Pooh-Pooh Platter, Crack Science, and Knee Jerks
Yesterday, all the major hip-hop online outlets had news of this recent report that said:
Listeners of rap are more likely to encounter problems with alcohol, drugs and violence than listeners of other genres, according to a new study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation’s (PIRE) Prevention Research Center.
More than 1,000 community college students, age 15-25, participated in the study, titled “Music, Substance Use and Aggression.” The students were questioned on their music listening habits, alcohol use, illicit drug use and aggressive behaviors, such as getting into fights and attacking or threatening others.
The results found that rap was consistently associated with alcohol use, potential alcohol use disorder, illicit drug use and aggressive behavior. - via Allhiphop.com
On the surface, that looks like another reason to say that rap music is what is afoul in the black community and further, potentially, every community as a whole.
Well, I pooh-pooh on this study.
[***Sidenote: I have no idea why, but I have a newfound affinity for saying "pooh-pooh" when in reference to things that make little to no logical sense to me. There's nothing like being a grown smurfin' black man who uses the word pooh-pooh around other grown people. I'm sexxy. ***]
I’m sure this type of study adds fuel to the fire of those individuals who blame artists for crimes that they had nothing to do with. A kid kills a cop? If he listens to rap, the connection will be made that he killed a cop because he listens to rap. And of course white people, religious anti-rap crusaders, and lots of black people who think that rap is what’s wrong with the black community can find solace in knowing that a seemingly faulty study FROM JUMP further vindicates the hatred that already exists for rap music. Even the researchers claim that the study really isn’t necessarily as indicative as the results maybe used.
But who needs exact science? We need it to feed our beliefs. To hell with legitimate statistics. Give me what I want to HEAR!!!
I even read on SOHH.com where the article was titled: New Study Finds That Rap Music Drives You To Drink And Use Drugs. So even worse, the wrong information is coming from the hip-hop community too. Because yes, there are those in the hip-hop community who love to take shots at the commercial nature and need the ammunition to rail against the 50 Cent’s and southern rappers of the world.
Well…I’m calling bullshit.
Oh my bad, I pooh-pooh on such findings.
From the very second I read the reports on the article, two things jumped right out at me:
1) The sample they were using; and
2) The methodology they were using.
Before I jump into why this all makes little to no sense to me, let me first say I have no problem with doing studies that end up admonishing rap in any way, as long as logical sense is used. I also don’t think that the results cannot be used in any way shape or form. I just think that the way they will be used is wrong and also contains a bit of a, well…no shit, vibe to it. But alas, such is my opinion. On to the analysis.
The sampe they used for this was 1,000 community college students aged 15-25. Now, I’m not rocket scientist or survey psychologist, but in today’s day and age, what is the music form that a good 80 percent of all 15-25 year olds are listeing too?
Anybody?
If you said rap, give yourself a pat on the back. Young people, black and white, during their early years tend to trend similarly in their musical tastes because we all get our musical tastes from where?
Anybody?
MTV.
Now, that’s not to say that MTV is the sole music source for many of us (your parents are also a big source), but in all reality, who doesn’t watch MTV at all? In their teenage years? Let’s ALSO throw into the equation that these are college students (community, but hell its still got an element of education). Raise your hand if you never drank or tried any illicit drug in college, on your own volition.
*spotting a few hands here and there*
It’s kcuffin’ college! Especially in the white world, from what I know, drinking is just one of those things you do. I went to a predominantly white high school. Them white kids would get drunk every weekend like it was nothing. I have no reason to assume that those who were drinking in high school would stop by the time they got to college, be it community or Harvard. In college, the black students were smoking up shit like it was going out of style. I know so many people who experimented with drugs it isn’t even funny. People who I’d never think smoked a few times just because they figured they should get that experience. Hell, I’ve considered smoking a cigar before because I was bored. And that was two weeks ago. I’ve never smoked a thing in my life.
Once again, it’s kcuffin’ college! And they are 15-25 years old and rap is the most popular music form right now. Even people who claim not to be rap fans listen to Nelly. And you know white people love Eminem and 50 Cent. How else would they do those huge numbers?
My second beef is the order of operations or methodology. So, based on what I read, I’m assuming they just gave these folks a questionnaire with questions about their drug use, alcohol assumption, aggression, etc. and it simultaneously questioned them about their music preferences from rap to rock and roll. That’s all well and good except when coupled with the age group and the fact that these are college students, you are going to get results like this. Hmm, I smoke pot. I listen to Nelly. Well, Nelly listeners are prone to smoking pot. It’s too simply done.
If a=b, and b=c, then a=c. With a being college student, b being illicit drug use (or what have you) and c being rap music.
That’s WAY to simple a connection to make. And then run with.
The experiment I’d like to see?
Track kids from an early age all with the same background (and I know that you won’t be able to predict if they come up the same way but hey, that could play a part in it as well) using their musical preferences as a guide. See what happens to the kids that don’t listen to rap and what happens to the kids that do listen to rap. If the kids that don’t listen to rap end up being perfect model citizens and the kids that do end up shanking mofo’s at age 15, well then you got me. But what happens if there is no difference? What happens if the Preacher’s Kid who doesn’t listen to rap drinks as much and smokes more than the lawyer’s son who listens to rap…exclusively?
Hell, on The Boondocks, Huey did an experiment to see if he would be dumber if he watched nothing but black shows for two weeks straight. Now THAT is some science I can get behind!
I realize that these studies are done because somebody probably wants to find out the connection. And at its most basic level, this is probably how some random high school student would do this experiment. But, it seems a tad reckless since most scientists know that most people can’t read nor do they give a shit about the “other findings” like:
Researchers emphasize that the survey’s results can’t determine whether listening to certain genres leads to alcohol or illicit drug use or aggressive behavior.
However, young people with tendencies to use alcohol or illicit drugs or to be aggressive may be drawn to particular music styles.
At that point, it becomes a chicken and the egg scenario. And scientists have been grappling with that one for eons.
Which made this finding even more funny to me:
The study, published in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol, also found that young people who listen to reggae and techno use more alcohol and illicit drugs than listeners of other music, with the exception of rap.
So young partygoers and ravers might use drugs??? No way!
Nope. That’s not what people care about.
People care about this: Study shows rap music drives kids to drink and use drugs.
Score one for anti-rap proponents!
“People should be concerned about rap and Hip-Hop being used to market alcoholic beverages, given the alcohol, drug and aggression problems among listeners,” Meng-Jinn said. “That’s particularly true considering the popularity of rap and Hip-Hop among young people.”
You can add a “no shit, sherlock” to the end of that statement as we didn’t need this study to let us know that malt-liquor companies have been trying to use rappers for years to tap into the listeners. St. Ides, anyone?
Maybe, it’s just me, but if that was the point of this study, then the researchers have been asleep at the wheel for quite some time since none of that is news.
So, to the people who will use this as just further proof that rap is what’s wrong with the black community, I pooh-pooh on your assertions and question if you’ve really thought about this study for more than the 10 seconds it took to read the headline that you were happy to read.
Reading is fundamental, rap is the manifestation of a bunch of other problems in the black communiy and the world community as a whole, and niggas that don’t read will get you killed.
And that is some science for that ass.
April 19th, 2006 11:58
“Community college is like a disco with books.”
- Chris Rock
April 19th, 2006 12:36
word!
it’s easier to blame a genre of music then to actually handle our shit and be accountable for where we went wrong. Irks the hell out of me.
April 19th, 2006 14:02
Your problems with the variables of the study are duly noted, I tend to agree with some of them…BUT the fact still remains, music influences lifestyle, it even helps us articulate our lives, like Stevie helps us articulte our feelings of love, etc., U2 helps us articulate feelings of freedom, etc., Erykah helps us on how to view phases of life, etc….it ONLY follows then, that listening to some gold-tooth thug talk about smoking his “stickey-ickey,” hittin this “ho,” smackin that “b****,” and gettin “tore up,” not just once but OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER (like on the radio) WILL IMPACT some folks, ESPECIALLY those with limited parental/church/mentor influence, i.e. many young Black folks.
I thought this was an interesting quote from wikipedia on “hip-hop”: “The widespread success of hip hop - specifically gangsta rap - has also had a significant social impact on the demeanor of modern youth. The sometimes egotistic and degenerate attitudes often portrayed in the lyrics and videos of certain hip hop artists have shown negative effects on some of their idolizing fans. While the attitudes of specific artists certainly do not represent the rest of the hip hop community, and the effect of lyrical content on youths who are part of the hip hop culture is debatable, very often such youths adopt the much glamourized “gangsta” persona while not being members of any gang.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music
*Sigh* But I digress…we’ll never see eye to eye on this…you and yours will forever defend/excuse rap…and I will keep praying for the rebirth of “real” music in mainstream…
But good post
T
April 19th, 2006 14:55
@T: Thanks. I do have a question though and it’s one that I suppose many black folks who think rap is whats wrong with the black community can feel free to explain to me.
So, there is an underlying assumption in many rap opponents argument that rap is indeed bringing out the worst in the black community. That assumption is that if there was no rap, there would not be this devolution of the black community.
My question then, is, do you think that if rap, and let’s say, post-Puffy rap since even Will Smith was underground at one point, that if rap had remained underground and we had never experienced the bling-bling era and had NWA not existed, etcetera etcetera, that the black community would be in better shape than it is now? And if you think this is the case, how so?
April 19th, 2006 15:37
C’mon man, you mean to tell me you don’t see how someone who hears “You’re a Shining Star” repeatedly (ala the 70’s) will not turn out different than someone who hears “You and your crew ain’t sh**” over and over? I just find that very hard to believe…so hell yes, if you removed 90 % of the trash off the airwaves and replaced it with some of the music of not so long ago, most def you’d have a healthier-minded group of people. Hell, ask some of your elders, they’ll tell you that “back then,” it was commendable to be a smart Black person…hmmm, wonder when the stigma attached to “smart” for some poorer Black folks came in the frey, I’d venture to say bout the time of the emergence of ya boys NWA, hmmm…(And save the technicalities, I don’t know if that group specifically promoted anti-learning or if any group directly did…and again I know that all rap is not negative)
But on the real, from what I can tell you’re not in a position to say rap does not negatively affect lifestyle…you probably had positive parental influence/college/friends/etc. so of course YOU can listen and it not affect you…but the “least of us,” those are the ones who are in trouble…and you know the saying “you are only as good as the least of you…”
Have a good week Panama…don’t let my anti-rap ish stress you too much, lol
T
April 19th, 2006 16:52
Popular music/media REFLECTS culture. Not the other way around. Look at what’s going on with American entertainment and media as a whole right now. More and more people are getting all sensitive and wanting FCC sanctions on everybody because that’s how culture is changing. That’s the current cycle, so no more Janet/Britney/Christina at the Super Bowl. This is not akin to the chicken and the egg at all. NWA didn’t make it up, they watched it and recorded it.
I had to learn to fight to keep my bike in my neighborhood before I ever heard an uncensored rap song. My mom wouldn’t let me listen to that. But somehow we were little “gangstas” anyway.
To argue that 70’s happy songs were a positive influence ignores the fact that those songs and style of music lost popularity due to inability of the community to relate. Why? Real life is “gangsta.” People love reality. Reality TV is all the rage. And unfortunately there are too many of us to whom gangsta rap is reality music.
So in conclusion to my long winded comment, stopping “gangsta” rap is treating the symptoms and not the disease.
April 20th, 2006 11:34
its the whole chicken/egg thing…music (all art actually) is a reflection of the general culture, but the art also has an effect on the culture. american culture has become pretty nihilistic, and the general hopelessness is conveyed through the music.
for “t”, i have a question? since we were pretty much all raised by people who were listening to songs like “shining star” on repeat in the late 60’s and early 70’s, then how did we get to this point? since they’re our elders, our teachers, and you pretty much only know what you’re taught, maybe the free popcorn and pussy 70’s aint everything it was cracked up to be.
April 20th, 2006 15:08
T, I have to disagree with most of the stuff that you have said. In your comments, you stated…
“…listening to some gold-tooth thug talk about smoking his “stickey-ickey,” hittin this “ho,” smackin that “b****,” and gettin “tore up,” not just once but OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER (like on the radio) WILL IMPACT some folks, ESPECIALLY those with limited parental/church/mentor influence, i.e. many young Black folks…”
…what is funny to me is that you have articulated the real problem, though you seem to deny it. The problem is the limited parental/church/mentor influences. Back in the day, even if you were only raised by your mother in your household, you still had grandma/grandpa and the neighborhood to raise you. But these days, we don’t even know our neighbors. The burden on families to raise their kids is heightened in this day and age because there are not as many individuals that reinforce what you get at home. So to always point the finger at rap music is unjustified…
How is it that you can focus on the effect of rap music and not the effect of action and horror movies, punk rock, raves, the prevalence of drugs in the community, lack of enrichment and extracurricular programs for children and a whole host of other things that have taken a turn for the worst in American society. With a microscope, we can focus on the ill effects of anything…but when you look at these things in a vacuum, you really don’t get a complete picture. Rap music is really not as big of a detriment as you would make it…
In addition, the rap videos that you see on TV and the songs you hear on the radio might be less than 10 percent of the hip-hop music out there. You, yourself have said many times how you don’t listen to much hip-hop. So while you are complaining about it, you are not changing what you see as the problem. There are more artists out there who are along the lines of what you are claiming that you are looking for. You just don’t support them…so it is unfair to blame rap music for the state of Black American society. Rap is the artform…the business of music is not the music. Don’t get it confused…what you see on the tube is the business of music. Who you see at the show around the corner is the art of music. Support the art and don’t lump the business and the art together…
I don’t like the music influences lifestyle argument because what influences music then? You make it seem as if music is just concocted to steer people in certain direction. Music is a reflection of the person who makes it. Even club and party songs reflect the imagination and creativity (or lack thereof) of the person who pens the lyrics to that song. Stevie didn’t write Music of My Mind because he was thinking about how he could influence others…it is called Music of MY Mind. We take the personal accountability out of listening to music. We all get something different from a song. That does not mean the song was intended to evoke that emotion or that feeling from us…
Lastly, I agree with DYoung about the chicken and the egg thing. You can argue that all day. But let me bring this up as a point…you are reading Panama’s blog. He is a guy with a Master’s degree and NWA’s “Niggaz4Life” in his album collection. Why isn’t he thugging it on the corner like you feel he should be as a result of listening to that album repeatedly? Simply put, he had people in his life to show him right from wrong. Everyone doesn’t…just because they listen to rap does not make rap the cause. That’s like saying that because your car won’t start on a day where it is 20 below zero that the cold is the reason for your car problems. It could be that someone stole your battery…LOL. Point is that we cannot draw parallel just because two things coincide. Correlation does not equal causation…
April 20th, 2006 15:28
I give up. Maybe I just don’t articulate myself clearly enough or something…and I’m not gonna take up this man’s blog by belabouring this, I’ll just say this:
OF COURSE RAP IS NOT THE ONLY THING WRONG! Duh! The point is, the rap stuff we’re inundated with (not the marginal stuff you seem to love) is more harmful than helpful, ESPECIALLY for the kid with little positive influence from other sources…I thought I said that, but apparently not clearly enough, lol.
And on the chicken/egg thing, that’s beside the point. The POINT (again) is music DOES influence our lives because it’s such a huge part of our existence, you can spin your wheels denying this very obvious fact, but there’s no point in it.
So go ahead and convince yourself that you can continuously intake trash and mysteriously come out with gold, lol, go ahead and try to defy the laws of nature…I’m getting off this train…
Toodles,
T
P.S. Sorry for highjacking your blog Panama.
April 20th, 2006 15:57
Trust me T, I have no problem with my blog getting hijacked. I actually rather enjoy it when folks come thru and argue/agree/disagree/debate…
April 20th, 2006 16:13
T, I am not trying to beat you in the head with this, but it is a subject that I am very opinionated about…
I don’t like it when people who don’t listen to a particular genre of music criticize it. There is always going to be a lack of knowledge about the music in these cases and as a result, you are bound to generalize a couple of things…
You say “duh” on my point, but if it is that obvious, then why would you put the microscope on rap? If the problem is that negative things influence people who have little positive influences from other sources, then that is the problem. If we have to attack rap because it should be the positive reinforcement to the household when nothing else in the world is, then I don’t know where you got this image of rap. You are almost expecting hip-hop songs to be like Barney sing-a-longs where the rappers tell you how to do your homework. The songs that you hear about are not just some imaginary never, neverland where people kill each other everyday and then those songs get misconstrued as reality. Stuff like that actually happens out here everyday. 50 Cent became popular because he got shot…he didn’t get shot to become popular (though some people would disagree with that)…
The underlying issue is not the music…nobody is telling Hollywood to go and ban Silent Hill or Hostel or Kill Bill from the theaters. Nobody is protesting Wal-Mart from selling the Godfather or Scarface or Donnie Brasco or Lansky on its shelves. We as Black people criticize so much of our own culture and act as if we don’t live in the world we live in. Rap is a reflection of society. The stuff in these songs…people really do that stuff. Some songs are positive, some aren’t. But even if the artists really don’t do it, somebody does. So why do we feel the need to always shield everyone from reality…if it was something that doesn’t happen, that would be one thing…
As for the chicken and the egg thing, that is the entire point. We are talking about whether music influences life or if life influences music. To say music influences life is a bit of an overstatement to me. Name one thing that you were inspired to do, non-music related, from a song. I have heard many songs…Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”. I don’t try to go out and have sex when I hear the song. William Devaughn’s “Be Thankful”…I am not particularly more thankful when I listen to the song. Donny Hathaway’s “Giving Up”…I don’t just go and commit suicide when I hear the song. So how much are you trying to say that it influences us…I think those songs are more reflections of the people who sing them and write them rather than of the people who listen to them…
T, I am not sure of where you live or anything, but to make it seem as if rap is the only thing that can negatively affect you…which is what you are doing…is seriously trivializing everything else in life. We live in a time where I hear about a murder everyday on the morning news…someone else dies in Iraq…the bird flu is predicted to kill tens of thousands in upcoming months…North Korea is threatening to blow us up with nukes. And for you to feel that rap or hip-hop is one of the most significant negative influences that we are taking in is definitely a misassessment…
April 21st, 2006 08:32
Saying rap is the cause f every listeners downfall is like saying breathing causes lung disease.
April 21st, 2006 08:32
Saying rap is the cause of every listeners downfall is like saying breathing causes lung disease.
April 27th, 2006 11:09
I don’t give a what what nobody say: Mike Jones is bringing down the community!!