Musicians hold power that not many ordinary people can hold. Not everyone can spotlight an issue because they lack a following and platform to get their ideas out to the public. This means that musicians have a responsibility to speak for those who in a way don't have a voice.
In class we've discussed several topics that are significant, yet not addressed nearly enough. Artists can make statements about anything ranging from police brutality to political corruption. I believe that it is their responsibility for them to speak for those who don't have a voice. If musicians don't, then they are wasting potential attempts to do the morally just thing, given their position of power and ability to spread awareness of issues. We see this through artists such as Denzel Curry who has a brother who died from police brutality, and other artists such as Joyner Lucas who shows how racism is still prevalent today despite slavery being long gone.
This week, we've also seen how musicians have been using their music to make political statements for a long time. Aretha Franklin was pushing for equal rights and treatment of both African Americans and Women. We also have seen this use of a political platform through Rage Against the Machine as well as NWA, who spoke out against the abuse of power by the police.
Given all the awareness of issues that would otherwise raised by musicians, is it a responsibility for musicians to put the spotlight on those who can't stand up for themselves; or should they strictly focus on things that impact their lives specifically?
I agree with you that musicians hold power over others because they are so influential and have a following, however I don't think they have a responsibility to speak out on politics or even problems in our world. I respect artists who do speak out but there are still plenty of artists that I love that choose not to. Music can be used to influence people but it can also be used simply as a form of entertainment, which may or may not be also influential.
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