[Adam]

Tory leader David Cameron reckons some of the tracks played on DJ Westwood's Radio One show encourages people to carry guns and knives, after just one listen.

David Cameron says that rap music's contributed to the growing problem of knife and gun crime in the UK.

Radio One denies it: 'The station takes its responsibilities very seriously. Hip Hop reflects the sometimes harsher realities of people's lives and cultures.'

Just wondering your comments on this?

[Mafro]

No more so than tv, films, magazines, games etc.

[Dr. Nick]

Not after one listen, no... but who knows what the 'threshold' might be.

Nobody knows for sure what the effects might be, but I know I'd rather not have my kids listening to a radio show with explicit lyrics, sounds of a drive-by shooting, and people threatening to cause physical harm, and even death to each other...

[Bake1986]

I've been listening to rap for years and the only gun I've been near is a super soaker 2000

[MK Chris]

Hmm... Here comes a long reply, apologies in advance.

It's no less b*llocks than saying that films and TV programs cause people to go out murdering or mimicking what they see on screen. It's the biggest load of tosh I've ever heard.

It's like some stupid people saying that horror movies and metal music is the cause of people killing people, but it blatantly doesn't... If you have that kind of mentality you're likely to go out and do it anyway.

I'm a firm believer that nothing plays a bigger part in shaping you, as an adult than your upbringing and the people immediately around you. If you have a parent who rapes and kills people and abuses you, there is a fairly strong possibility that you are going to turn out 'bad', because what chance have you had? The opposite is true for those who have had a strong, solid, consistent upbringing; it's unlikely they will turn out to be what society would regard as particularly bad or violent people.

That is why I perhaps feel more sympathy than a lot of people would for those who are sent down for serious crimes - don't get me wrong, I do think they have to do their time and I'm a strong believer in longer prison sentences than is the general trend in this country at the moment, but what never seems to come out in the press or in the trials is how the defendant was brought up - I think in most cases it's likely to be dragged up and if that was brought to light, many people would feel more animosity towards the parents than the perpetrator of the crime. It does, however, become a vicious circle, when you realise that the parents of the wrong-doers were probably also brought up in the same way... Because their upbringing shaped them as an adult and a parent, which in turn moulded the person in the dock.

I maybe went off on a tangent there, but I really, truly believe that a radio show, a genre of music, a film or anything of that nature is not going to inspire someone of sound mind to commit a serious crime... And like I said, if they're not of sound mind and they really have it in them to do these things then they will do it anyway.

[whytie]

If you have that kind of mentality you're likely to go out and do it anyway.

Agree...

[Jonny Hoare]

FACT.
1. Westwood's a Vicar's son
2. His Name is Timothy
3. Westwood set up his own drive by shooting
4. Most US Hip Hop dudes can't stand the Wigga
5. He's 43
6. He owns a small dog. and not a Great Dane or indeed Digby, which is a big dog...

[Ickle Angel]

Fascinating

[wildthing]

i beleive i was the first one to spot this story. A full TWO days before you created this.
see here
http://chrismoyles.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12443&start=0

[fish heads]

Bully for you

[Adam]

i beleive i was the first one to spot this story. A full TWO days before you created this.
see here
http://chrismoyles.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12443&start=0

Ah right. Sorry. I dont read every thread going here, granted there's been a lot of rubbish one's recently.

I read the story on the 1xtra website.

[xChonix]

In my opinion, if someone is going to carry a knife or gun they will, it does not matter if they have seen in games, heard it in songs or seen it on tv.

There is no need to carry one its rediculous and its very scary to think that more and more peolple are carrying them around with them