Pro Music Censorship

It is every American’s duty to protect his/her country. Protection comes in many forms, you can protect your country physically, mentally, and spiritually. Music in the U.S.A. these days has been very tasteless and containing extremely obscene lyrics. Music is a beautiful art that has been ruined by hateful lyrics of songs heard today. These vulgar lyrics are not only of bad taste, but they affect everyone who hears it as well, thus music censorship should be legalized in the U.S.A. It is a form of protection; we are protecting society and mainly our youth. Music with obscene lyrics should be censored in the USA because it corrupts society of all moral values.

The First Amendment, Freedoms of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition states that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peacefully assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” It is undisputable that the First Amendment guarantees all Americans freedom of speech, but the fight for music censorship is not about taking away freedom of speech. It is about the protection of society and all its members. According to the Communications Decency Act in 1996, the First Amendment does not protect music. The First Amendment states that people peacefully assemble when they have problems with the government and what have you. Today people are contradicting the First Amendment and singing violently and tastelessly about the problems they face with the government, as shown in some political songs, instead of assembling peacefully and dealing with their problems. With their songs they are brainwashing innocent minds, and creating an even bigger danger to society. Freedom of speech is a privilege, and with every privilege comes responsibility. Some artists in the industry today cannot handle the responsibility of freedom of speech. Artists abuse this privilege by carelessly ‘speaking their minds’ and distribute their immoral values onto others without thinking about the severe consequences that follow.

The fraction of society most affected by the obscene lyrics found in some songs today are the children. Children are at a very naïve age, in which they are very impressionable. They are at a ‘monkey see, monkey do age’ or in this case, a ‘monkey hear, monkey do’ age. ‘The twelve year old murderer, Mitch, who was behind the Westside Middle School shootings in Arkansas, was said to be influenced by gangsta rap, according to a teacher in Westside Middle School, Debbie Pelley’ (www.geocities.com/musiccensorship). Mitch was heavily influenced by rap music, and frequently talked about murder and violence. We must protect our youth, and thus protect ourselves from the outbursts of violence influenced by obscene lyrics. The “explicit content” label on albums with vulgar lyrics does not serve as protection. It is an inadequate label that is the only source of information available to parents. Regardless of the number of restrictions put on albums whether adequate or inadequate, music is easily obtainable, and our youth lay unshielded from the ugly voice of vulgarity. Parents can only do so much, and it is impossible for parents to be fully away of the type of music their children listen to. Therefore it is our duty to censor music that has proved to affect children to a great degree.

Not only does vulgar music affect children, but it affects the society as a whole. Platinum selling rapper, Tupac Shakur, has been in trouble with the law and public since his first album and even now after his death. “In 1994, two 17-year olds shot some police officers and said they did because they heard it in Tupac’s music”(http://www.digitaltermpapers.com/, Does Rap Music Cause Violence?). Artists should realize that people look up to them, and that they are regarded as role models in peoples’ lives, and that what they do affects and influences many people. The Columbine High School Shootings which shook the USA, were said to be influenced by the tasteless music of flashy rockstar Marilyn Manson. Lyrics of Manson’s music include: “I hate the hater, I’d rape the raper…..Hey victim you were the one who put the stick in my hand…Let’s just kill everyone and let your God sort them out”. As Hitler pointed out, through repetition comes control. When songs are heard over and over again, especially songs like Marilyn Manson’s, the ideals of the songs are being imprinted in the minds of the listeners, and thus practiced by them. Studies have shown that teen violence, suicide, drug use, and sexual activity have all been on the rise after the formation of gangsta rap. Does it not make sense that the catalyst promoting these standards is to blame? Music is supposed to be beautiful, but instead music with explicit lyrics is leading to moral collapse. What is a being without his standards and his principles? People are walking down the streets singing along to tunes praising such ideals as rape and murder.

Music censorship has various economic effects as well. The “explicit content” sticker is merely a marketing strategy used to promote the CD. When people see that sticker, it captures their attention, and they feel compelled to purchase the album. “The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) does everything with marketing strategies in mind”(www.geocities.com/musiccensorship). Their main concern is profit, and not the vulnerable youth of tomorrow. Have you not noticed that the songs that top the charts are the songs containing indecent lyrics? This is the direct result of the RIAA’s marketing strategies. The youth, being the largest portion of consumers, are targeted and manipulated into purchasing albums of explicit content.

Music with obscene lyrics should be censored in the USA because of their destruction of moral values in society. Children are being heavily affected, as well as society, and marketing managers are showing the children that life is all about money, which it most definitely isn’t. Once again, the fight for music censorship does not include robbing citizens of their freedom of speech. But there should be laws set up that protect society from these unwanted lyrics. The “don’t like it, don’t buy it” adage does not work in society today, for music of all types is heard everywhere without peoples’ consent. Please help us sew back the fabric of morals in the quilt of society.

Bibliography

1. Leo, John. Censorship, Opposing Viewpoints, San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1990.

2.www.crwl.utexas.edu/~bandollar/courses/spring98/students/fabfive/procensorship

3.www.msu.edu/~kimheej3/musiclyrics.htm

4. http://www.digitaltermpapers.com/ (Does Rap Music Cause Violence?)

5. Microsoft Encarta 2001, CD-Rom, Music Censorship.

Samar Al Ansari
Grade 10.3