Music censorship
Should music be censored?
When censoring music is talked about this can refer from muting the curses to controlling music content and if you want to censor music it depends on what music thats effecting people even though music has different effects on different people. There is more than one side of music either violent and profiling. Many people think that rap and rock in particular is too violent. People are concerned that music causes violence in the world and drug abuse while other types of music would help people through rough times. Right now music is one of the biggest industries with millions if not billions of followers worldwide. Explicit lyrics, drug references and profanity as well sex references affects the minds of adolescence for the worst.The irresponsibility of these artists are unbearable and they are the reason why music should be censored
Music is not being censored for no reason. When you're listening to music on the radio there's holes in the songs its due to profanity and drug references. When a song is popular it drills itself in the the minds of the adolescent. When a teen hears Tupac and pick up a gun after being desensitized to violence or listening to Wiz Khalifa they start smoking or drinking and doing drugs which ruins so many lives .Many artists are looked down for publicly using drugs such as Wiz khalifa or Eminem. As well as many other artists promote violence or used it explicitly such 2Pac (Abram).When rappers or artists in general start using degrading terms for music in general as in shown in Malcolm X’s article when he quotes Aaron McGruder when he says "I don't mean b!+(h in a disrespectful way, I mean it as a general term for women," (Abram).when degrading ter...
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Knoploh, Sarah. “Explicit Lyrics Encourage Teen Sex.” Should Music Lyrics Be Censored? Ed. Beth Rosenthal. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2012. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints In Context /Gale. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Pelly, Debbie. “Aggressive Behavior in Children.” Violent Children. Ed. Bryan J. Grapes. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2000. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints In Context /Gale. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
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Music with explicit lyrics or content started having black and white parental advisories on them in 1994 (http://www.riaa.org/Parents-Advisory-4.cfm). Are these labels necessary? Is controversial music molding our society and causing teenagers to turn to drugs? Is censorship necessary to protect the youth of our nation. Generally, younger people are against censorship on this issue. Music is an outlet and even an anti-drug for many teens; however, parents and society feel differently. Should parents censor their children or society, many parents would like to raise their own
The music industry gets a lot of criticism about the music that they put out on the market. Most of the criticism comes from the parents. There are bills passed, such as the "Parental Advisory Program," which enforce that CD's with explicit lyrics have to have a label on them that state, "Explicit Lyrics" or "Explicit Content" (Parental Advisory). This sticker cautions the person who buys the CD that there is bad language or content. The recording industry takes serious responsibility to help parents identify the music with explicit lyrics.
Many bills have been passed to stop explicit messages in music from getting out. Censorship limits the amount of lyrics that get out to the community about violence. (History of Music Censorship) It may also limit anything in music that a community might find offensive to its values or beliefs. The lyrics presented in some songs are not appropriate for young adults. Some say music censorship goes against the First Amendment. It stops artists from expressing how they may feel. The profit on albums often goes down because of censorship. Censorship constantly targets rap and hip hop, and they are usually hit the hardest. (Forms of Music Censorship)
Censorship in music is a very controversial subject in today’s society. What is considered a form of artistic expression to some is also considered vulgar and inappropriate to others. But who ultimately gets to decide what is considered vulgar and what is not? Who decides who hears what in the music industry? The RIAA is responsible for applying the Parental Advisory stamp on every album that is released in the United States. The FCC is responsible for making sure that no vulgarities or controversial comments are aired on radio or television. But why is some content edited and other content not? I will try and explain these questions in our article.
Many people say yes, that there should be censorship because lyrics from songs are telling our youth it is acceptable to participate in illegal actions such as murder, rape or drugs. These people believe that the lyrics actually drive people to become social deviants. In one case, the parents of John McCullom sued Ozzy Osbourne, because his song "Suicide Solution", "aided, advised and encouraged" McCullom's suicide (Nuzum 1).
Krohn, Franklin B., Suazo, Frances L. “Contemporary Urban Music: Controversial Messages in Hip-Hop and Rap Lyrics.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics. 52 (1995): 193-54. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Music censorship has been debated since the beginning of recording history. The censoring of music is the practice of restricting free access to musical works. Songs with strong language, racist views, or harmful references will have warning labels on them. There are currently no laws regarding the censorship of music. Censorship originated from a wide variety of motivations, including moral, political, military or religious reasons. The censoring of music is incorrect and should be eradicated. Music has been prominent in culture for thousands of years; it is a big contributing factor to moral compositions, for some it is a personal refuge, for others it is enjoyment, music is an important aspect and to censor music would be racially discriminative, insensitive, and detrimental towards society.
Music has always been a basic form of expression. From Antonin Dvorak, to Eminem, 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.
In today?s society, we value and learn to tolerate different cultures and people. Sometimes people end up expressing themselves differently as well. This country is based on the idea that we may express ourselves any way we want to, be it religion, organizing, writing, or speaking. Music has been a popular form of expression for centuries. These days, in the country best known for freedom, some people are trying to censor it the freedom of music. Music should not be censored along with any other form of expression otherwise what we and artists say are being controlled. If we value freedom, then that includes what we may say and how we say it even in musical form.
For years, popular music has involved pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and the negative effects of explicit music has outraged society. There is a fine line that divides vulgarity from artistic expression. Whatever the motive behind the explicitness of popular music, it has many negative consequences on our society and therefore should be stopped.
... women. There are labels on music today that warn of explicit and violent lyrics, but there are none that advise listeners against language that debases women and that could possibly harm a person’s self-image. Every person has the right to speak their mind however they see fit, but if they can ban an album for condoning murder or rebellion against authority why can they not at least warn the public of music that offends an entire gender? Censorship of these words will not stop them from being spoken or written; only education about why and how they are used and how harmful they can be can bring about a change.
Teens and the human populous have been draw to music, and the relief it gives off. As recent as the 1990’s, we’ve seen an increase in explicit and violent lyrics and deviant behavior in the music industry surrounding such genres as heavy metal, rock, rap, and gangster rap. During this past decade, lyrics are becoming more violent and sexually explicit. It is approximated that teens listen to an average of 40 hours of music a week, and somewhere along the way, a child will hear something derogatory, or cruel. Along with this, teens don’t necessarily interpret what is said through lyrics in the right manner. In one study, only 30% of those somewhat questionable lyrics by popular bands were comprehended by the teen population.
This gallery was not one of taboo songs as much as taboo album covers, giving a new outlook on music-related censorship. The gallery also shows another method censorship could be used to limit creativity.
Music is a trend one cannot escape, especially teenagers. Majority of teenagers are caught up in pop culture. I’ve noticed, especially at Bishop Ryan, plenty of students walk around the halls or attend class with an earbud in at least in one of their ears, blasting their specific choice of music, myself included. Furthermore, I developed a hypothesis based off the following questions; what is the impact of music and lyrics on a teenager? Does it affect their behaviour and the way they might treat their family? Due to teenagers having multiple music streaming websites at the touch of the screen, teens can listen to anything, from classical piano tunes to heavy rap music. Every song has different lyrics and meanings behind them, and that could affect the way a teenager operates. The brain has a tendency to pick up and memorize habits due to the constant repetition. Additionally, if inaaprioate lyrics are constantly being repeated in the teenagers ear, there is no reason why one would not mimic the language and the message they promote. Teenagers tend to replicate the actions promoted in specific songs, leading to internet trends. Currently, many teens take choruses especially from rap music and create a trend, but I have noticed most of these catchphrases contain slightly offensive topics or meanings majority
To conclude, those offensive lyrics by rappers and rockers shouldn’t be available. These should be banned for good to keep minors from detrimental music. The facts proves these offensive songs have a horrific impact on minors and shouldn’t be heard in music ever