Persuasive_Essay

Censorship of Music It clearly states in the first amendment that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances," however, censorship in America still exists in a huge way. "Music censorship is the term used to describe the act of editing, altering, or preventing the listener from hearing the music as the artist created it in order to either deny certain information or to act as a moral gatekeeper of potentially harmful material" (http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~barndollar/courses/spring98/students/fabfive/index.html). The Censorship of music in the United Stated dates as far back as 1951, when "Radio stations ban Dottie O'Brien's "Four or Five Times" and Dean Martin's "Wham Bam, Thank You Ma'am" fearing they are suggestive.” Then, in 1954, Ruth Thompson introduced a bill in the House that would ban mailing of any pornographic recording, punishable by five years imprisonment and a $ 5,000 fine" (http://ericnuzum.com/banned/fifties.html). Even Elvis Aaron Presley, ‘The King of rock-n-roll’ was once thought of as obscene. In 1957, when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show for the third time, the cameramen were told to only film him from the waist up. "Elvis’s dancing was considered lewd" (http://ericnuzum.com/banned/fifties.html). Although music has been under attack by law makers since the early fifties, in the past ten years the attack has seemed to soar. One attack on this freedom comes from parental advisory stickers that are placed on CD’s. Parental Advisory stickers are used as a form of censorship against an artist and their lyrics. If a label will produce an album, I don’t think there should be any reason that the consumer can’t decide for him or herself if lyrics contained in the album are found obscene or otherwise unsuitable. In order to begin the debate on whether or not parental advisory stickers serve as a form of censorship, one must consider what the word censor implies. The word censor means “the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral, political, military, or other grounds (Dictionary.com).” The question of what constitutes "appropriate" language and obscenity has been greatly questioned by law makers, and forced upon the music industry. The government oversteps the constitution in concluding on which lyrics are appropriate for children. In the year 1990, the size, placement and wording of the logo were standardized. The current labeling consists of a black and white logo, fixed to the permanent packaging on the bottom right hand corner on the item such as a CD. For all the controversy these stickers stir up, do they really serve a practical use for protecting the youth of the nation' Parental advisory stickers, voluntary or mandatory, act as a form of censorship because the stickers affect the availability of a sound recording. Many major retailers will not purchase, and therefore not display, an album with any kind of parental advisory sticker on it. As controversial as records like Ice T, Eminem, and Dottie O’ Brien and other artists who use either swears or sexually explicit, or suggestive material are, artistic pieces no matter what kink of messages they send, or how unpopular the songs may be, are still protected by the first amendment to the constitution. The censorship has not stopped and still continues today. A more recent act was in 2002, when BMG Music Group released the first “enhanced” Parental Advisory stickers that contain additional warnings about strong language, violent content and sexual content. The first disc stickered with the new label is Lady May’s May Day. Now, as the government and voters are battling over the decisions about censoring music, our freedom is being reduced. A group that works for freedom of expression is called, Parents of Rock and Rap. Members of this organization include students of all ages, parents, grandparents, college professors and musicians. Though we do need to protect our children from what they see and hear; one must ask if it is constitutionally moral, and then we may begin to change the warning system, so that our guaranteed freedoms do not die. Personally, I feel that any type of censorship is wrong unless it is brought upon by the parents. This is our freedom and time to choose what we will. The censorship does not need to be left up to the government and lawmakers to decide what we can and can not listen to. This freedom needs to be left alone and if parents are concerned they need to be more involved in their children’s lives and censor their lives, and music themselves. Works Cited "censor." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1). Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. 05 Nov. 2006.