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Hey...long time no update, right? lol
I just finished Mrs Petrics essay...I did it on music censorship, and I'm really proud of it...
Censorship in Music
Lauren Serbus
Pre-AP English Honors I
Petric/2
WTD High School
Censorship in Music
Which would be preferred in the mind of a parent? Their child listening to a radio station airing man having sex with a piñata, or listening to a station airing a fully censored, all-ages appropriate song by a controversial artist? Most of society would likely choose for their child to listen to the latter. The FCC, or Federal Communication Commission, however, would prefer to have society listen to a man making love with paper Mache, with no second thoughts, whatsoever. Simultaneously, that same federal program highly fines the station that happened to be playing an edited, bleep-drenched, profanity-free version of Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady”, on the claims that, although edited, the song still contained references to sex that was “patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards”. Surely our community would find the sounds of a man and a piñata having sex neither patently offensive nor containing references to sex. (Nuzum, 2001, Radio Suckers: The FCC Arbitrary Attack on Rap) Understandably, the government is trying to keep today’s youth innocent, but the ways in which this is being done is absolutely absurd.
On September 25, 1789, America’s forefathers gathered and created the Bill of Rights. First and foremost, they began with Amendment I: “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 peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” If that is truly how our nation feels; that congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, then there is no need for a Federal Communication Commission, especially that of one making completely unnecessary, not to mention totally absurd, laws that contradict the Bill of Rights. Music is being banned from the radio, or slapped with a Parental Advisory sticker for increasingly insane reasons. There are literally thousands of insensible banned songs in the past years. Even songs that seem to be patronizing have been banned; for example, in 1954, Cole Porter’s “I Get A Kick Out of You” lyrics were change from “I get no kick from cocaine” to “I get perfume from Spain”. (Nuzum, 1997, Censorship Incidents: 1950’s-2000’s) Another example, in 1999, is equally shocking. The laid-back alternative rock band Third Eye Blind was forced to drop their anti-violence song “Slow Motion” from their upcoming record, because it, shockingly, contained multiple references to violence. (Nuzum, 2004, Censorship Incidents: 1950’s-2000’s). Also, any song aired on the radio containing the word “bullet” is now edited out on the song, regardless of whether it is in pro- or anti-violence terms. However, the word “damn” and “hell” can remain uncensored, and songs which are clearly more inappropriate than the word “bullet”, such as 50 Cent’s provocative “Candy Shop” and blink-182’s “Dammit” remain favorite songs among the radio stations. Obviously, the line by which censorship is enforced is not an easy one to be walked; the line goes in all different directions, simply based by the FCC’s mood the particular day a song receives a complaint!
Furthermore, as if relatively innocent lyrics weren’t enough of a ridiculous reason to ban a song, their have also been many penalties for music that were non-relational to the lyrics in any sense. In 2001, a high school student was threatened with arrest for wearing a t-shirt by the band Insane Clown Posse to school because it was considered disruptive (however, girls’ short skirts and guys’ shorts down to their ankles is totally accepted). Three years earlier, 18-year-old Eric Van Hoven was suspended from his high school for wearing a shirt promoting the band Korn. The shirt had no inappropriate images or words, with the exception of the band’s name. Also, a superintendent in New Hampshire forbids students from wearing “Marilyn Manson or other Goth attire” because it is considered a distraction. That insanity, however, isn’t just in our school systems. Although the concert took place outside of school, four students were suspended in 2000 because a Backstreet Boys concert contained “inappropriate music and/or dancing”. Just one more of the many examples which Nuzum shares in Censorship Incidents: 1950’s-2000’s; in 1997, John Schroeder was arrested in a grocery store while wearing a shirt with a picture of Mafor making an ‘obscene display’. One year later, the Crime Prevention Resource Center forced the hospitalization of Marilyn Manson fans, also advocating the classifications of “Goth rock” fans as street gangs, both of which, in over 97% of American cities, is illegal. The, at one time, understandable, attempt at censoring music has now gone from affecting simply what people listen to, to their entire lifestyle, just because a couple of corporate big shots realize that there’s more than their style of music in society, wherein which lies the problem.
As mentioned before, however, it is understandable that the government is trying to keep today’s youth innocent. However, just from the examples mentioned before, clearly, they are not consistent with the manner in which they do it. Music is, by far, the most powerful manner of communication. That being the case, the FCC does not only completely go against the first Amendment, it inhibits art from touching society. At the same, however, there is language, sex, drugs, and violence all over television, bumper stickers, books, and the rest of society, and very little of that which censored, is censored to the percentage which music is. How ironic it is that while walking into Wal-Mart, a bumper sticker is passed that says the word “bitch”, but a CD containing that word can usually not be purchased inside the store. What the government is trying to shelter us from in music is everywhere else in society. Nuzum expressed his opinion in 2001:
Chances are you’ll be exposed more to music today than any other art form, perhaps more than all other forms of art combined. We use music in the more significant and most mundane of our activities, both to focus intense feelings and to distract us from the dullness of life. As we music, we thus inhibit our ability to be fully human. Music doesn’t have to be patriotic, sensitive or even make sense. Music, at its most fundamental core, is freedom. It just needs to be there. (Sound Off: Our Attitudes Toward Music Parallel Out Belief In Freedom).
Music, in its essence, is the ideal picture of freedom of speech; music is the first Amendment. It is the representation of each class in today’s society; each image has its’ own artist(s) voicing its’ thoughts and opinions. Television, books, and movies simply create characters that have their own opinions, whereas music touches real people. The opinions of artists are symbolic of the opinions of society. Therefore, is the government is attempting to censor music; they’re attempting to censor society.
Additionally, in comparison with music and other forms of entertainment and art in society, music is by far the most attacked. It is simply unexplainable why a statue of a nude man or woman is considered art; however, there are anti-violence songs not even allowed to be produced. Also, an artist cannot speak the word bullet anywhere within their song without being penalized; whereas, all over the news, there are completely uncensored, supposedly ‘all-ages appropriate’, true stories more violent and more gory than could ever be even written by an artist. There is not one song in existence as explicit as the news. However, the FCC and other
(*Note to Number of Censorship Incidents: The “2000’s” point represents 2000-2004 only.)
(Number of Crimes in the US from Elert, 2003, Crimes in the US;
Number of Censorship Incidents from Nuzum, 2004, Censorship Incidents 1950’s-2000’s)
government organizations continue to blame the rise of crime in the United States almost fully on music. Ironically, the number of songs banned and the number of crimes are rising simultaneously.
Moreover, the government is now blaming acts of violence and other crimes (such as suicides, Columbine, and other school shootings) on the music which the criminals and/or victims listen to. For example, in 1985, the parents of John McCullom sued Ozzy Osbourne, on the claims that his song “Suicide Solution” “aided, advised, or encouraged” their son to commit suicide. Righteously, the judge in charge of the case decided that his overt lyrics were protected speech and that evidence is insufficient to connect the song to the suicide. (Nuzum, 2004, Censorship Incidents 1950’s-2000’s). Of the thousands of other people who have heard “Suicide Solution”, there have been no other recorded incidents of suicides. Ozzy Osbourne’s lyrics did not cause a young man to take his own life.
The music that each person of society listens to is listened to by choice. No one is forced to listen to something, so for someone to say that a particular song(s) convinced them to do something they did not want to is senseless. Music is listened to and created in hopes of reaching people, for the simple love of getting in touch with feelings, not to be banned or censored, with direct violation of the first amendment. Censoring does not have any positive effects; it does not prevent the music from being heard, it does not prevent crime, it does not cause crime, it does not affect crime, nor any other aspect of life. Once again, Music doesn’t have to be patriotic, sensitive or even make sense. Music, at its most fundamental core, is freedom. It just needs to be there.
References
Nuzum, Eric. (2004) Parental Advisory-Music Censorship in America: Censorship Incidents: 1950’s-2000’s. Retrieved April 30, 2005, from http://ericnuzum.com/banned/incidents/index.html.
Nuzum, Eric (June 19, 2001) Parental Advisory-Music Censorship in America: Censorship Articles: Editorials: Radio Suckers: The FCC’s Arbitrary Attack on Rap. Retrieved April 30, 2005, from
http://ericnuzum.com/banned/articles/editorial_fcc.html.
Nuzum, Eric. (May 8, 2001) Parental Advisory-Music Censorship in America: Censorship Articles: Editorials: FCC Jumps the Gun on Violence and Children. Retrieved April 30, 2005, from
http://ericnuzum.com/banned/articles/editorial_ftc.html.
Nuzum, Eric. (October 30, 2001) Parental Advisory-Music Censorship in America: Censorship Articles: Editorials: Sound Off: Our Attitudes Toward Music Parallel Out Belief In Freedom. Retrieved April 30, 2005, from http://ericnuzum.com/banned/articles/editorial_911.html.
Belcha, Peter. (June 27, 2004) Taboo Tunes: A Book! An Exhibit! A Website! Retrieved April 30, 2005, from
http://www.tabootunes.com/index.html.
Elert, Glenn. (2003) Crimes in the US. Retrieved May 2, 2005, from http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/MaryPennisi.shtml.
Anyway...yeah...I was supposed to go to court today but I gotta go back Thursday now...ugh... (if u dont know what happened, just leave a comment w/ ur email and ill tell you). And the frickin band concert Thursday night *rolls eyes*...I hate Klink lol...
Anyway...once again lol...who wants to party it up friday? lol...I wanna have a party. Any ideas call me. Seriously. C'mon guys...it's friday the fucking 13th!!!!!!!!!!! lol
Hey Shannut...am I winning? I've lost 5 pounds so far. ***veggie burgers*** lol...I'm addicted to those things. I'm been doing really good *feels proud* lol..enough talking about image stuff...
I finally learned how to DL music. lol
I'm gonna try to start updating more..
Oh yeah...in case anyone didn't know...I got a new email: blinkbabe6461@yahoo.com