Should Music Be Blamed For Acts of Violence?

As reported by news outlets around the world, yesterday a violent and disturbed young man perpetrated a senseless and tragic shooting spree in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, leaving three police officers dead and two others injured. Despite every logical human being knowing in their hearts that the reasons behind this act were undoubtedly misplaced anger and serious mental health issues, it didn’t stop the talking heads of the world from pointing the finger elsewhere, to the surprise of no one – us included (LINK).

In a move committed countless times in the past, violent media – in this case, purportedly violent lyrics – were the first to be blamed. The shooter, Justin Bourque, had posted excerpts from songs by Megadeth and Dethklok (the band featured in Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse)to his Facebook page as recently at 18 hours prior to opening fire in the small town of Moncton.

Though this appears to be the first bit of controversy for Dethklok, Megadeth is no stranger to wild accusations and persecutions. Numerous songs of theirs have been banned by MTV for allegedly-violent lyrics (then again, who hasn’t?) and have even been associated with other mass shootings & stabbings in Canada. So what does this tell us? Truthfully, not much, other than Canadians really seem to like Megadeth. But the music/murder debate isn’t limited to just these artists. Not by a long shot.

In my limited experience on Earth, the first thing that inevitably comes to mind in situations like this is the Columbine High School massacre, and subsequent condemnation of rocker Marilyn Manson and his violent lyrics. Headlines like “Killers Worshipped Rock Freak Manson” and “Devil-Worshipping Maniac Told Kids to Kill” were commonplace in the aftermath of the shooting, despite the two killers not being fans of the singer (and Manson not actually being a devil worshipper.)

Incidents like this occurred before my time as well. Anyone remember Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider vs. Tipper Gore in the ‘80s music censorship debate? Even back in 1954 the U.S. Senate held hearings regarding whether or not comic books were contributing to juvenile delinquency and violence. But the fact of the matter is there has never been an established connection between violent media and the behavior of teens and children. None. So why even bring these innocent artists into the conversation?

Besides, this sort of issue only comes up during mass murders. After the dozens of murders each day across this continent, no one is scouring each and every criminal’s social media accounts looking for what songs they happen to like. Is the music/violence link so strong that it can’t make someone only kill a single person? Get real.

I understand that after major tragic events people are looking for answers & closure more than ever, and they want an obvious culprit. And a quick fix. For example, it would be much easier to organize a boycott, or the ban of an artist, than it would be to, say, revamp the country’s mental health system or keep guns out of the hands of criminals or potential criminals. These are much more complex issues with unclear and hotly-debated potential solutions.

In addition to something simple and definitive, people also want the cause to be something slightly removed from themselves. Something they know less about and thus something they are more afraid of. They want to think: “Megadeth? Dethklok? I don’t listen to that, and my family & friends don’t either, so this could never happen to me.” They might not even know that Dethklok is a based on a comedic fictional cartoon band with satirical songs.

Obviously it’s understandable that no one wants tragedy to strike themselves, their loved ones, or their neighbors – because that’s all too close to home. So we pick an easy target to blame. Something that just sounds frightening, and we pretend that the subject’s lack of popularity spells a general state of security for most. Reassurance. But as Carl Sagan once said (speaking about religion, in his case): “It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” We shouldn’t pretend that something is so, just to make ourselves feel better. Especially when it comes at the expense of others.

In the end, I couldn’t put it better than Marilyn Manson himself: “The media has unfairly scapegoated the music industry … and has speculated, with no basis in truth, that artists like myself are in some way to blame. This tragedy was a product of ignorance, hatred, and an access to guns.”

So before anyone jumps on this shoddy, misguided bandwagon, let’s remember for every murderer who is a fan of an artist, a movie, or a video game that some would call violent or angry, there are millions or tens of millions of other people that listen to, watch, or play the same thing without going out and harming themselves or others.

I do not wish to enter any sort of debate in the wake of these kinds of terrible events, nor do I wish to fully delve into the deeper social issues that lay beneath them. I only want to avoid putting an unnecessary burden on blameless individuals, only adding further negativity and darkness to what is already a horrific and deeply-troubling tragedy.

So I implore you all, let’s not wrongly look at these mediums as problems, or pretend that the removal of them is a solution, lest we turn our world’s reality into exactly what these forms of entertainment are: fiction.

My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.