Rock in the 70s & 80s Response

After reading the chapters on Rock in the 1970s and 1980s, things that I already knew regarding those eras were reiterated. For example, I knew that Blondie was influential to the punk scene with her contributions influenced by disco and rap. I also knew that punk music drew strong reactions. The genre used controversial lyrics, symbols, and dress.
In addition to reading about things I already knew, I also read about very interesting events and trends that I was not aware of. One of those movements was "Rock Against Racism." Rock Against Racism was a broadly based movement whose main purpose was to oppose the National Front. The group used pop music to push political movements to the vast majority of young people in language they could understand. I found it interesting to note that the RAR group was an orthodox, anti-racist group that challenged record companies, advertising agencies, and galleries. This topic would make a good learning unit for students. It is both historical and interesting. Students should enjoy learning about something that they are not aware in the least, unlike other historical events. When teaching about racism in our country's history, it would be interesting to include the RAR. In order to combat the racism often linked to the band, Sham, RAR booked a reggae band called Misty. This forced the followers of Sham, mostly skinheads, to attend an antiracist concert to see the band. Rock Against Racism could be a great example to students on peaceful and insightful ways to combat racism.
In the 1980s chapter on Rock, music on television is discussed. In the 1950s, American Bandstand featured rock music. Since then, rock music has remained a part of television. In 1981, MTV was created. This opened up the opportunity for artists to create music videos that reflected their personal style and persona. It is interesting to read how MTV started out as purely a television channel with music videos. When I was in high school and watching the station, there were only one or two shows on the channel lineup that played music videos. The rest were reality shows and sitcoms. Now, 6 years later and almost 30 years after the channel's inception, there are no shows that play music videos. The entire lineup is reality television shows. I find it interesting that a channel whose sole purpose of creation was to air and promote music videos now has almost nothing to do with music. Its closest ties to music are the musicians that star on MTV's realty television shows. I understand that people, businesses, and products evolve over time as a response to their environment, but I think MTV should have stayed true to their purpose and created a sister network if they wanted a channel with reality shows.
I think a lot of people have lost respect for MTV as they have steered away from music, but they continue to watch it for entertainment. I definitely fit into this category. I don't think MTV is as great of a pioneer as it once was. I think the channel sinks to new lows every year as they create trashy television they know people will watch, even if they despise it. I continue to watch MTV regularly. Although my opinion on the channel has not affected my viewing of its shows, I am still dissatisfied with the direction they have taken the channel over the course of its lifetime.
I believe the transition MTV has made over the past 30 years would be a good topic for high school students to analyze in an opinion paper. They could discuss whether they believe MTV has sold out and gone awry from its sole purpose of airing music videos for entertainment and promotion.