Research Memo 3

Analyze:
I did my research memo 3 on the documentary Into the Pit. In this movie many different viewpoints are expressed but one thing is for sure. Moshing is the only real way to express yourself at a show. Aside I found out that the reason moshing is considered a liability to some venues is the interpretation of the law. Some people would say that it is the venues fault for booking a band that “Promotes unprovoked acts of violence.” That mixed with the fact that most people don’t really know what moshing is will almost always result in some fining. There was also I section in the movie about violence in which multiple people said they would not think twice about bringing a weapon into the pit to hurt people. The video also says something that I found quite interesting. A psychologist said that “moshing is the product of a generation with no culture trying to create our own.” If that’s the truth than it says something about our generation as a whole.

Conclusion:
What I have concluded from this video is that there really isn’t a better way to express yourself at a show other than moshing. I’m not saying there are not any other ways; moshing is just the best. I also found out that some venues don’t allow moshing because the law can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. In some cases the venues can be held responsible for booking “violent bands.” In that cases like that it is usually argued that it is the venues fault for booking a band that promotes violence and if the venue had not booked that band the injured party would be okay. I see where these people are coming from but I definitely do not agree with them. I feel as if it is your fault for getting into the pit in the first place.

Citation:

Garland, Matt, dir. Into the Pit. Independent , 2010. Film. .

Research Memo 2

Research memo 2

Research Question:  Can hitting someone in the pit be looked at as assault?
Assault	1. They will either hurt someone, or get dropped with a quick left hook. 2. In The Pit, everyone is equal. 3. They feel every bump is a personal attack on them
Hitting	1. Without regard for the surroundings. 2. Get dropped with a quick left hook. 3. They feel every bump is a personal attack on them
Types of People	1)      The bully – Does not know what is going on. 2)      The Pro – Moshes all the time. 3)      The rock star – In the zone, total disregard for his environment.

In my opinion I feel as if this article gives evidence that moshing could be categorized as assault. I personally feel that moshing cannot be looked at as assault in any way. For the sake of my research I remain unbiased. There are three main reasons that moshing could easily be categorized as assault.  People in the pit are considered as equal/fair gain. Two there is a lot of hate moshing going on (hitting people on purpose), and there are multiple types of people in the pit two of which could be looked at in negative light. 

The first reason moshing could be considers as assault is due to the people in the pit categorized as bullies. They feel like every time someone bumps into them it is a personal attack. They only take it for so long until they decide to try and hurt someone. That in it of its self is assault, but if the bully wants to act up he is going to get beaten up by other people in the pit.

The reason is that hitting someone if it is not in self defense is considered assault by law. In the pit people swing their arms with no regard for their surroundings and that usually results in someone getting hit. Another thing about the pit is that if you mess up people will not hesitate to let you know by physical means, IE: hitting you in the face pushing you to the ground or kicking you in the stomach.

The last reason is the type of people in the pit with you. Most of the time there are people in the pit with you; with the sole intention of having fun. However there are some people that mosh who just want to hurt other people. As I said that is called hate moshing and it is all about hurting someone you do not like. It is generally against the rules at most venues.

In conclusion moshing can easily be considered assault. This is due to the fact that it is an extremely high contact activity. As with any high contact activity there are people that participate in it with the intention of hurting someone else. On top of that the people that mosh usually hold each other to a higher standard. If you mess up you will promptly met with a “left hook” of some other form of unnecessary physical punishment.

Conclusion:
In conclusion moshing can be viewed as assault depending on who is moshing and how you interpret the law. There are also three types of people that and they mosh for different reasons. The "bully" moshes with the intention of hurting others and that's about it. The "pro" moshes to have fun and show his love of music. And the "rock star" moshes with no regard for his surroundings. He is so into the music he has no idea what's going on.


Follow up:
For research memo 3 i plan to evaluate a documentary on moshing. I would like to find out how you can express yourself without moshing and why is moshing considered a liability to venues.

This is throwing down

Research Memo 1

Research Memo #1

Hypothesis:

Most people that I know look at moshing as an art form or a way to express themselves. They go to shows with the sole purpose of moshing, and having fun. Moshing is a huge part of the hardcore scene. My hypothesis is that most people will look at moshing as an art form or a way of expressing one’s self; while listening to good music.

Context:

The target group for my survey is kids in the hardcore scene ages fifteen to twenty-one. I chose these people as my respondents because moshing is a huge part of the hardcore scene. Everyone that considers themselves part of the hardcore scene knows what moshing is. Therefore, they will not have a problem answering any of the questions. If this survey is given to anyone outside of the hardcore scene, they may not be able to answer most of the questions. This is simply due to the fact that moshing is not for everyone.

Have you ever been to a hardcore show? yes/no	Male: Yes: 60% No: 40%	Female: Yes: 20% No: 80%
How often do you go to shows?	A lot: 30% Sometimes: 50% Never: 20%	A lot: 0% Sometimes: 30% Never: 70%
Check all that apply.	I have seen moshing: 50% I have moshed: 40% I have never moshed: 60%	I have seen moshing: 40% I have moshed: 10% I have never moshed: 90%
Do you know what Myrtle Beach hardcore is?	Yes: 40% No: 60%	Yes: 10% No: 90%

Do you consider yourself part of Myrtle Beach hardcore?	Male: Yes: 20%  No: 80%	Female: Yes: 0% No: 100%
What is your opinion on moshing?	Positive: 60% Negative: 30% I don’t know: 10%	Positive: 10% Negative: 60% I don’t know: 30%
Should injuring someone while moshing be considered assault?	Definitely: 40% No: 40% Sometimes: 20%	Definitely: 70% No: 10% Sometimes: 20%
Whose fault is a moshing related injury?	Your own: 40% The person that hit you: 60% The venue: 0%	Your own: 10% The person that hit you: 90% The venue: 0%
Do you think moshing should be legal?	Yes: 90% No: 10%	Yes: 100% No: 0%
Do you consider moshing a form of self-expression?	Yes: 100% No: 0%	Yes: 80% No: 20%

Data analysis:

I did not honestly get answers that I expected from my surveys. Ninety percent of Males said moshing should be legal. I thought it would be one hundred percent: considering one hundred percent of girls said it should be legal. Another big thing is that one hundred percent of males think moshing is a form of self-expression. To me that is a monumental piece of evidence. If it is a form of self expression that means it has to be viewed pretty positively. Another thing I noticed is that more than fifty percent of girls view moshing in a negative light. I do not know if it is because they do not know what it is or they think it is just unnecessary violence. One thing is for sure the male and female demographic have two completely separate opinions on moshing.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, it seems that most females look at moshing with either a lack of understanding or a sense of displeasure. It is the opposite way for men they see it as an art form or a form of expression. This honestly contradicts my hypothesis. I thought everyone regardless of gender would see moshing as an art form not just a display of violence.

Follow up: 

For research memo, two I plan on researching laws dealing assault. I plan to figure out if hurting someone in a mosh pit can be categorized as assault. I am going to use a book called in the pit that actually has a section on this. The reason there is a chapter on this is due to the simple fact that it happens all the time.    

Preliminary Link

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=105&sid=91918a25-2753-4390-af1e-18ba8eb05222%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=nfh&AN=200806131303420014

This was an article in a newspaper published in Sydney Australia. It is a good article because it gives multiple peoples point of view on moshing, and shares personal experiences. On top of that it also defines what moshing is extraordinarily well.

http://arrow.dit.ie/buschmarcon/54/

This is a good source because it gives a good generalization of why people mosh, and what draws them to those specific genres of music. It states that moshing is almost ritualistic and I completely agree with that.

 http://www.moshing.org/

This gives a great over view of how to safely mosh, and prepare to mosh. It also gives you a nice understanding of how everything on the floor works. Ex: fist up arm extended means back off. The most important thing it tells about is body language; being able to read it in the pit can save you from a big head ache. It also gives various reasons for moshing.

http://www.crowdsafe.com/mosh.html

This website is just some good general information on how to handle the crowd when you’re at a concert  and decide to mosh. It's some good information to know.