Music Censorship Essay

Music Censorship Essay
Censorship in Music When listening to the radio, most people come across a song that has been changed from its original version, whether certain
words are beeped out, or a string of lyrics are replaced altogether. This is censorship, and it is very common on the radio. It is also very controversial.
People don't agree what should be censored or if anything should be censored at all. However, we believe that censorship is a good thing. Censorship
allows offensive music to be altered so that it is not offensive anymore. It also prevents younger children from being exposed to harsh and
inappropriate content in a society where access to music is growing. The positives of censorship outweigh the negatives by far.
What is Censorship?...show more content...
"Ironically, "The Real Slim Shady" also includes anti–censorship message, pointing out what Eminem sees as double standards about what kinds of
speech are considered acceptable in popular culture." This station was also issued a $7,000 fine. Even though it was an edited version of the song,
and all curse words were bleeped out, the FCC was determined that it was an indecency. ("The FCC, Radio & Censorship") In Canada there was
a similar case in 2011 that was with the song "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits, with the use of the word "faggot". The Canadian Broadcasting
Standards Council (CBSC) banned the use of this word any more. This certain incident to most other broadcasters, and music critics seemed completely
irrational. This was unreasonable because of the context of the word and the song aired twenty–five years earlier. There was a significant amount of
disagreement with the decision of the CBSC, some stations chose to play the song over and over for an hour, and others just spoke out about it on
their broadcasts. Higher authority got involved soon after. The Canadian Radio–television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), after receiving
numerous complaints on the ruling of the CBSC, requested that the CBSC consider the specific context of the lyric. ("Radio Censorship")
Black and White Explicit Content Label The black and white explicit content label, also called the parental advisory label, was first
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Censor This
Why is it that when a person that listens to music that may promote violence and contains "objectionable" lyrics does a bad thing, families are quick to
point out that it was external materials such as the music that influenced the person to do it?
This is the controversy over music censorship. Music censorship is the attempt or action taken by any agency to limit or hold back anything in music that
a community may find offensive to its beliefs or values.
Musicians are artists, and often their music reflects the life that they are exposed to. I have to hear about a painting or sculpture being censored
because it may seem...show more content...
If censors successfully demonstrate that a work of art is obscene (lacking in serious social, artistic, literary or scientific value) that work can be subject
to legal censorship. If the censor is a private business (not affiliated with the government), it can censor anything it likes for any reason it chooses, such
as Wal–mart's decision to ban CDs with a "Parental Advisory" sticker. Therefore music censorship isn't entirely illegal.
Wal–Mart and other large department stores sell CDs by artists that are not what the artists originally created. Some retailers refuse to carry CDs with
"Parental Advisory Stickers", a few also go as far as to make it known to labels and artists that if the CD comes to their shelves with a "dirty" word, a
"controversial" cover, or an "explicit" lyric, it will not be allowed on their shelves.
Music censorship has been around, in one form or another, since music became an organized art form. Most of what we know as music censorship
started with the development and popularity of rock and roll in the early 1950s.
1956 is considered the first year for censoring music in the radio. ABC radio began by banning all of its network affiliates to play Billie Holiday's song
"Love for Sale" because of its prostitution theme. ABC also was responsible for a lyric change in Cole Porter's "I Get a Kick Out of You" in which the
lyric "I get no kick from

Synthesis paper
Racism, hate, sex, drugs, and profanity are among many things people encounter in everyday life whether they want to or not. The one thing that
people do have control over is what kind of music they listen to and to take that right away from anyone would be more offensive than having the
president of the United States of America get oral sex in the oval office, one of the most honored places in the country. People get more worked up over
the things in life that mean nothing, than worrying about crucial issues. Our society can tolerate watching parents smack their children in *Wal–Mart
more than they can stand to hear a curse word, or a sexual comment in a song. Music is an...show more content...
This amendment gives people the right to voice their opinion and speak out in what they do and do not believe in and gives them the right to express
themselves. Expression equals art and there is no question that music is an art form. The act of censoring music is the same as if we told Picasso what
colors he could or could not use.
Many people believe that music should be filtered because it provokes violence or sex within society. There may be some truth in this but for the
most part it is merely myth. People who have any common sense or are not legally insane can understand fact from fiction and what not to imitate.
Anyone who listens to Eminem and decides to go and kill their wife should have been locked up long before the actual crime. When people do
things that resemble what an artist says in a song, it is usually by pure coincidence and all are negative incidents. Frank Zappa was quoted to have
said "I wrote a song about dental floss but did anyone's teeth get cleaner?"(Jackson 1).
"Every person has the right to choose what they will and will not listen to. If they feel that the music is not of their tastes, and or find it offensive,
then they will choose not to listen to it"(1). Most of the people who are offended by certain music genres usually do not listen to that type of music nor
do

Censorship in Music Essays
Censorship in Music
Censorship in music has been a major problem plaguing America since the early nineteen forties. It came to a head during the nineteen sixties with the
Vietnam War and the hippie movement. During the nineteen seventies and eighties heavy metal and hard rock were getting the brunt of thecensorship
heat. Now in the nineteen nineties the major focus of censorship is rap; primarily gangster rap. Some of the main factors of music in general that cause
legal ramifications are sexual content, suggestive violence and obscene language. Censorship is an attack against our first amendment right
guaranteeing the freedom of speech. However if a song or album is deemed obscene the first amendment does not protect this. The mass...show more
content...
It began by the Recording Industry association of America agreeing to voluntarily place–warning labels on albums that were deemed obscene. This
came after a congressional hearing before the Senate commece, science and transportation committee. Frank Zappa a controversial musician
attended the conference and called Tipper Gore who is co founder of the Parent's Music Resource Center a "Cultural Terrorist."(Winfield pg. 25)
Record labeling made many angry and at the same time pacified others. It was seen as a step forward in attempting to control the one mass media
aimed directly at teenagers. Musicians such as Axle Rose have spoken out against labeling claiming their right to express themselves musically no
matter what the response. One artist, Luther Campbell, of the rap group 2 Live crew released a single titled "Banned in the USA" in response to
the labeling (Winfield pg. 14). This labeling of albums is not the first attempt and success at censoring music. For 50 years radio stations have been
censoring songs deemed inappropriate. In 1940 NBC banned 147 songs. The Supreme Court upheld the FCC's authority to regulate music in 1978
(Winfield pg. 14). The rock and roll community could only expect some sort of limited censorship. Initially the ban was only in effect from 6 am until
midnight but in 1988 president Reagan made the ban all day. The FCC in an attempt to let radio stations know what types of songs were unacceptable
sent a list of 22

music censorship Essay
MUSIC CENSORSHIP, 1950 till now
1952 The Weavers are blacklisted due to the leftist political beliefs and associations of several members.
In 1953 six counties in South Carolina pass legislation outlawing jukebox operation anytime when within hearing distance of a church. During 1954
Stephen Foster songs are edited for radio to remove words such as "massa" and "darky." For radio airplay the perceived drug
reference "I get no kick from cocaine," is changed to "I get perfume from Spain." in Cole Porter's classic "I Get a Kick
out of you."
In 1955 Former radio deejay Pat Boone begins a career by releasing "sanitized" versions of black R&B hits. Boone's versions of these
songs...show more content...
... 1965 ...
Cleveland Mayor Ralph Locher bans all rock concerts in the city following a Rolling Stones performance.
The Barry McGuire song "Eve of Destruction" is pulled from retail stores and radio stations across the country after some groups complain
that it is nihilistic and could promote suicidal feelings amongst teens.
... 1966 ...
A statement by John Lennon in March, comparing the popularity of the Beatles to that of Jesus Christ, results in wide–spread Beatles record burnings
and protests. Lennon's comments regarding what he perceives as a decrease in Christianity's popularity with teens are taken out of context. He says,
"We're more popular than Jesus now."
...
In June, Capitol Records recalls all copies of the Beatles' Yesterday And Today album following complaints over the album's gory cover art. The
"butcher" cover depicts the four Beatles wearing white smocks and covered with decapitated baby dolls and raw meat.
Police attempt to shut down a James Brown concert, alleging the singer's dancing is obscene.
... 1967 The Rolling Stones agree to alter the lyrics to "Let's Spend The Night Together" for an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in
January. Producers request that singer Mick Jagger alter the title phrase to "Let's spend some time together."
...
Producers of the Ed Sullivan Show request that Jim

Should Music Be Censored Essay
Music is the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having
unity.Music provides a powerful form of expression that at its most basic level helps to entertain while containing the power to cause revolutions. It is
a way for people to express themselves through beats, lyrics, pitches and ranges. Imagine owning a music store, and a new album about police brutality
is brought to your store for you to sell. An undercover cop came in and bought the album, and told you that if you didn't take the albums off the
shelves you would be arrested and your store would be shut down. There are debates today on whether the government should censor the music that
we listen to.Some believe it has a negative effect on the listeners and cause them to become the lyrics. Since music is a form of expression, censoring
the music would be a violation of our rights. While many believe censorship to be a necessity in certain contexts, the idea of censorship is at fault in its
attempt to control and stop the advance knowledge of the world today.There is fear of...show more content...
Artist are protected through the first amendment to express their feelings through the art of music. They use their songs to get an issue out to the
world, to tell about something personal, for entertainment, to relate to the world, or to make a statement. Censoring the music is discrimination
against the emotion the artist felt in their song. It's like taking the first amendment away from the artist and listeners.The government can't limit
expression just because of any listener, or a community is offended by the content and characters of the song. We have a choice of what we listen to.
We aren't forced to listen to anything. If you feel a certain genre of music has too rated for you or children, don't play it. We have a choice. We have a
choice. We as Americans have a

Marilyn Manson, The Beatles, NWA, Garth Brooks, and the king, Elvis, What do all these people have in common? Well, yes, they are all musical
groups, but there is something more. Marilyn Manson is a heavy metal group who worships Satan, the Beatles were one of the greatest Rock N' Roll
bands of all time, and NWA was a hard–core rap group from the 80's. Garth Brooks is a country singer and greatest selling performer of all time, and
well, Elvis is the king of Rock N' Roll. So what do they all have in common? All of these artists have or had songs with indecent or obscene lyrics.
Since the dawn of musical expression, there have been people trying to stop or hinder the constitutional right to listen and enjoy...show more content...
"The use of parental advisory labels, as with any system that aim to deny an individual the right to receive a form of communication, most certainly is
a free speech issue" (Crowley). Censorship should be left up to the public because it is our freedom to decide to use our better judgment in deciding
what we want to listen to, regardless of other's opinions.
The Parents Music Resource Center and other censorship groups became a thorn in the side of free speech when many parents (like Tipper Gore)
were outraged and disgusted by this new music known as "rap." Censorship organizations demand that these new performers like Ice–T and NWA
become banned from the radio and their music be labeled as indecent and explicit in order to protect America's Youth from listening to this so
–called
"filth." Rap has since been the biggest target for censorship, with groups going as far as saying that, "there has been a marked increase in explicit
violence and misogyny in popular music, and it stands to reason that exposure to such hate filled lyrics has had a effect on kids' attitudes, assumptions,
decisions, and behavior" (Senate subcommittee...). This is a crazy assumption with no facts to back it up. According to Vincent Shiraldi, the executive
director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, "There has been a 30

Essay On Music Censorship
When the thought of music censorship comes to mind, my first perception is that censorship depends on the individual listening to the music. Every
person has a different idea of what censorship consists of and also what should be acceptable or not to the public or for private listening arenas.
Censorship of music and lyrics has always had a strong presence in America. One could hear an edited version of a song or even find the CD sold
on racks as a 'clean version'. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on who you are talking to. There are pros and cons to each opinion. In my
opinion I find that there are more positive aspects of censoring music than there are negative.
There are many pros to using censorship in music. One example is...show more content...
Music is perhaps the most accessible form of art in the world, and it is used regularly for people to cope with issues, to gain inspiration or to simply
raise moral. The possibilities of music are endless, and one could consider music a great example of freedom in general. Music with lyrics that are
entirely up to interpretation are commonly censored by the radio and the music industry, even the lyrics are acceptable on a concrete basis. This proves
that sometimes the mind is dirtier than the lyrics in general. Even in times of sensitivity, songs were banned from the radios that were not lyrically
involved whatsoever with what occurred. Thi is san example of the music industry being overbearing and limiting musical freedoms. An important
negative aspect about uncensored music is that teenagers all go through experimental phases, where they learn the dark realities that are common in
life. These phases, though not always, normally end after a while. Music can help teach adolescents about things that they cannot talk to their parents
about, and the censorship of music would just make this common process more difficult to go through. In almost every case, banned music or the
creation of "edited" music has been ignored and people have gotten to the uncensored versions nonetheless. This questions the attempt of censorship in

The Dangers Of Music Censorship In Music
Music Censorship
In today's society music has turned into one of the most influential factors of socialization in children and youth. Young audiences are constantly
exposed to popular music through various radio stations, internet websites, and technology. Since popular music has been making a notable impact on
young generations, the government has put into place the censorship of music. Censorship is the alteration of ideas or lyrics in music that are deemed
unsuitable for public hearing. Music that sends messages against moral norms of society are subject to get censored when getting aired on radio
stations or sold in stores. Everyday people are exposed to the censorship of music especially when listening to music on the radio. Censorship takes
effect every time a word or phase gets bleeped out or removed from a song. A national debate between artists and government has become a real
issue of whether music should be censored or not. On one hand, artists have the rights to freely express themselves through music. In opposition, the
government can censor music that has any philosophical objections in its meaning. Artist may feel a challenge in boundaries when it comes to
writing and publishing music since they have to abide by many laws, or accept that their music will be modified. As a teenager that listens to a
variety of different music, I can see why censorship has to take place, however I do sympathize with artist that may feel artistically blocked. I also

Censorship Of Music
Music is the thing everyone loves, everyone needs, without music, there will be no dance parties, less ways to relax, and less happiness. There's a lot
of different types of music, everyone has their own favour, the beauty in the music made us fell in love with it, and that's why music is all around us.
But recently different kind of music contains profanity which ruin the music in a way. Now some people started to been concerned about the profanity
added in the music lyrics, especially for parents, they are worried that the profanity might affect the behavior of their kids. Some uncensored music
started to been popular because of the profanity in the lyrics, which made the teenagers started to learn about foul languages. Uncensored music
definitely ruin the true beauty in the music, and that's not the music we want to listen...show more content...
In response to that, teenagers have an exactly different perspective about banning uncensored music. "It's freedom of speech." Some teenagers argue
that the profanity in the music is just a way of making the music sounds good. "Singers use the bad words to show their feelings, there's nothing
wrong with that." A lot of people argued. Some people also said music without bad words, especially rock music, will be boring. Many people around
the world like how the music has profanity in the lyrics, or even how the name of the band or a singer contains bad words. But there's also many
disagreement about the uncensored music. People think nice music should not contain foul languages, they think music without the bad words will be
beautiful. Especially those people who have kids, they are extremely unhappy about the fact that the uncensored music is popular because of the
inappropriate words in it. For music that is uncensored, plenty of people made a lot of argument about

Music Censorship
Kevin Ung
Professor Vazquez
English 101
October 9, 2007
Music Censorship I enjoy and love music very much. I feel that music artists should have the right to freely express their work and I feel that I
should argue about the censorship attacks on these artists. I'm tired of listening to a good song on the radio with some of the words censored. It
ruins the song and I can't stand it. Some people think that rap is a bad influence and causes the young to behave badly. But I think all this censoring
has something to do with racism because it is mostly black people singing the songs. The first website list the good side and bad side of rap censorship. I
think half of this site is pretty good to use for my paper. The second website has a...show more content...
I don't think this site is appropriate for reasons mention above. But this site is a little better because I can actually view the whole essay plus the
sources the person used. This makes the paper more reliable. This paper mostly shows the beginnings of how rap got started and the troubles of
censoring it went through. The writer does seem to be against censorship but this paper is mainly just facts for the reader and not that much
persuasive. I would recommend my readers to read this for the freedom issues the write discusses about. ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) would
be appropriate for my readers to contact. ACLU is a political organization that is nonprofit and nonpartisan. They have many civil liberties members
and supporters. They protect individual rights, your First Amendment rights, your right to equal protection under the law, etc. Censorship goes
against your freedom of speech and so they try and protect that from music artists who are having their work censored. The strongest piece of
information I have discovered from this aspect of my research came from reading the paper on the second website. I read about how PMRC (Parents
Music Resource Center) claimed that popular music was responsible for influencing the young like increase of rape, crime, suicide, etc. This
organization goes against everything I'm fighting for and is the main problem

Music Censorship
Music has been the cure to many people's bad days.But on the other hand,some not.Music has been around for decades and has become popular
now.Not everyone proud of the censored/uncensored music their making now and are in an disagreemnet about some people wanting music being
banned.Music has become offensive to many parents and their children.However,the offensivemusic is affecting the way teens talk and dress,promote
violence, and causing students to be unfocused in school.Muisc should be banned because it would give an positive outcomeon behavior,language,and
paying attention in school. Generally,Numerous of people such as parents feel that music should be banned because it's affecting the way their children
talk and dress.Karen

Censorship Of Music
Music has changed a great deal since the first melody was discovered, and to this day music is still very influential . In such situation, lyrics cound
potentially hold words that are not seen as clean, so do we censor any sort of bad language or let todays artist pursue what ever content they choose. To
begin with, censoring today's musical content would be a waste of time and money, our society has more serious problems than the words coming from
the radio, banning these words wont help, we could focus on the respect we give to eachother, then our good maners would stop the verbal insults and
argument provoking statements. On the other hand, people talk about how the music and its candid expressions offer no benefit to the audience,

Things are heating up in America. People are protesting outside of the movie theaters, concerts, and book and record stores of this great nation
everywhere. What is all the fuss about? Censorship, Government officials, and raving mad protesters alike have been trying to stop the expressive
creativity in everything from rap music to Mark Twain.
Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades. There have been many different arguments on the
topic, however the question still remains as if it should be censored or it should not be censored. In Paul Blanshard's book The Right To Read: The
Battle Against Censorship, he speaks of censorship as a negative boundary on society. Blanshard argues that...show more content...
In order to fully understand 'perverse modernism', the power of the
material being viewed must be analyzed. Negative material can appeal to people because
viewing negative material draws the attention of people by appealing to their deepest
emotions, such as fear, excitement, and curiosity. It appeals to the emotions of
a wide range of people. For the youth, the simple fact that the topic is taboo is reason
enough for engagement. The curiosity of the youth about the forbidden is satisfied, and
they learn to manage anxiety and defeat fear by distorting and exaggerating reality. At the
same time, they bond with others, story tellers, and peers by sharing intense emotional
experiences. People continue to watch or listen to material that offends them because the
satisfaction they receive from it outweighs the costs. Some artists and musicians use

vulgar words and imagery because they think that they can not express their pain without
the use of those words. While the other majority of musicians and artists intentionally use
negative images and words because they fully aware of the 'perverse modernism'
characteristic and chose to profit from it. Many artists feel that negative publicity is still
publicity and is worth obtaining.
Perverse modernism is becoming a phenomenon in society as more and more
people feel the need to view and profit from negative material. Martha Bayles
believes that people use society's

First Amendment And Music Censorship Essay
The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights exists because the Founders of our country understood the importance of free expression. The First
Amendment states "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . ." (Commission on the Bicentennial of the
United States Constitution 17). One of the ways the American people use this freedom of speech and expression is through the creation of the art form
known as music. Music's verbal expression bonds our society through our emotions and experiences. This fundamental right of freedom of expression is
being threatened by public and governmental groups who believe they have authority to monitor and decide what others should experience. The
censorship of music...show more content...
In 1964, The Rolling Stones catapulted to fame amid outrage and controversy about the surliness of their demeanor and the length of their hair.
The Stones were considered "dangerous" and riots and scenes of hysteria erupted wherever they played. "Today, they're in the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame, winners of the prestigious Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and on the cover of TIME magazine" (RIAA; History 2 of 4). "There's
nothing new about pop and rock music finding its roots in the anger and rebellion of young people, and there's nothing new in older people
expressing unrealistic fears about that music" (RIAA; History 3 of 4). History has shown us that what may be initially perceived as objectionable is
actually only the reaction of a new or different experience.
Musicians are protected under the First Amendment equally as any citizen in the United States of America. They deserve the same basichuman rights
we all practice, "however the freedom of expression has special relevance for musicians (Hald 1 of 8). "This offers a special protection of musicians
against arbitrary censorship and persecution" (Hald 1 of 8). Not only does censorship of music threaten the freedom of speech, but it also threatens a
musician's right to promote their work through free enterprise. "Musicians have the freedom to play music in public or private domains, give concerts,
and release CDs" (Hald 1–2 of 8). Some concert

Music is one of the most popular ways of expression and has been for generations. It makes us want to dance, inspires, soothes, relaxes, and
sometimes tells us a story. Music is something the whole world shares and has brought together different kinds of people. However, there has been a
question on whether some music has affected society negatively and crossed the line with some of its lyrics, content, and the persona of the artists.
Certain music has been boycotted and even banned in the U.S. Pro–censorship supporters say that music is something that can deeply affect our society
especially children who should not have to be subjected to things like violence, sex, drugs, or hate. However, being that music is a form of expression,
...show more content...
Magazines can do the same things and on the Internet, you are allowed to post almost anything you want. Yet you rarely find any restrictions on
these forms of expressions. Books can depict things like drugs, sex, violence, hate, and have swear words, yet books are not banned in stores or
censored. To me, music is the same thing as a book. Artists have the same right as an author to sing what they want and not have to suffer by having
their material disallowed. The Rolling Stones released a song, ?Can?t Get No Satisfaction,? which was never played on many stations in the early
1970?s because it depicted sexual actions, yet at the same time there were magazines like Playboy and books that could have been about sex that did
not receive the same attention. Music is like any book because it can talk about any subject in any way they want, which follows the right of freedom of
speech. I also raise the question concerning the right to organize and have parades. Artists are being banned and led into oblivion because of swear
words yet we see Neo Nazi and KKK parades. They go around holding posters with slurs and insults and screaming offensive things. Yet, these things
happen often and nothing is done to try to stop them or ban them. The reason is because they have the right to do this which is stated in the
Constitution have the right to express what they want without being persecuted or punished. If these events are allowed to happen then why

Censorship In Music
Music is an expressive, vivid form of art. The influence of music has a huge impact with every age group in the world. When people think of music
they automatically think of how it makes them feel which most of the time is good.They don't comprehend the provocative lyrics or what the song's
meaning really is. People have become used to this insulting and offensive language found on just about any song. Every song being released today
contains some sort of graphical, sexual, or explicit lyric. Today's graphic music encouragesviolence, degradation of women , and influences young
children negatively. First of all, censoring graphic,explicit, and sexual lyrics may preserve children's innocence until their parents think it is time to
discuss...show more content...
Karen Dill, author of "Violent rap lyrics make listeners more accepting of violence", states: "Radio personality Don Imus referred to a college
women's basketball team as nappy–headed ho's". Dill also argues, " ... many responded that the racist and sexist language was acceptable because the
type of language is used by minorities in rap music". Rap music has made their own image of what women are in their eyes and this has caused others
to treat females a certain way. Women have always been portrayed as weak, feisty, helpless, property, and more. Females start to believe this about
themselves having low self–esteem, not wanting to be in relationships, and thinking they aren't good enough. In reality, they might not feel that way,
but that's how they are talked about in music so they believe they need to be that way. According to the author of "The public should criticize violent
music lyrics," women are objectified, often in the most obscene and degrading ways "(Brownback). For example, "Wildflower" by Ghostface Killah
had a very set way on how they described women. The song is full of disgusting comments towards women calling her a "bitch", "stank hoe", "dumb
bitch", and "a chickenhead hoe" (Ghostface Killah). Ghostface Killah also brings up him cheating on her and how he had sexual relations with her
while she was bleeding. The lyrics used in this song are meant to bring

Essay on Censorship of Music
Censorship of Music
In today's society, all types of music artists are expressing their views, opinions and feelings in their songs about what they see and what they know.
This is on of the great things about this country, the freedom to express yourself. It is not fair, nor is it constitutional that music should be censored
in anyway. It is not only rap music trying to be censored it is in all types of music. They are taking away their rights and it isn't fair. As reported in the
New York Times. "Wall–Mart CD standards are Changing Pop Music", Wal–Mart and other large department stores sell CD's by your favorite artists
which are not what your favorite artists originally created. Some retailers refuse to carry CDs with "Parental...show more content...
"We've got to speak their language" if the message of the record is "Don't call me a bitch" we have got to allow the artist to get the message across.
And sometimes it is necessary for the artists to use language that grabs peoples attention. Inner City Broadcasting one of the largest black owned
broadcasting firms in the country, announced that its stations will not play music that is profane or advocates violence, particularly against
women or homosexuals. They announced they would not air songs with the word's "bitch" and "ho" to refer to women. What we are doing, as
responsible broadcasters who are licensed to serve our listeners, is simply exercising our best judgment, said Pierre Sutton, Chairmen of Inner
City. (Viles 90)What bothers me is that they censor the music because they are saying these words are portraying bad ideas, but they are just
singing about what is all around us and what we see. It is not like saying theses lyrics are anything new. A person or a child is going to hear them
regardless of any song with so called profanity in them. The people singing are just telling the truth. I think a child has a better chance of hearing
profanity in there own home or school then by hearing it in a song. The recent Gangsta rap hearings on Capitol Hill bore all the elements of 1985's
dramatic Parents Music Resource Center debate–heated testimony talk of labeling explicit lyrics and plenty of music biz attention. Led by Illinois Sen.

Music Censorship
Since the being of time people have been making and listening to music. Music has been considered the best way to express ourselves. The Bible
even talks about how music was used to praise God. Music has been used for all type of things ranging from to getting a girl to notice guy, trying to
get over a broken heart, or maybe losing a love one. Now society says that music has become too violent and sexually oriented. Many people have
different point of view on this topic some people feel that there should be some type of censorship, while other feel censorship is against the first
amendment, and others feel that parents should be responsible for what their children listen to. The question that comes to mind is should...show more
content...
Others believe that music should not be censored because it would infringe on the artist's right to freedom of speech, but music containing explicit
lyrics should be criticized for their negative content. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas delivered a speech to the City Club of Cleveland. In his
speech he discusses how music has a major affect on youth, and how crimes among teenagers have increased greatly, since music with explicit lyrics
have been out on the market. He also expresses that music should not be censored, because the artist have the right to say what they want in their
lyrics, but society also had the right to criticize the explicit lyrics in their music. (1–9) The right to freedom of speech is given to all people under the
bill of rights. If people weren't allowed to speak what they felt this country would not be where it is today. However, other Americas feel that there
should be no such thing as censorship on music, but it is completely up to the parents to decide what their children should listen to. In an article
written by Olivia Clarke, she interviews parents to see what they have to say about the music their children listen too. Lory Reinisch listens to the
music her children listen to and then tells them what songs they can listen to on the CD. (3) Artists that produce hardcore music is only for
entertainment. In the same article Dr. Dre stated, "I let my kids listen. Matter of fact, I have a 14–year–old daughter that critiques my music

Music Censorship Essay

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Music Censorship Essay