‘’‘“ You learn a lot about people when you listen to the songs that mean something to them’’ - Unknown

‘’ The best music...is something to face the world with.’’ - Bruce Springsteen

‘’  Man has the capability of transforming what is beautiful, noble, and desirable with which God blessed the world, into what is  ugly, perverse, and unhealthy...if there is profit in it.”  R. Soleman

  ‘’ Music is spiritual - the business of music is not “ - Van Morrison

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Guest Editor and Commentator: S. Tomas Cantoral.  

This page is about what has happened to popular culture as it relates to popular music. Friends, I think it was Socrates who said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” And how do we examine life? With the light that learning, facts, and experience provide, maybe.  As I say in the Spanish version,“without that light we stumble along in darkness, unaware of the invisible dangers that surround us. We are like fish with eyes wide open, looking for whatever looks attractive, often snapping at the bait leading to our own destruction.” Most of the following observations have been condensed, and came from the internet or the press, in short - from  the public in general, and offers us all something to think about. We want to especially encourage you to read some significant comments by Dana Gioia in “THE IMPOVERISHMENT OF AMERICAN CULTURE’’, which appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

       

         These comments are presented in the spirit of enlightenment, not contention. The question is should any society give powerful social control or influence to any body or coalition motivated only by uncontrolled greed?   Please consider what others have written about  popular entertainment industries as affecting national popular cultures :

---- An historian, assessing whether it was the the Romans’ cruel coliseum games that lead to decadence and corruption of their society concluded that it was the other way around. In short, it was the coarsening, desensitizing nature  of what was considered ‘’entertainment’’ that led to Roman social and moral disintegration. Their cruel coliseum games were only one demonstration of it. What was it then, he asks, that made the people coarse and cruel - the times?(barbarians everywhere) ... their lead-laced food and drinks?...eating habits?...their slave cruelty?...their art?...their gods?  He suggests socially corrupting influences are different in every civilization.  He asks - What’s ours? He maintains that since popular music influences the young at such an early age and is long-lasting, music - or what passes for it - is a major factor. He blames  the pervasive influence of powerful mediums of communication with no sense of social responsibility or propriety. That same greed-motivated  corporate mind-set that today has wrecked the economy here and world-wide, has been allowed to poison American popular culture via so-called ‘music’. 

---- A social researcher observed that big broadcasting corporations have been allowed to ‘’MacDonald-ize’’ radio programming, reducing selection to a limited, fast, but unhealthy menu appealing to the young and, slowly but surely, leading to unhealthy social and psychological consequences. Accessibility and convenience is the name of their game. Just as MacDonalds and other fast food chains seek to place their restaurants near schools of every kind, large radio chains have sought to place their stations strategically on the dial at strategic broadcasting  times - thus maximizing their convenience, and unhealthy effect on the young. And it is not what some responsible programmer or chef trained in the art of tasteful, healthy nutrition that determines the menu, but rather it is some fast-food lab technician in some cold corporate test kitchen that decides that on the basis of what the uninformed, hungry young want, and on what is quick and profitable - just as it does with corporate-sponsored ‘’music’’. Product uniformity is paramount - variation impossible since it cuts into profits. The consumers’ physical/psychological well-being is not a concern.  Considering that music is food for the mind - with the power to influence our mood, mind, attitudes, and spirit, positively or negatively, we need to know what goes into it - and its long-range effects - just like any food or even medicine. And if it is not healthy - reject it. So concludes the author - warning that as consumers and as parents responsible for the well-being of the young, we have to be aggressively selective, electing those with our priorities.

----- A conference was called in Chicago about what to do about the social/psychological harm hip hop and rap were doing to young people at large, not just in the ghettos. It was attended by a variety of social workers, teachers, ministers, law enforcement, and some well-known artists. One knowledgeable participant observed: “ This stuff didn’t come from the streets of Chicago, but from some corporate office looking to make money. They dump their drug, gang, pimp - inspired trash, into young impressionable minds, take the money and run.  As for the consequences, they couldn’t care less.  If anyone would come into our communities and dump their trash on the streets, or even in some back alley, there would be hell to pay by way of fines and incarceration.  But since it is only trash dumped into impressionable young minds - thats ok. Something is wrong with this picture, and very little is being done about it, thanks to our worthless political representatives’’

----- A music critic commented that except for corporate influence and their mega  bucks spent on hype and promotion, much of what passes for ‘’in’’ music today would never make it based on musical integrity and merit alone. He notes that often the quality of  some songs is so intrinsically bad that gyrating scantily clad  ‘’personalities’’ and also some songwriters have had to stoop to new lows - not excluding socially desensitizing themes to gain attention and notoriety.  Often technology and other gimmicks have to be staged to pull it off - things that have nothing to do with music itself. Think of Timberlake and Janet Jackson and their fiasco. He concludes by saying that awesome technical stage displays, or super-hyped personalities, or corporate megabucks spent on promotions - alone or in combination - can never replace a well-written song with an inspiring theme. It will stand on its own through the ages.

----- In a music blog, a question was raised whether business ruins art. Consider the following comment:” It is one thing to consider ordinary business and commerce in relation to art, but it is quite another when you consider the devastating effect by corporate take-overs on the broadcasting and the business of music - and not only on the business, but the on music and popular culture itself.  When corporate conglomerates are permitted to dominate the public airwaves as they have been by the FCC, by buying up powerful stations across the country, they in effect control the commerce and the tone of  popular music. Their criteria as to what gets radio play? - whatever makes them the most lucre, not excluding payola. Merit, decency, and social responsibility are irrelevent  to them. As artists we have to dance to their crude standards to get radio-play. It is healthy to want to grow artistically and prosper economically, but who can do that  under those morally and ethically corrupting circumstances? As independent artists our hope is the internet which makes universal access to the popular music marketplace possible again. If ever those same corporate entities, with that same money-crazy mind-set, take control of the internet, as artists, we might as well toss our hopes and our harps away. ‘’

   There are reasons why boleros and other music styles have been considered out of fashion, and replaced by edgy, agressive programming on contemporary Latin and Anglo music media. The toxic influence that some corporate - controlled media has on popular music and culture has long been evident - and has been widely criticized. We realize that corporations can be a social blessing when their activities are well-regulated and laws are enforced - and serving the well-being of the public is top priority. But when otherwise, their influence are bound to be, and have been, socially disastrous. Whether in healthcare, the environment, insurance, or the financial world itself, lawless corporate manipulations have caused immeasurable social damage and grief. We have only to look at what their stratagems have done today to the economy, not only in the U.S. but world-wide. Does anyone think that corporate  immoral/unethical influence on music and in the music world has no social consequences, because,‘’it is just music’’? Social observers don’t think so, noting that most people are not aware of the power of music can have psychologically and socially. As a feature of this website, we included some observations and criticisms from many sources. This, in the interest of bringing light, not heat, on a socially important topic. If you are interested, just continue reading; if not, please press the link below.                                                                   -                                                                                                    S. Tomas Cantoral

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