Censorship In Music Sucks. (Censorship In Music : Should acts like Eminem and Marilyn Manson be Censored?)

Member Name: DiFranco01

Product:	Censorship In Music : Should acts like Eminem and Marilyn Manson be Censored?
Date:	28/11/01 (330 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Protects children, BUT there are better, more fair ways of doing that.

Disadvantages: Everything else!

America is notorious for producing some of the most offensive acts and recordings the music industry has ever birthed.

Ice-T - several years ago, the recording containing highly-controversial "Cop Killer" was banned and, subsequently, removed from store shelves country-wide.

2 Live Crew - "As Nasty As They Wanna Be" is an entire rap album consisting of nothing but blatantly graphic and vulgar references to sex, women, and genitalia. It was quickly removed from stores and banned - the rap duo who recorded this controversial record were also publicly shunned for their utter lack of taste.

We also have obscene, graphic, and downright surly musicians that are NOT banned. Eminem, Kid Rock, Ludacris, and the like are prominent here in the States, and are heard all over the world. They are profane, with nasty attitudes and terribly vulgar images. They are every parents' worst nightmare, in other words.

I recently received an opinion from a non-American (this is not a dig on you all, of course!) stating that American rap artists should be IMPRISONED (WHAT!) and that their records should be pulled from store shelves all over the country. This person went on to state that rap music is anti-government, evil, and just plain stupid.

First of all, that is one hell of a blanket statement. I hardly find it to be accurate or even remotely close to the real picture. What about Christian rap trio DC Talk? (Granted, they are now more of an alternative rock group, but when their band was in its infancy they rapped.) Kris Kross, while being the most annoying rap duo ever, had perfectly innocent songs when they were young teen-agers. There are tons of rap/metal/rock artists out there (past and present) who aren't offensive, vulgar, and disrespectful to the government or women. They don't make up the majority, but they are still present. Check out Will Smith if you don't believe me.

Also, shouldn'
;t it be my personal choice as to what I can and cannot put into my CD player? Just because I listen to Eminem does not mean that I am going to become a self-mutilating freak. It also does not mean that I will turn to drugs or sex to escape the pain and boredom of everyday life. Finally, it does not make me a freak, or a player, or anything else that Eminem or other popular artists rap about. It simply makes me a fan of his music - I for one am amused by him, and refuse to take his act seriously. It is obvious, when listening to the entire recording, that Eminem is not taking himself seriously, and does not wish for anybody else to do so either. I tend to follow that advice, and simply enjoy the work that he is doing. The same goes for acts such as Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper, Ludacris, and even Slipknot. While they are all offensive to one group of people or another, they are all appealing to others nonetheless. To remove their records from store shelves would be highly unfair to those of us who enjoy the music: It would be the same as me saying, "Well, I'm offended by that record that you're listening to, so I'm going to appeal to a higher level until it's pulled off the shelves." Your good time would be ruined because I did not exercise my right to exit your room and go to my own house to play "my" records instead.

I am twenty years old. I am a legal adult - the only two things I am not allowed to do by law are consume alcohol and rent a car, neither of which I plan on doing anytime soon ANYWAY. I do not object to things such as the Parental Advisory board that rates albums and places stickers on the objectionable releases in order to inform parents of their content. This helps consumers of ALL ages and backgrounds make better buying decisions. Some of us are going to be offended by certain lyrics and images whether we are five or fifteen or fifty: That is the way life is. I think the Parental Advisory system is
a great tool for us all.
I DO, however, object to censorship. Making edited versions of recordings available for purchase is great - in fact, I strongly encourage the music industry to continue producing these alternate recordings. I get steamed when other people try to dictate MY preferences to me, however. Who gave the government or "concerned citizens" the right to tell consumers that it's not okay to listen to Eminem? "Oh, he's a bad influence!" they whine. So what? I'll take his messages in ANY context I please, thank you very much.

So, instead of pulling offensive recordings from store shelves and thus ruining EVERYBODY'S good time, I suggest the following:

1. Continue with Parental Advisories and edited recordings. This will help create a safter, less vulgar world for the impressionable minors that make up such a large part of the music industry's sales market.

2. When I was in the Army, I could purchase new CDs from the PX. (Sort of like an enormous department and general store rolled into one, for those of you who aren't familiar with the term.) The CDs that had received Parental Advisory stickers were, however, unavailable for purchase unless the buyer was seventeen years of age or older. I completely agree with this, as it helps parents to become more involved in the music that their children listen to - if parents have to go buy the record for the child, they will obviously know that it is explicit, and will either think twice or listen to it with their children.

3. Allow musicians to express themselves, and allow consumers to partake of these expressions. I am an adult. If I want to listen to vulgarity and graphic verbal images, then I believe that should be my right. However, that is not all that I play. In fact, it falls into the minority. For the most part, I listen to traditional Irish folk music, softer alternative, a bit of classical, folk, and even independent mu
sicians. I generally lean towards more positive messages that are generally free of explicit content - but that does not mean I should not have the choice to listen to obscenities and negative messages, right?

4. Finally, I suggest that we all play music that we enjoy - that is, as long as we are in the comfort and privacy of our own homes or vehicles. Exposing others to the music that I like is not fair - and vice-versa. So, as long as I am shut up in my bedroom with a record playing, there is no issue, now is there?

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