Prompt:
Answer the question that corresponds to the school you selected above. Limit your answer to a half page or roughly 250 words.
College of Arts and Sciences: What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?
My Response:
Dancehall is a popular type of Jamaican music which developed in the late 1970s, initially as a sparser and less political and religious variant of reggae. It caught my attention because of the great impact it has had on the Jamaican society.
The work of Vybz Kartel, a renowned Dancehall artiste, unsettles me because I believe that he plays a great role in increasing the crime rate in Jamaica. Every day, the majority of the Jamaican society consumes itself with his songs which speak of crime and violence. With lyrics such as "Blood affi run inna di streets (run), wen it start nuh bodda tell mi bout nuh peace", the violent nature of Vybz Kartel's songs are evident.
According to a group of Psychology professors, research on violent music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts. Therefore, it can be seen that as Vybz Kartel continues to condition the minds of the public, through the use of his lyrics, to accept and partake in violence, they eventually begin to do so.
Though freedom of speech is encouraged we must still take into consideration the effect our words have on others as with enough repetition we can condition the minds of others to accept or believe a particular situation. It is for this reason that we must stop supporting Vybz Kartel as long as he continues to exalt violence.
I believe that if this situation is not rectified and is allowed to worsen, it will result in a continued increase in violence and an even more corrupt society. It is for this reason that I always discourage people from listening to his dancehall songs.
Answer the question that corresponds to the school you selected above. Limit your answer to a half page or roughly 250 words.
College of Arts and Sciences: What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?
My Response:
Dancehall is a popular type of Jamaican music which developed in the late 1970s, initially as a sparser and less political and religious variant of reggae. It caught my attention because of the great impact it has had on the Jamaican society.
The work of Vybz Kartel, a renowned Dancehall artiste, unsettles me because I believe that he plays a great role in increasing the crime rate in Jamaica. Every day, the majority of the Jamaican society consumes itself with his songs which speak of crime and violence. With lyrics such as "Blood affi run inna di streets (run), wen it start nuh bodda tell mi bout nuh peace", the violent nature of Vybz Kartel's songs are evident.
According to a group of Psychology professors, research on violent music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts. Therefore, it can be seen that as Vybz Kartel continues to condition the minds of the public, through the use of his lyrics, to accept and partake in violence, they eventually begin to do so.
Though freedom of speech is encouraged we must still take into consideration the effect our words have on others as with enough repetition we can condition the minds of others to accept or believe a particular situation. It is for this reason that we must stop supporting Vybz Kartel as long as he continues to exalt violence.
I believe that if this situation is not rectified and is allowed to worsen, it will result in a continued increase in violence and an even more corrupt society. It is for this reason that I always discourage people from listening to his dancehall songs.
