No media product unharmful and even if one considers himself immune to it , it just can’t be possible because media products surround us all the time. Even if one doesn’t really watch movies or tv shows but SONGS? Doing the song analysis in edu 274 made me realise that even though we understand the lyrics , we don’t pay attention the ideas they are embedding in our heads. How is it not possible to listen a song 20 times and never adopt one thing from it?
What I specifically want to talk about is how toxic behaviour is now glamorized. We can all relate to “I just wanna see how red the red flag can get.” Or “red flag? Red is my favourite colour!”. How we have romanticized the toxic behaviour. To all those who watched the vampire diaries , we know we would rather have a Damon in our life than Stefan. But what about songs? Why are singers like Abel Tesfaye (The weeknd) glamorizing the red flags? His songs are full of toxic masculinity , emotional apathy , drugs , abandonment issues etc. Not only he promotes toxic masculinity but also considers it a strength. I still can figure out that in what world is being emotionally unavailable normal and "manly". What ideas do such songs leave the audience with? He takes pride in being such a fv8kboy as he praises himself for his partners suicidal thoughts in his song "hurt you"
Cause all the nights you slept alone, dryin' your eyes And all the nights you thought about takin' your life Cause if it's love you want again, don't waste your time But if you call me up, I'm fuckin' you on sight
So, I made you think that I would always stay I said some things that I should never say Yeah, I broke your heart like someone did to mine And now you won't love me for a second time -save your tears
I left my girl back home I don't love her no more And she'll never fucking know that. -Wicked games
I know it's all my fault Made you put down your guard I know I made you fall Then said you were wrong for me - After hours
Can we not a see similar themes in these different songs? The idea of cheating/ betraying / lying to your female partner is constantly reinforced in different ways. Let’s be honest, these themes are very prevalent not just in weeknd’s songs but also many other popstars. It is often said that listening to The Weeknd is a red flag and now men/women have started taking pride in cheating, betraying and leading somebody on just because it has become the norm now. When listening to songs, audience often finds something to relate with and clings to it. We can see this behaviour on TikTok and see on what level people take pride in relating to Weeknd's songs
When someone listens to songs like save your tears or wicked games where such toxic themes are reiterated, they eventually become the norm. I am not implying that one blindly follows the lyrics but listening to similar songs for years can change one’s perceptions and beliefs. What’s your take on such songs? Are they promoting toxicity?
(I am the biggest weeknd fan ,but somebody had to say it, here's proof)
