Destructive music is not a special kind of music that you may feel like you have never heard one or if you start listening to one you’d know right away and be like “oh my God this is destructive music, I shouldn’t be listening to this”! These days, you would hardly find a single soul not listening to destructive music and more than 90% of the listeners are not aware of what exactly they are listening to. Actually, that’s the point, because if you’d know the music that you are listening to whether for relaxation, exercising, dancing, etc., is destructive, it’s very likely that you stop listening to it. After all, destructive music producers, have a special plan for us since early childhood.

Destructive music refers to the kind of music that is against moral values, rational behaviors and the healthy way of thinking, in general, the hurtful music. These types of music encourage and lead the listener to self-harm (whether mental or/and physical), sexual abuse, murder, drug usage, etc. All these obviously hurtful and wrong acts and thoughts are being advertised and rationalized for us through the music and the lyrics. Individuals create the society, so after a while, it’s no surprise to see dysfunctional and self-destructive societies. Relatively, Beethoven once said, if morality be eliminated from music, nothing even beautiful will remain in it. I’m sure you already know many of the pop, rock, rap, etc., singers who all they sing about is exactly the opposite of the moral values. And listening to the sound they produce, it’s all about anarchism and chaos somehow. Correspondingly, what so called “artists” of this kind of music are playing a role model for many, but aren’t they victims themselves? “What song did Elton John perform at Amy Winehouse’s funeral? Candle Under The Spoon!” This joke tells the story of a very popular singer/musician who couldn’t make to 28 due to drug overdose, maybe not so funny after all! Who knows how many kids and adults she inspired?

One may ask, how can this or that music be destructive and I don’t know it? Then, how would it have any effect on me? Asking this question, some may feel relieved, walking away being sure of themselves. Certainly, there are comprehensive answers for these questions, but I’m afraid it takes a couple of thick books to discuss it in full. But we can discuss it in general and in brief here.

Undoubtedly, music is and has been a great force in shaping the thoughts and later on behaviors. Logically speaking, a song as an example has some effects on the consciousness and some on the sub-consciousness. Therefore, a destructive music affects both more or less. When one listens to music, it means he/she trusts the music by some means. There are people who listen to music as a relief or a cover against all that is bothering them. It means, when you listen to the music, you are completely unguarded and defenseless. Imagine after a tough day, you come home and start listening to the radio or your favorite CD, you are listening to the music to relax and recover. But you don’t expect anything harmful out of the music, it may even sound ridiculous at the time. Practically, one is most vulnerable to the content of what he/she is listening to more than any other time when he/she least expect it. In general, even with least possibility of any kind of danger, you have your guard, but not when you expect no danger. Furthermore, the mind is always busy analyzing everything in the sub-conscious. Subconsciously, we even make some decisions. Then, we act upon those decisions we have made. Destructive music affects the sub-conscious as well, so these decisions can stem from what we have listened to. Firstly, the producer of destructive music doesn’t want you to know it’s destructive. Because less you know, more it affects you. That is what makes music a great tool in advertisements and business. Though, there is a big difference between commercial music which may not necessarily be harmful, and destructive music as commercial music. There are many examples of destructive music as this and that music, but the interesting thing is that we also have destructive music as religious music. Secondly, we have been fooled by the context and concept of modernism. It’s like we don’t have the right to discuss the idea or the subject once it marked modern. In other words, modernism seems to be a firm reason and answer itself. If one disagrees with a so called modern idea, he seems stupid and narrow-minded. In contrary, one who accepts anything just by calling it modernism seems so wise and open-minded. So practically, they can put the label of modernism on anything and make us listen to it and even appreciate it. Thirdly, destructive music is made to be invisible, so one can’t say it’s destructive at first. You can find destructive music in every genre. A successful destructive music has to make one to believe it is saying what needs to be said. For some it has to sound beautiful, for some revolutionary, some may prefer it to be about social issues, and so it goes. A destructive music has the capacity to be all that and still destructive. In other words, it would be like giving a thirsty guy who trusted you to ask for a glass of water, a glass of poison that only looks and tastes like water. That’s what the producers of destructive music are doing. A great example of this case is Michael Jackson, an advocate of children and human rights as the media was saying, an idol, and the sultan of pop music…! Anyway, all was good with this guy until the day someone asked: “Why did Michael Jackson place a phone call to Boyz-2-Men??” And someone had the answer: “He thought it was a delivery service”. This question raised other similar questions… That is how ONLY some people realized that he was just a child rapist, drug addicted (and some say a drug dealer too) and had a hand in every crime here and there. On the other hand, after his death (due to drug overdose), 1.6 million fans registered to his memorial service and were very sorry for losing such a nice guy! Did anyone ask how could that be? For many people (include children) he is still an advocate of children and human rights, still an idol, still a role model…

Some may argue that, destructive music is not by the music (sounds) but by what is being said and the content. But psychologically and philosophically speaking, everything is connected and has an effect. First of all, their content and lyrics wouldn’t have the effect it has with the music. Second of all, the music itself has the ability to affect the sub-conscious and somehow hide certain parts of the lyrics. And perhaps, by some means, justify or interpret the lyrics as well.

The next question can be, why one wants to produce destructive music? Well, other than the commercial purposes. There are some companies, organizations, etc. that have or make some profits if you act and even think in certain ways that is according to their interest that they are dictating to you.

Many so called talented people have been getting wealthy peddling destructive messages by entering into the consciousness and sub-consciousness of the people through the power of music, whether behind the scenes through production or as artists themselves. These are the ones who send their kids to private schools, and don’t allow their own kids to consume the content they produce or use the same language they do in their albums (as Eminem admits), yet they know well enough that unsupervised children in many homes are buying and listening to such destructive music all around the world. It doesn’t seem to bother these artists at all. As long as they’re making money, the situation or the age of the person consuming such poison is none of their concern.

The fundamental question that arises here, is that why would greater freedom bring about a decrease in morality in the societies?

In conclusion, we are surrounded by destructive music and we mostly don’t know it. It has different dimensions and purposes but ultimately, it is hurtful mentally and/or physically. One may think it’s possible to be immune from the effect of this kind of music, but it’d be very hard if not impossible. In a long term, we are simply being brainwashed, our beliefs and goals are being replaced by beliefs and goals that we do not want. Our loved ones start following the villain role models. Gradually, we will start to think and act in a different way which is only profitable for certain companies, organizations, and so forth. So we’ll think and act the way they want us to think and act. In this process, certain harmful thoughts and acts become ordinary for us that are not to be ordinary, and once it is, we don’t care much about it. It will become a part of our daily lives. We may even preach it or teach it to our children! In other words, we push the self-destruction button which is within each of us and if we don’t push the cancel button, it will not stop by itself.  In this way, we’ll be among the new generation of the slaves. Our era is a new age of slavery. Human being can be slaves without even knowing it. In the past, each and every slave knew that he/she is a slave. He/she knew when and how he/she has became a slave and when and how he/she is helping the person who made him/her a slave. These days, slaves think they are so open-minded and superior to some others. They might have studied in the greatest universities and so forth. But, they may die, without even having any idea that they have been just a simple slave. Actually, slaves feel so free nowadays. Many concepts are being rationalized and justified via the music that we are listening to in daily life.

We have the right to challenge and question these concepts (include the music itself) and not to accept it at first unguardedly. All that being said, at the end, it’s the listener who chooses what to listen and what not to. Nonetheless, an aware choice is always better than an unaware choice. Anyhow, it seems vital for anyone regardless of the age (the younger, more crucial) to have some filters before listening to any music, the only known way to be immune from this deadly poison. Moral filters are the best available. Hopefully, you can still find and support the musicians, bands, etc., that you can trust enough to be unguarded while listening to their music, though, it can be a challenging job.

An article by Arash A.