Influences on youth’s alcohol use is seminar topic

Published 8:30 am Tuesday, March 30, 2010

    The chorus of a song that stayed at No. 1 on the charts for several weeks in 2009 starts:    

    “Blame it on the goose/Got you feeling loose.”

    Why is a goose the object of blame in Jamie Foxx’s Grammy-award winning 2009 song? Well, it’s not the usual goose. He’s referring to Gray Goose vodka in the hit song “Blame It on the Alcohol.” Foxx goes on to mention several other brand names of alcohol including Patron and Hennessey. The entire chorus is:

    Blame it on the goose

    Got you feeling loose

    Blame it on Patron

    Got you in the zone

    Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol

    Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol

    Blame it on the vodka

    Blame it on the henny

    Blame it on the blue top

    Got you feeling dizzy

    This song is just one of the choices many youth, even in elementary school, listen to, singing along with the lyrics. In some cases, they may not get the meaning. But most youth do, according to Marc Fomby. Fomby is

the CEO of FTC Consulting in Richland, and he will be the speaker for a free seminar Thursday, from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., in the Kahlmus Auditorium at MSU Meridian.

    “Parents should ‘Snoopervise,’ and the children should know it!” said Fomby.  “Supervise and snoop (be nosey).

    “Look for stuff, if you find something you can deal with it, address it, intervene – hopefully before it’s too late. If you don’t, pat your kids on the back and continue to talk to them about standards, values, ethics, beliefs.”

    The seminar is hosted by Weems Community Mental Health Center. A certificate of attendance through the Mississippi Department of Mental Health Division of Professional Development for 2 contact hours will be provided upon request. Pre-registration is not required. The program is funded by grants from the Mississippi Dept. of Mental Health.

    Following are some questions answered by Fomby in an earlier interview:

    Reporter: Music of the 1960s and 1970s had pro-drug, pro-alcohol and pro-at-risk behavior messages. Why is it different today?

    Fomby: “Yes, there have always been messages in the music no matter what the genre (gospel excluded), but it was usually more creative and could have been viewed as implied by some and/or misunderstood by others. There was/is some question to some of the meanings and some clearly had double or multiple meanings … Adults usually tried to censor what the youth were exposed too and it wasn’t openly played over the airwaves like today (again, censorship was instrumental).  Although parents and society tried to protect the young tender ears and minds – there were those who accessed it via different means.  Today, we allow it to be mainstream for the youth.”

    Reporter: Is there data to suggest that the current music is affecting behavior? Drug/alcohol/at-risk?

    Formby: “I’m not sure you’ll find ‘data’ directly related to music and behavior.  What’s relevant to me is the acknowledgement that music has some bearing on affecting moods, behaviors, and even intellect. My opinion is that music doesn’t cause any specific type of behavior but it definitely influences the thoughts, behaviors, actions and attitudes of all types of people (adults included).

    A concern to many interested in the development and growth of teenagers is a serious deterioration in the messages of some rock music, including best-selling albums promoted by major record companies. The following troublesome themes are prominent:

    • Advocating and glamorizing abuse of drugs and alcohol.

    • Pictures and explicit lyrics presenting suicide as an “alternative” or “solution.”

    • Graphic violence.

    • Preoccupation with the occult; songs about satanism and human sacrifice, and the apparent enactment of these rituals in concerts.

    • Sex which focuses on controlling sadism, masochism, incest, devaluing women, and violence toward women.

    Parents can help their teenagers by paying attention to their teenager’s purchasing, listening and viewing patterns, and by helping them identify music that may be destructive.

    Music is not usually a danger for a teenager whose life is happy and healthy. But if a teenager is persistently preoccupied with music that has seriously destructive themes, and there are changes in behavior such as isolation, depression, alcohol or other drug abuse, a psychological evaluation should be considered.”

    Reporter: What can parents do about the music?

    Fomby: “One suggestion we had was to check your kid’s iPod and also block the ability to download explicit versions. Checking the iPod … and the camera, the cell phone, nano, zune, any mp3/mp4 player, cd’s in the room (car), etc.”

    Reporter:  “What can the community do?”

    Fomby: “Take a proactive approach to becoming a part of the solution not continuing to look at is as individuals but as a collective effort – “it takes a whole village to raise a child.”

    Reporter: How did you become interested in this topic?

    Fomby: “I do what I do because I’ve decided to be a part of informing and educating parents about the hazards young people face today.  As a law enforcement officer I saw far too many parents crying at funerals, in court rooms, and a jail cells all saying the same thing, ‘if only I had known!’ So, I began trying to educate the public about what I learned or got from young people as I had to interact with them.”