Monday, August 19, 2019
Music Censorship Essay -- Censoring Censorship Music Lyrics Essays
Music Censorship      Today, in the 1990's, citizens in our society are being bombarded with obscene material from every direction. From the hate lyrics of Gun's 'N Roses to the satanic lyrics of Montley Crue and Marilyn Manson to the sexually explicit graphical content of today's movies, the issue is how much society is going to permit and where we, as a society, should we draw the line. The freedom of speech has always been considered a right, but that doesn't mean that you can shout, "Fire!" in a crowded movie theater. The real question is whether such material is harmful or dangerous to our society.      Many people are asking whether or not we should censor offensive material. They believe that some material is too obscene for society to hear or see. The advocates of censorship get riled up because the movie rating council doesn't give a move an R-rating for having the occasional f-word. One rap group, 2 Live Crew, has already had one of their albums banned because in one song they used explicit references to male genitals and 87 references to oral sex. They used the word "bitch" more than 100 times and the f-word more than 200 times.      Although most people agree that we are being overwhelmed with offensive material, there is no consensus on how to deal with the problem. There are three possible solutions. The first is the possibility of government censorship, which would include laws and penalties for breaking these laws. The second solution is self-imposed censorship by individuals and corporations. The third solution is total free speech with no censorship.      The first possible solution is government censorship. In the past government legal actions have been taken to control offensive messages. For example, in 1988, the Ku Klux Klan wanted to appear on a Kansas City, Missouri public access cable channel. The city council decided that it would be better to shut the public access cable channel down instead of letting the KKK air their show. Later, under the pressure of being sued, the city council reversed their decision.      Critics of this sort of action agree that these offensive messages do exist, but legal action is not the way to deal with them. They believe that no individual acts the way the messages portray just because the messages exist. Another belief is that legal actions will intimidate creative people because it mak... ...ce Clay, considered offensive by some, shouldn't be censored from those who find him humorous      Freedom of speech is an important part of any democratic country. While some people may find Rush Limbaugh's portrayal of President Clinton offensive, his show should not be censored. This is the price that we pay to live freely in a democratic society. Censorship does not have to be the solution. You always have the right to change the channel or put down a book. You have control over what you hear, see, or read. You are not forced to see or hear the offensive speech.      Opponents of the "first amendment view" believe that "just saying no" is not enough. For example, children most likely will not say no. This is why these people believe that the government should at least have the right to censor what children see.      Some people believe that censorship is the answer, others do not. I believe that this issue will be left up to the courts to decide. I fear that the media may become a swamp of regulations with no more entertainment value whatsoever, and I hope that this never happens. I think that the first amendment is a great right and that we should never abridge it.
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