Rap music and its violent progeny: America's culture of violence in context

Journal of Negro Education, The, Summer 2002 by Richardson, Jeanita W, Scott, Kim A

Based on a request by former President William Clinton, the FTC conducted an investigation of the marketing practices applied by the entertainment industry to attract the attention of children and teens (as cited in Pitofsky, 2000). The report concluded that although the industry had imposed a self-regulating system in the form of product ratings and labeling, enforcement and adherence in marketing strategy was minimal (see Table 1).

As noted, movies, video games, and music CDs all have rating systems. Ratings are in theory designed to inform the viewing and purchasing practices of consumers. However, individual corporations aggressively market products with violent images to children that by their own standards are age inappropriate. Marketers in the FTC study targeted audiences under the age of 17 in 80% of the movies rated "R," 100% of music with explicit lyrics, and 70% of video games. Elaborate marketing plans, such as commercials, teen magazine ads, and popup Internet ads expressly target youth under the age of 17. As a result, underage youth's purchasing practices are minimally affected by the entertainment industry's labeling system (FTC, 2000; Grier, 2001).

Exposure to media violence alone is not believed to cause socially unacceptable behavior in children; however, it is believed to impose a significantly negative influence on youth (FTC, 2000; Grier, 2001). One of the reasons for concern about the relationship between exposure to violence and violent activity are features of identity development and social expectations in children. It is believed that children shape their identities, values, and behaviors by drawing clues from their environments. Role models, for purposes of this article, are persons held in high esteem by children who possess characteristics, skills, or attributes worthy of emulation. Inordinate exposure to fictional and real images in television, video games, music videos, sports, and movies provide an endless array of role model choices and perhaps more importantly, cultural messages about acceptable practices and behavior (Anderson & Cavallaro, 2002).

Concerns about the relationship between childhood emotional development and role model emulation are supported by several FTC reports that cite a high correlation between exposure to media violence in its many forms and aggressive behavior in youth. Further, extensive exposure to violent images has been linked to a desensitization of the general public, as well as, youth culture, which has yielded an increased acceptance of violent acts as "natural" and expected (Grier, 2001). At least in part because of ubiquitous exposure, violence has been deemed an epidemic in America and experts have begun to acknowledge connections between vicarious exposure and active participation.

Statistics further illustrate the unparalleled level of violence American youth experience. For example, gun-related deaths of American youth under the age of 15 are nearly 12 times higher than 25 similarly industrialized nations combined (CDF, 2002a, 2002b; CPYV, 2000). Gun-related homicide rates for children in the U.S. are more than two times the rate of children killed by guns in Finland (CPYV, 2000). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (as cited in CDF, 2002a) and the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (2000) report American children are at greater risk of being victims of violence than children in similarly industrialized nations, such as Finland and Great Britain. One of every eight persons murdered each year in America is under the age of 18 and one of every 18 victims of violent crime is under the age of 12 (CPYV, 2000). Violence under the age of 18 is perpetrated not only by youth, but also by adults. The data reflected here reveals only patterns of victimization to support the thesis that violence in the United States is widespread. Mortality and injury rates are disproportionately distributed by age, race, and gender, as are many measures of economic deprivation. Consider Figures 1 and 2, which depict victimization rates by age and race.