The Issue of Sexual Assault in The Music Industry

Introduction

Music holds different values in every person life, from expressing emotions and feelings to therapeutic and healing properties. Humans evolved long time ago to express strong emotion on concerning social issues, and it is unarguable that words expressed through music passes the message with much higher intensity. There are many songs released on the topic of sexual assault and similarly two such powerful songs are: “Quarterback” by Kira Isabella released under album named Quarterback in 2014 reveals a story of a freshmen girl who is later becomes a target of date rape; and “You are the problem her” by Frist Aid Kit sung at one of the live concert at world café, vol. 44 in 2017 continuously argues that the sexual abusers always have a choice now if they decide to do wrong they are the ‘problem’. While there are some evident differences between the two songs, the similarities are significant on the issue of sexual assault. Sexual assault not only effects the victim physically, mentally, and emotionally but is also time constrained besides, sometimes can be financial drowning for the family and other close ones as well. Lastly, the road of recovery from this trauma is tough path for the victim if they do not decide to end their lives.

Discussion of the Social Issue

Sexual assault is a very offensive crime and should be concern for both the genders in terms of safety. Sexual assault is described different in each states paperwork but generally include attacks including rape or attempted rape, as well as any unwanted sexual touch or threats. Sexual assault habitually happens when a person without consent touches any part of another character's body in a sexual manner. It is a common misbelief that the victims of sexual assault are always women, though women are easy targets but in today’s world men are as prone to sexual assault as women.

Due to lack of knowledge about this topic many cases of attempted assault go unreported. Women of age 16 to 24 are likely target of criminal however this can differ, but this age group of women are mostly exposed in college which makes it even more alarming to spread awareness in our campuses and protect the ladies. Research proposes that in excess of 90 percent of college assaults are staunch by a generally little level of college men which are potentially not more than four percent who assault over and again, averaging exploiting six women each. Nonetheless, these sequential attackers overwhelmingly stay everywhere, getting away genuine discipline. Thus, it is important to bring up this issue because there is possibly no good reason for women to feel suitably certain to approach about their rape without consolation that the state and school will effectively deal with the circumstance.

Victims of rape and higher are more likely to be blamed than victims of any other crime. The victims are blamed and judged by those who don’t recognize what they have experienced. They are told they had been at the wrong region at the wrong time, blamed for dressing inappropriately and being out on my own at night. Rape should be considered as a political strain as it keeps ladies powerless and reinforces a male dominant society. There has been substantial development made inside the legal recognition of sexual assaults.

However, there should be better attention paid to make the offenders responsible for their actions and much less blaming of the sufferers. As society moves in the direction of gender equality, women should gain extra power against facilitating abusers.

Comparison of Songs

'Quarterback' is a story of a high school teenager who met date assault by a fellow schoolmate under the influences of alcohol. “You are the problem here” is song based on general perspective of women who face sexual assault and refer to the accusers as a problem in the situation and described how they are wrong for every time they thought they had the right to do false.

Beginning of “Quarterback”- “It was Friday night and the lights were shinning”, starts with a happy and positive note, not suggestive of what the song is going to offer similar to what a female is not aware of what turn her life is going to take and how drastic would the effect be on her. Whereas the beginning of “You are the problem here” is very suggestive of what emotions the songs has to bring even the title brings out awareness of how pitiful the situation has become as of due to oppression. “Quarterback” shows a journey of the already prevailing evil in society whereas “You are the problem here” makes one go through the period of pain and the thoughts a girl comes across.

Both the songs were based on the idea of pain a woman goes through due to some cruelty enacted by some shady person. However, the way both the songs portrait the illicit is different as “Quarterback” demonstrate the illicit as an angel person before the reality of the situation comes out, and in “You are the problem here” puts the responsibility of the unlawfulness on the illicit since the beginning. Since the opening of the “Quarterback” the lyrics give thoughtful idea of sweet passion example, “Smile at her, imagine that” and soon after this there comes a plot twist and the song drifts to questioning who is at the fault. The no name girl who trusted the wrong person or the reputed quarterback of the school. First Aid Kit did not tournament with imagination but placed the bittersweet reality in the audience’s plates and straightforwardly accuses the defaulter.

However, “You are the problem here” empowers women who are victimized then shows aggression and puts the blame on accuser; voice that women are not entitled to men and justice provided to the prey from the actor of prohibited action is categorically precise. When the songs say “And we don't need to be diminished” also supports the above row and indorses that victim should not be considered at fault.

Both the songs include alcohol intake. In one of them, it is used as substance to harm the victim’s conscious and benefit from it. On the other hand, in the second song, it is claimed not be the sole reason of harassment on behalf of the accused. The application of liquor is questioned in both.

“Quarterback” is more about victimizing and weakening the sufferer, whereas “You are the problem here” is about accusing the guilty of its deeds and strengthening the sufferer by establishing her identity not just as a mother, sister or daughter but as a human being. The song does not make benefit using the feminism card but asks for equality by putting forward to everyone to relate to her as a human only.

The tune even goes into sexting and naked pictures, when Isabella sings,

Music/Lyric Connection

Music is a universal language. If the song “Quarterback” is heard without lyrics, the music seems not to cater the suffering. On the other hand, the music of “You are the problem here” is intense enough to not require words, to express the anger and pain.

“Quarterback” starts on a slow and soft tune of piano playing as the story of love begins and as the songs approaches to the point where the boy and the girl sees each other, the song starts to catch up speed just to express the same level of rush a girl might experience after seeing her crush. Along the way when the reaches the diverging road of betrayal the rock music enters with strong notes of guitar with pressure behind some of the words, and also the voice of the singer Kira did full justice with the music to showcase the story of a young girl.

In their heart straining song, “You are the problem here” the vocals of Johanna Söderberg and Klara Söderberg were splendid and the energy passed during presentation of the song was meeting with the intensity of the music. There is continuous playing of guitar, and drums in the background to emphasis on the strength of the lyrics such as when the it says, “I hope you fucking suffer”. The music of this song completely satisfies the anger and directness in the lyrics. The band stated their emotions strongly throughout the entire song,

In both of these songs, true raw emotions are expressed. The powerful voices of both individuals can be felt throughout their whole song. It allows the listeners to feel this sadness and heart aching feeling to want to help. Both the songs express feeling of tiredness and sickness over the situation of sexual assault. The pain of the characters is easy noticing and can be felt throughout their entire song which makes listeners familiar to the disappointment and heart aching sensitivity.

Conclusion

Sexual pressure around would only increase if we do not protect our integral laws and punish the ones that are at fault. The mentality of victim is at fault’ needs to be changed in order to bring in the energy for revolution. In “Quarterback” the victim keeps on questioning herself on whether if anyone will ever believe what happened with her and take her seriously. This attitude of the society has to be altered in order for our fellows to feel comfortable and speak out to get justice. “You are the problem here” is a strong reply to the evil and speaks out on the behalf of all the women remarks that none is answerable except the enactor and his poor choices. Penalty for sexual acts should charge the criminal’s lifetime truly in order of other to prohibit this act in future. Both the songs make lead operating the women's liberty however desires evenness by progressing to each person to recognize the female as a human.