Music and the Teenage Society
For modern adolescent- and teenaged- people, love of a genre of music is as necessary to proper development as high self-esteem, increased responsibility, and a minor case of a rebellious attitude. But, a young individual’s choice of genre of music may define what “crowd” to which he may belong, and, ultimately, may define him as a person. While many genres of modern music co-exist in the world today, the four major types liked by teens in America are as follows (in no specific order): Punk Rock, Grunge and Emo, Indie and Prog Rocks, and Country. Even as I write this, I, a modern teenager, am listening to my own music, and I can’t help thinking who I might have become had I bought a completely different “First CD” from the one I purchased so long ago. Would I be more driven, more easygoing? More outgoing, or more shy? The innumerable questions posed in my mind, all caused by one possible change in the past, the mere changing of one album bought by an insignificant pre-teen, seem daunting.
The cliché “Punk Rocker” is generally a whiny person, due mostly to the fact that the music to which he ascribes is whiny in nature. Partially-poetic complaints of government, parents, and girlfriends often cause this person to be quite a rebellious youth who cares much too much about his appearance and is thusly labeled a “poser” by the other cliques. A close friend’s brother is a good example of this, although not perfect. He always is wearing American Eagle brand clothing, a rather expensive product, and it is very clear that he fits in well with his “crowd.” Possibly this person is also a “Trust Fund Baby,” who, while being disrespectful toward his parents, often gets a relatively free ride to college, which bodes well for the future of this young adult.
Grunge and Emo are rather inseparable, as those who listen to one or the other are infinitesimally small in difference. Grunge/Emo music is much whinier in nature compared to Punk, so much so that Grunge/Emo can be said to produce a depressive vibe which is mirrored through the listener. One of my classmate’s brothers is the perfect exemplification of the Grunge/Emo person. Black is his color of choice for clothing and makeup worn, and he wears these in order to be feared and noticed. While all cliques generally stay within themselves for kinship, the Grunge/Emo clique is more ostracized by the group as a whole in comparison to the other groups. This man is destined to remain skateboarding the streets, living in his mother’s basement, and working at a full-service gas station well into his adulthood.
Those who delve in Indie and Prog(ressive) Rocks are probably the greatest hope for free-spiritedness at the modern American Public School. My best-friend’s girlfriend is this type of person. Her music is the “Jazz” of this generation, as off-beat as she is, and she is the hippy of this generation. She and her fellow indie/proggers can be found in coffee houses across the country, playing hooky and listening or producing some form of art, be it low-quality poetic, acoustic, or canvas in nature. While my acquaintance may not, the typical person ascribing to the genre of Indie and Progressive rocks will remain in coffee shops spending money he or she doesn’t have on frappes he or she can’t afford indefinitely.
Country music, unlike the types of music aforementioned, sires a more hardworking individual who will contribute to society before even entering his twenties. “Ol’ farmhands” learn to work heavy machinery and lift bulky bales. Country singers can be young, attractive blondes who give teenaged listeners a sort of idealized future wife while learning to respect them through listening to the lyrics of their songs. Eventually they will serve their country or acquire a farm of some breed, and live a stable life (no pun intended).
While, of course, there are exceptions to every stereotypical person, one realizes a stereotype becomes what it is due to a relative frequency in truth. Freedom is as American as apple pie, and musical freedom is what produces so many types of popular sound. But, while being free, one omits to a track of lifestyle in his choice of music, be he or she aware of it or not. True, there are many different types of people being raised in American schools today, but there are also many of the same kind of persons keeping each other company.
