The Influence Of Drugs In Pop Culture

There are two ways that popular songs portray drugs there are the songs that glorify them and tell the story of the “party-life” and others tell the “after-story” that tell of the addiction, of hitting rock-bottom, of how it can ruin your life. More and more of the popular songs are pro-drugs and pro-“party-life” or they are slyly double sided such as Eminem’s Drug Ballad, songs that tend to be lesser known or less popular tell the story of the addiction, about hitting rock-bottom, and of recovery such as D.L. Downer A.K.A. James Williams’ Suga Boom Boom (Chasing Dragons). Drug Ballad, was released on May 23, 2000 in the album The Marshall Mathers LP (www.sing365.com). Suga Boom Boom (Chasing Dragons) was written and sung by D. L. Downer a.k.a. James Williams and his 16-year-old niece Laleazy was produced as a single by MajorEpic music label and was released on October 26, 2014. Both of these songs are within the rap and hip-hop genres. When analyzing and comparing and contrasting these two songs we need to consider why one is more popular than the other, why and how has drugs become such a prevalent problem, why are drugs portrayed differently, and how can we help those that are addicted and keep others from becoming addicted themselves.

The media paints a poor picture of Hip Hop, even after what is has evolved to and it does not show the advantages of a this new industry. The world of Hip Hop does not, as a whole, possess the same ideals of violence it once did; they now project wealth and ideals all the world over, and thus has a stronger impact on change then it ever did. Hip Hop is a global brand, no longer confined to single community or group of people. No longer does a man need to live and work in the ghetto to reap the benefits of Hip Hop’s guidance and advice. Hip Hop’s light shines brighter and farther today than ever before; it is a global force for the poor, and discriminated that yearn to breathe free all throughout the world.

In Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, there is a drug used and mentioned throughout the story called Soma. The characters have been conditioned by birth that Soma is always the answer when you feel alone or sad. This drug is used so people can go on "holidays" from their reality and is used as payment for the lower caste groups. People want Soma because they go on these highs and live in their "Heaven" to escape reality. After all, they do call Soma "All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects"(Huxley 54). Soma becomes a tool to control the people in society.

In the end, the analysis conducted above makes it ultimately clear that drugs’ influence on rock and roll has been dualistic in nature. While it has indeed contributed to the creative genius of bands and artists such as the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath, it has also brought about the early deaths of promising artists such as Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain. As such, it is completely impossible to characterize drugs as being either an absolute positive or an absolute negative for rock n’ roll as a genre. This said, and as per the literature reviewed above, it is undeniable that drugs play a significant part in the history and culture of rock n’ roll, and have thus served to significantly influence the style

In my poster I am trying to satirize how the shooters of a mass shooting are treated by the media and the people; compared to how the victims are treated. Every time there is a mass shooting the media tries to profile the shooter, and provide details about his life and background. When these shootings happen the victims are forgotten and not even recognized. The victims and their families are the ones who have to suffer; not the shooter. When the media gives the shooters false attention it glorifies them, disrespects the victims, and motivates potential shooters. Many of these shooters are looking for attention, and they get it when the media glorifies them after their act. The media has to understand to honor the lives that were lost during

In my opinion, a lot of American movies contain nudity or sexual scenes, violence, harsh language or drug abuse. In some cases an American movie will contain all of these subjects, and the result of that would be an R rated film. If I had never been to America and saw a film that contained two or more of these themes then I would probably make some concussions of my own on what and American is and what their values or culture is like. However, it all depends on what the movie theme is. For example in comedies, depending on the rating, I would conclude that Americans are funny and probably don’t take things to seriously. If the comedy were super unintelligent (like the movie sausage party which is rated R) I would think that Americans are

Doug E. Fresh, a popular beat-boxer in rap music today, has been quoted saying, “Hip-hop is supposed to uplift and create, to educate people on a larger level and to make a change.” Although this is the original intention of hip-hop music, public opinion currently holds the opposite view. Since the 1970’s musical artists have changed the face of hip-hop and rap and worldwide, people – mostly teens—have been striving to emulate certain artists and their lyrics, which has created negative stereotypes for hip-hop music and also for those who choose to listen to it. With vulgar lyrics referencing drugs, alcohol, sex, and aggression, it’s no wonder these stereotypes exist. However, is music really the direct cause of how teens act,

How many of us can say we enjoy hip-hop music in some form or another? I know I can, in fact I listen to it just about every day. Hip-hop is not just music to many of us, it’s a culture better yet a way of life. Although hip-hop is very influential especially in the African American community, not enough people touch the negative effects it has on our youth. The new age of hip hop or “Trap Music”, as it is commonly referred as, seems to be more vulgar and violent then the hip-hop we all grew to love.

Introduction - Use of psychoactive substances for recreational purposes is not a radically new social issue. In fact, history tells us that almost every society had their own pharmacopeia of herbs, potions, and substances that not only contributed to healing, but also allowed the user to escape reality (Schules 1992, 4-5). However, it is the contemporary use of psychoactive drugs purchased through illicit or illegal channels and used by persons neither prescribed nor in quantities larger than necessary that defines modern drug abuse (Robins 2006). Prior to World War I, substances like morphine, heroin, and cocaine were available in the major American cities, particularly those with active international ports. For instance, when Chinese immigrants were first imported to work in the mines and railroads during the early 1800s, they brought opium to America. It was the leisure class, who began to experiment with this drug, and, as in Europe, many major U.S. cities had so-called opium dens. In addition, there were a substantial number of "society women" who ended up addicted because their doctor prescribed this drug to deal with female histrionics or to "cure" an excessive sexual appetite (Johnson 2002). Within major cities, this problem began to spill over into other groups: prostitutes, child laborers, orphans, and even men and women of lower social classes seeking to escape the harshness of their lives (Courtwright 2002, 3-19). Between the widespread use and general

It has been 30 years since Hip-Hop was first “introduced” to the world. Whether it be fashion or politics, this musical genre/culture plays a huge role in everyday life and has generated billions of dollars across the globe. In this paper I will be discussing when, where, and how Hip-Hop was created, “old school Hip-Hop, “Hip-Hop’s Golden Age”, “Hardcore rap” “Gangsta rap”, “G-Funk”, 21st century Hip-Hop, and how Hip-Hop affects society.

As seen throughout time, one of the chief concerns of all ancient civilizations was to maintain order and stability. Civilizations such as ancient Egypt, ancient Rome and even the ancient Babylonian societies all set forth an effort to maintain stability. Influencing forces on this stability were religious, political and even geographical. I’ve noticed that many civilizations flourish for hundreds of years only to fall or be taken over by the next generation. Some cities today are remnants of these fallen empires such as Rome in Italy or Alexandria in Egypt.

Ads for pharmaceutical drugs are everywhere. They are in magazines, on television and radio, on billboards, and on the little bags that you get from the pharmacist. These days it is difficult to get away from all the drug advertising. All these ads are for products that require a doctor's prescription. The goal of advertising is to increase profits. By advertising so heavily for drugs that the majority of the population does not need, pharmaceutical companies attempt to create as large a consumer base as they can. In advertising directly to the consumer, the drug companies accomplish two objectives. First, they get information directly to the consumer. Second, they promote the product and

Currently, there are nearly as many human biological samples stored in the United States as there are people in the United States, and many of the sources of the samples remain unknown because informed consent was not previously required.   The main dilemma between informed consent and scientists lies within the ethics and practicality of research on tissue removed from a patient’s body for surgical purposes.   Meanwhile, the tissues are studied in labs across the country.  In recent years, the HeLa cell line and the cells backstory have precipitated outrage towards how the tissue was obtained, managed, and the inadequacy of informed consent from Henrietta Lacks and her family.  Since then, other cases have become public regarding the lack

Popular culture has manifested itself in a number of ways. Currently, the most commonly used method of spreading and exchanging opinions, ideas, art, and other concepts is through the internet. Never before has it been so easy to shed light on a person or an idea, giving it levels of popularity that were considered inconceivable in ages past. In many circumstances the way people are portrayed through pop-culture is most likely how they were perceived by the bulk of people. Pop/culture serves as a way to connect people; help them relate to one another over shared opinions and interests. It was and is the representative of the majority. But what of the times before the internet? How was pop-culture expressed in a time when people did not have the ability to express their thoughts and opinions with millions at a time almost instantaneously? Theatre is one of the most time-honored means of entertainment. Before television and computers and the internet, actors would don a costume and tell act for masses of people. It was a form of storytelling that was not limited to the literate or rich or the scholars, but could be enjoyed by anyone form any economic background. Through it we can see our history and opinions in the form of characters, plots, and settings. We can observe the changing of mainstream opinions through the common themes and recurring motifs in the most popular plays.

This was one of the most powerful line to me in the introduction because I can totally relate to this. When I was younger I didn’t realize how much commercials and media had an influence on you. When you are in school programs and teachers teach you that drug and alcohol is bad but the catchy commercials of blondes drinking a cold glass of liquor always leave the curiosity in your head. For me I would say the biggest influence on my decision to drink is music and peer. Kilbourne later talks about the influence of decisions based on peers in chapter one. I remember songs I would sing growing up that glorified alcohol and drug usage and I didn’t think that it would influence me to try it one day. I remember sitting in the car with a group of