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Music Censorship

Kenyetta Daniel

Sunday May 6, 2012

Kris Shaw

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Would it be hard trying to picture the world without music, or thinking about someone telling you what you can listen to or sing in the privacy of your home? That is what it seems to have come down to. Censorship is what the government and others seems to think is hurtful and vulgar to society many have wonder if this is true or not. Many people have found themselves protesting censorship in music, is censorship in music too harsh for kids today. Censorship has been around since the time of Plato and has gone on through the centuries. In this country it was with the beginnings of rock and roll and has continued on today. Rock music is huge when it comes to censorship because of the allusion to sex, drugs, alcohol, and violence. The Government believes that profanity is what they need to censor people from, though the freedom of speech is a First Amendment right to all people. The Government sees it as what the average person would find offensive and lacks any serious value in literature, artistic, political, or scientific. It is the sexually explicit and violent material in the songs that makes it so a person has to be a certain age before they can buy a CD with this type of music. This is why many parents have to buy the CD’s that their children like. Many have found out in after doing research that this is a strictly state by state policy.

There are families that have witness this because they have lived in different states, they can tell the difference from one to another. There are stores that also refuse to carry any music which can be offensive, even though they sell music. A family oriented company and well- known as Wal-Mart was one of the first store to stop selling offensive CD’s. There are those who say that it did not hurt Wal-Mart sales at all and that it may even have helped out. There are also those who say that it will hurt their sells in the future. Many people have to go to music stores like Best Buy, and FYE, to buy music that they like instead of buying them at places that promotes edited music. Many wonder how this was all started and if it is really doing any good.

3 The warning label on music was started in hopes of keeping children from hearing music which is sexual and violent in content. It was all started in 1985 by a group that was concerned about the music that was coming out at the time. Even though record labels did not want to put the warning labels on the music, they did so because of congressional pressure. The label is one that many have seen several times and have gotten used to seeing, since you know have to be a certain age to buy certain music. It says “Parental Advisory Explicit Content”. Many believe the label did not work. The label made older children want to buy it all the more, even though parents may not approve of the music. It really wasn’t until they put the age restriction on CD’s so only people of a certain age can buy them that it did any good, if it did any good at all. All it means is that if the person is under the age, they just need an older friend or family members that buy the music. As parent many see no effect that this has on children. There may be some reason behind why music is so censored today and many wondered about that.

A parent knows that the songs their children listen to has various forms of violence, and has never seen any difference in their behavior. There have been many studies that suggest that there is a correlation between the violence that children hear and the acts they do. It has been suggested that children who listen to violent music do tend to cause more trouble, have police records and also have problems in school. The teens also tend to use drugs and have sex earlier. Many have to wonder where the parenting is coming in at with these kids. Several believe that if the parents played more a role in their children lives that this would not be happen. There is a good side to the music that many parents want to ban. The children who listen tend to be independent and are more likely to question what is going on around them, that seems be what parents want for and from children. We want children to be independent, responsible and to think on their own. Some think that if the music helps with this, then all the more reason to let children listen to it. Music plays such a large role in a teen life, and taking away certain types of music may not be good for the teen who is trying to figure out who they are in life. Teens listen to more music as they grow older. They listen to it more than they watch television or does any other form of entertainment. They will listen to music in their room alone, and listen to the songs that best reflect their moods and how to cope with them. It may not be the music the parents like, and they may do it on purpose as a show of rebellion against the parents. Teens are trying to prove that they are their own person and can make decision of their own.

4 Music is such a large part of their lives. Many children have music of some form on when they are doing their homework, and out with friends. The music is a way for them to help figure out who they are and who they are trying to be as an adult. The music can provide inspiration and knowledge of knowing that they are not the only ones out there with issues. The music provides teens with the thought that maybe someone does understand what it is like to be a teen that parents will never understand. In time, parents might not see the music that children listen to as we do now. It can be said of as classical music. It may seem hard to believe, but many of the composers of classical music were once counted as rebel and trouble makers. Beethoven is one of them. In his time, he thought he was a rebel and nothing short of a trouble maker. Wolfgang Amadious is much the same way. Even Chicofsky was thought to be a long haired hippie and a rebellion for his time. Today many go to see one of works music set to a ballet. The people were shocked at what type of music they were listening to, yet in time that changed. Today we count their music as the standard of what many should be listening to. It makes several people wonder if at some point people will see music that exist now to be found as offensive and as important as classical music. It may seem like something of a reach, but it is possible. The way people see music and the world around themselves may change with time.

Children today face a different world from years ago. There is no doubt in many people mind that if children have a good foundation, then they will be able to pick out any type of music that they want to. Many people strongly believe that parents needs to be more involved with children and know what is going on with them. Many believe that if they have raised their children right then they can listen to any type of music they choice. They will become their own person and if they have a good head on their shoulder then the parents have lead them in the right direction and the children can decided on what they want to listen to and buy when It comes to music and that’s why many people think that restriction on music is unfair.

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Work Cited
INGLIS, IAN. Journal of Popular Culture, Aug2006, Vol. 39 Issue 4, p558-575,
Boehm, Kristen; McKee, Sean; Pollock, John. Conference Papers -- International Communication Association, 2003 Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, p1-27, 27p,
Jeffrey Jensen Arnett (2007). Encyclopedia of children, adolescents and the media
Lawrence Amey, Timothy Hall, Carl Jenson, Charles May, Richard Wilson. Salem Press: (1997). Censorship