Social Issues and Mass Media

From time to time, the media "discover" a problem or social issue and focus on it intensely for a time. Often an outside agency brings this issue to the forefront, whereas it may have been a minor issue or factor for some time prior to that. A recent example is so-called "gangsta" rap, a form of popular music that is said by some to contribute to the increasing violence seen in the inner cities and to violence against women, especially in the black community where gangsta rap thrives. A number of people have raised concerns about this type of music and the degree to which it might be considered encouraging violence, though another complaint against it in broad terms is that it contributes to a poor image of the black community by presenting marginal characters and attitudes to the majority white community as if they were representative of the black community. Most recently, complaints against the violent message in rap lyrics has been raised from opposite sides of the political spectrum, by Bob Bennett from the right and C. DeLores Tucker from the left. The media have addressed the issue in a way that has contributed to the view that gangsta rap creates violence rather than merely including it as a subject.

This call for change by Bennett and Tucker serves as the primary and central persuasive event, one covered by and continued by the news media for some time as arguments developed on both sides of the issue and as record company executives and artists found themselv

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ther view offered by certain blacks, such as singer Dionne Warwick, is that this whole scene does nothing more than take kids from their cribs and place them in front of bright lights and big microphones before they are ready (Chappell 25-27). Defenders of rap music point out that the music does not cause violence but reflects the violence in the environment. They also note the simple fact that what some people call vulgar, other people call art, emphasizing that this is little more than a difference of opinion. Because rap songs have a theme of violence, many fear that the songs will rally young people to be violent. The corollary is that if the music is eliminated violence will be reduced. Critics point out that there is no evidence that this is so, for growing violence predated the music and is growing for various societal reasons: "Artists do not create the environment--they dissect, critique, evaluate, and offer it back with a unique twist and fresh perspective. Artists have never been anything more than mirrors of their surroundings" (Salem 6). At this level, the argument is largely semantically powered, with each side raising its issues and arguing against the statements of the other side. How persuasive these a

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