Placing Gun Culture in Context

The murder of two Birmingham teenagers as part of an apparent gang war has focused attention once more on the sources of violence in our society. Culture minister Kim Howells blamed rap music for creating a "culture where killing is almost a fashion accessory". Predictably, he was immediately attacked. The lyrics, his critics claimed, reflect the culture not the other way round. Both these views are overly simplistic.

Violence is, unfortunately, part of our culture, and has been since long before recorded music, television or film existed. I am unaware of any attempt to study the ebb and flow of violence through history, but would be surprised if such a study were to show that we are currently living in a notably more violent period than ever before. Blaming violent sub-cultures on the media may be fashionable, but cannot be more than a partial explanation, given the rise of similar cultures when such influences simply did not exist.

Equally, it is nonsense to suggest that a given piece of music (or, indeed, film or television program) merely reflects an existing culture. A culture can only form around some set of core values, beliefs or ideas, shared between the members of the culture. Music does not reflect culture, but is a central part of it. While I do not believe anyone has ever killed because of the music they listen to, that music can have a normalising effect on the violence they otherwise become involved in. In other words, just as rap music deals with themes that are common in the culture that gave birth to it, so the music helps to define the expectations of those who are part of that culture. There is a convincing argument to be made that the culture of rap and garage music has contributed to rise in the number of illegal fire arms being carried by the youth of this country, especially in London.

An aside - why does it appear that young black men who listen to garage music are more likely to be caught by the police carrying illegal hand guns than their white counterparts? Could it be related to the fact that the police are more likely to stop a young black man than his white counterpart?

So did rap music contribute in any way to the deaths of two teenage girls at a party in Birmingham? No. Arguments over the minor influence that music or other media have on violence in our society is a distraction. The deaths of Charlene Ellis and Latisha Shakespear appear to have been the result of gang rivalries. This makes it likely to be an argument over either drugs or turf. The two unfortunate teenagers are not the first innocents to die because they got caught in the middle, nor will they be the last. Blaming black music for their deaths is a little like blaming Michael Caine when white, cockney criminals kill innocents who get in their way.

Instead, we should be addressing the reasons that criminal gangs form. These have remained constant throughout history, and are well understood. Poverty, hopelessness, alienation from the surrounding culture, boredom. While drug dealing pays far better than any legitimate alternative available, while the reaction of authority is much the same whether you are innocent or guilty, while the treatment you receive from the criminals is better than from the innocent, we will continue to see new gangs and new gang cultures arise. What their ethnic make up will be, what music they will create or claim as their own, will vary wildly. If the government wishes to tackle gang violence, these are the causes they must tackle. Not music.

Ironically, the very music under attack provides one of the few legal escape routes from poverty. Tackling gang violence will require opening up other routes for the poor (of whatever ethnic group) to join the rich, white, old boys network, so that they too can enjoy the life style they see continuously advertised on their TV screens.

Graham Robinson. 8th January 2003.

That G2 Cover

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