Critical Review: Wald 2001

Elijah Wald writes of Mexican Ballads, or corridos, in his article "Polka Contrabrandista." He explains how corridos were used as a medium to entertain and a medium to communicate with the Mexican masses. Many of these songs are politically charged, speaking of the Mexican-American drug trade and promoting a strong sense of national identity. In turn, they have come to be a very controversial form of music. Once again, a parallel can be drawn to hip-hop, but beyond that they can be compared to music like Marilyn Manson, both being cited as dangerous to the masses.

Discussion Question:
Is everything that is sympathetic with illegal activity automatically deemed morally dangerous and corrupt? If that is the case, what makes music more dangerous than movies or television, which while coming under fire for its glorification of violence and sex and other things deemed immoral, doesn't receive nearly as much criticism as music? Is there something in music that makes people more susceptible to its influence?