During my prep hour I have two independent study students whom are both girls. I usually let them listen to their ipods while they work. I heard them mention ICP (Insane Clown Posse) the other day and asked them what they thought of them. One responded that she did not like them while the other said she did like them. As I hear their reponses my mind was flooded with thoughts of disgust towards this band. I first learned of them at a drug/gang conference I attended last fall. For those of you not familiar with ICP, here's a little background before I continue:
In 1991 Joseph Bruce, a founding member of ICP, had a dream where "a caravan of strange and powerful beings" appeared to him in what appeared to be a traveling circus (Wikipedia). As he talked to his psychologist about the dream, he was advised not to act out these violent instructions but rather express them through music. So he did. He and his band members set out to spread their message of "reform". Each album revolves around a joker character who has a specific message on how to change your ways before the end comes. Here's a sample of one of their songs entitled "The Thrill of the Kill":
I'm shakin' so fast that you could say I'm vibratin'
There's a sickness in my head a hunger escalatin'
There's no other ending to this s**t so why the f*** I'm waitin'
Hop into the darkness for my homicidal break-in
I thought it out for many weeks I even told a reverend
But he ain't even listenin' 'cause I'm over elevenI told my girlfriend and she just said it was cute
Then asked me how she looked in her f*** me boots and took off
[Shaggy 2 Dope:]Sweatin' and my chest is burnin' like I'm on fire
So much pressure in my head I could blow air in through a car tire
I'm about to burst pop shatter explode
And everybody's pokin'sticks at me like they wanna splat me
[Violent J:]No one sees me when I creep I stay behind s***
Check for open windows I scale across and climb s***
Get inside and choke an old lady in her Craftmatic
And like fresh oxygen to an asthmatic I get a thrill
[Chorus:]Every time that a door gets closed. The thrill
Every time that the reaper shows. The thrill
Every time that the red blood flows. The thrill
I gets my proper dose
Every time, (every time) every time (the thrill)Every time, (every time) every time (the thrill)Every time that the red blood flows. The thrill
Okay, so now that you are totally disturbed, back to my story. I proceeded to tell this student what I thought of ICP and how no one should listen to music that has those kind of lyrics. When a person listens to violent, sad, happy, humorous lyrics, their actions and thoughts are influenced. She then told me my argument was "asinine". How can you say that music doesn't affect you?!! Then the thought came to mind, "So maybe that's why you're such an angry teenager!"
The APA (American Psycological Association) did a study on violent lyrics and found that they do increase aggressive thoughts and feelings ("Exposure to Violent Media: The Effects of Songs With Violent Lyrics on Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Vol. 84, No. 5.). I've always felt that music greatly influences the way a person thinks, acts, and interacts with other people. And yes, I do think that ICP influenced those boys to kill Cassie Jo Stoddart here in Idaho. They wore clown masks and repeated lyrics of ICP as they went to murder Cassie Jo. I'm not saying ICP made those boys commit the crime, but I don't think ICP had nothing to do with it. Whether you're listening to happy, violent, funny, or spritual music, an impression is left on your thoughts, feelings, and tendencies.
How's THAT for a first blog!
