So I’ve been sitting here listening to The Weekend for the past hour, zoning out. All I need is a fat spliff and a glass of Jose Cuervo then it would be perfect!!! (I don’t smoke by the way, but that’s what my cool rock chick alter ego would love to be doing right now :-D) I digress…..Music really does have the power to deeply infiltrate your mind and shape your thoughts apparently. I guess that’s why they say we should be careful of what we listen to, that our thoughts and acts are easily influenced by the music we listen to, which can be dangerous at times.
BUT>>>are we really as passive as this theory would imply???? A little background info for ya, upon being a journalist and a ‘pr chick’, i’m also a sociologist and I have never been a fan of Lasswell’s ‘Hypodermic Needle Theory’ (which implies that the mass media has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences). No matter how much my lecturers tried to drum this theory into my head and practically force me to believe that this theory was completely flawless, I still found it hard to believe how one can sit down and say that us humans, created to have our own minds, thoughts and beliefs can be completely powerless against the man-made production which is the media, something that we humans have molded ourselves??? Argue with me if you choose but I believe that we CHOOSE to listen to that particular song, we CHOOSE to get into that particular mood, whether it be an angry, happy or horny mood (well maybe not horny since that’s more hormones and definitely not by choice but you get my drift lol). Just like I’ve chosen to zone out this evening with The Weekend and a selection of ‘baby-making’ tunes hehehe. I CHOSE to be deep within my thoughts this evening and I know exactly how to make that happen. Yes the words of a song can make you reflect on different aspects of life, but rather than shaping thoughts, I believe that the lyrics can trigger you to think of that which you may not have if that particular song was not on, but it is still the individual’s choice to continue listening to that song, or blank out the words of the song from your mind, distract yourself completely perhaps??
Some people may argue that not everyone is as strong willed as this and does not have the ability to be less susceptible to the ‘strong powers of music’, but I believe that everyone has it in them to choose what can and cannot influence them. Ponder on that 😉
The Weeknd – The Zone ft. Drake
Ramblings of Ms Mimi 