How Might We Stop Censorship of Today Music Without Compromising Morals?

Censorship of Music

How might we stop censorship of today music without compromising morals?

Music has always been a basic form of expression. From hip hop, to country, to even ancient, tribal music, it has been a medium through which individuals convey their thoughts and expressions. Today this medium is under attack. Everywhere we turn, everything we do and say is being scrutinized. We are being told what to say. We are being spoon-fed our emotions. No longer are we allowed to think freely, openly. All the censors out there are on the prowl for another piece to rip to shreds because it doesn't fit their description of what is decent and moral. What they fail to realize is that we don't make the music for them... We do it for release.

Music has often been the release for some of our most troublesome times. If you are angry or sad, you go home and put in a song that relates to your feelings, making you feel better. I personally, write when I'm not in the best mood. Whether I'm depressed, angry, or whatever, I know that the pen is my one true friend, and the parchment will never tell me lies. Many people fail to see this as therapy. They see it as cursing, vulgarity, etc., just for the hell of it. This is not true in most cases.

On Eric Nuzum's website I found some interesting facts. Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, Clear Channel Communications released a list of 150 "lyrically questionable" songs that it was requesting stations remove from their play lists. Some of these songs were: "Highway to Hell" and "Shoot to Thrill" AC/DC, "Jet Airliner" Steve Miller Band, "Fly" Sugar Ray, "Another One Bites the dust" Queen, all songs by Rage Against the Machine, and, to beat all else, "Walk Like an Egyptian" The Bangles. Some of the songs on this list are just ridiculous to the point of hilarity! I'm sure "99 Luft Balloons" is going to start a riot!

The world is a messed up place, and for those of us who do not lead a life of privilege, it never gets any easier. We fight to stay alive, we strive to find the courage to make it through every day, and we pray that someday, things might get a little easier. We all have our own outlets. For some of us it's music, for other's reading or writing. That release is what gets us through the day, our one sip of pleasure in a teacup full of torment. It is being fought against. It is being ripped apart and made to seem it's something it's not. It is crumbling before us, as we watch with galvanized eyes that shed petroleum tears. We fight because it is the one thing we can call our own, that no one can take away from us. It is our soul through a set of amps, excited by the pluck of a string, the beat of a drum. It is the fire that burns within us. It is music, and it is under attack.

Have you ever walked into a music store and seen those parental advisory stickers on most of todays' popular music? Or have you seen those TV ratings on the top left corner of your favorite shows? How about the ratings on your favorite video games? I'm sure you have, but do you really know what those so-called harmless stickers, and images do to the world of entertainment and your freedom of expression for that matter? A recent craze to promote "family values" in the U.S. has caused censorship panels to go entirely too far with the censorship of the entertainment industry including television, radio, the Internet, and even authors. Not only do the customers suffer by having parental bans on their favorite music, but the musicians suffer as well. The musicians are betrayed by their own labels, who are there to support them, not hurt them! The world of music is basically a collage of the artist's thoughts, so banning what they write is a violation of their freedom of speech. One of those artists is three time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow. In 1996, Crow released her self-titled album to her many awaiting fans. When most went to their local Wal*Mart to pick it up, they were turned down because of the contents in the lyrics. Wal*Mart said the lyrics were offensive and argued that Crow, and her record label change the offensive lyrics. When Crow and her label refused to change the lyrics, Wal*Mart and many other large-retail stores refused to sell her album.

That was not the only time a large retail store refused the sale of an item. In 1986, Wal*Mart stopped the sale of certain rock magazine, including Creem and Rolling Stone. The company argued that the magazines conflicted with the family oriented atmosphere they tried to maintain. The same goes for the CDs with Parental Advisories. Wal*Mart and most large retail stores like it, will not sell any Parental Advisories CDs. Therefore, they have decided to clean up those CDs before putting them on the shelves, altering them in many ways to get rid of the so-called explicit lyrics. So both the consumer and musician's freedom of speech and expression are being violated and the government will do nothing about it because it's their strict laws on music that lead to such discriminatory actions!

Music is not the only thing in this world that gets censored, Television too has harsh laws to restrict what the public sees on their favorite shows. In January of 1997, the television industry began rating TV to designate what programs were suitable for different age groups. Many television executives promised to challenge any government changes to the system, saying that government involvement would be unconstitutional but on TV today you can definitely see government involvement. Ever watch one of your favorite shows and just as they start to say something "offensive" a loud and annoying beep is filled in it's place? Sure you have! Now if that isn't government involvement trying to paint fantasy over a world of reality, what is?

Another part of television censorship is the V-Chip. In February of 1996, the government passed a law that TV makers could place V-chips, or violence chips in Television sets to block out certain TV situations. Martin Franks from CBS challenges the chip, saying that it's the parents job to regulate what kids watch on TV, not technology's and even when the chip comes out, parents will already know how to regulate their children's TV time. He also goes on to say the system of TV rating was based on content and it had many kinks including harsher rating for something as simple as a kiss on a show in the "family hour" of television. Yet in that same show a life lesson could be taught, and if it has a TV-13 or MA rating