it churns out directly to kids (Miley Cyrus, HSM, the whole Disney Channel lineup, etc.)

I'm far from being old-fashioned, but there's a line between being progressive and letting pre-pubescent children dress like teenage whores. It's just creepy, and while some parents may say "there is nothing sexual about a nine year old wearing a miniskirt and makeup. It's just cute, it's just play, or it's what everyone is doing." Yeah, to you and I it's just cute fun, but there are a lot of sick people out there who already see kids in an unnatural way, and to me, doing that sort of thing is akin to luring them in.

Having a nine year old sister who is, well, that way, I worry about what she'll turn into when she's older. Sure, she LOOKS like a kid, but the things she's into and wishes to emulate are more appropriate for teens and tweens. It's just creepy and, to me, illogical. When I was that age, I didn't give a damn about celebrities, or boyfriends, or looking pretty for (insert boy's name here.) I just went out and played, using my imagination like a normal child. Where did they all go?!

I can't tell you how many mothers I ring up at work who buy teen magazines (full of pop culture gossip and things that interest teens) for their seven year old girls. In my mind I'm like "WTH is wrong with you?!!" But hey, her kid's likely demise isn't my issue, so I keep quiet.

So, my point is, don't let your -13 year olds watch or listen to the likes of Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, etc. They'll be better off without. If they really want to listen to music, introduce them to artists with real talent, like Michael.

I can tell you that the industry won't change until it sees that what it presently is doesn't sell. The only way to stop them from "corrupting" kids is, sadly, to speak their language: money.

:clapping:

 

[DuranDuran]

What a gross generalisation.

And I'm not saying it's the main influence, of course that's the environment. I'm just saying that some videos go way too far.

"Way too far" is an opinion. There were a lot worse things that happened in the middle ages than in some video. The people in that time didn't blame their problems on music videos because there were none. Human behavior is what it has always been.

 

[suzynyc]

"Kids" is the operative word here. My concern is how fast "kids" are growing up and being sexualized. Miley Cyrus is the perfect example. This girl is 17 years old and doing things on stage that Madonna did at 28. I'm looking at Letterman last night and there is 17 year old Selena Gomez made up, dressed and looking like a woman 10 years older. Even Letterman was stunned that she was only 17. I wasn't allowed to wear makeup until I started high school and only just a little lip gloss and blush - no false eyelashes, bright red lipstick, tight skirts or sky high heels. I don't know who is to blame for this but kids, tweens & teens are growing up much too fast.

I guess it's a combination of the music marketing machine and parents who do not supervise their children (parents of children in show business as well as parents of ordinary, non-showbiz kids).