Leyva: What Defines Our Generation

         What do you think defines our generation? Each generation has something that represents their culture, lifestyle, or point of view.  Although many aspects represent our generation, music is among the strongest influence for our generation. The music of today defines our generation’s vision of the right life as a party life. While doing this, women are degraded through language along the way.

             Music does allow people to express themselves, but sometimes what we want to express is vulgar and degrading. In most music women are targeted both directly and indirectly due to male dominance in the music industry. In the hit Bitches Love Me, Lil’ Wayne says, “These hoes got pussies like craters, can’t treat these hoes like ladies man”. Lil’ Wayne compares a female’s vaginal area to a bowl which emphasizes that the women have been with many men. He is not only calling women hoes, but he is also stating that they shouldn’t even be treated like ladies. Women are referred to as sluts, bitches, or hoes, yet we as women continue to listen and even sing along to this type of music. I believe women do this to be part of the crowd and have societies acceptance. We do not want to be the odd one or the loser. In this type of music the artists are more interested in having a hit rather than sending a message out. On the other hand some music does transmit a message to the listener but that message is to drink, party, and don’t worry about anything.

The music of today expresses our generation’s believe that having fun and partying means you drink, smoke, and have sex. In many popular songs, the artists talk about having such an amazing time that in some way involved the whole party seen. In Young, Wild, and Free, Snoop Dogg and Wiz  Kalifa say, “so what we get drunk, so what we smoke weed, we’re just having fun, we don’t care who sees, so what we go out”. These few lyrics represent our generation’s whole attitude when it comes to going out and having fun. We think its fine to leave everything behind and smoke and drink. We see this kind of lifestyle as the right life. Our generation is really cares about being accepted and being part of the in crowd. To be part of that in crowd you have to have the mind set that smoking and drink is the best way of life.

Although our generation is defined by the music we listen to there is also technology that brings positive aspects to our generation.