Government Censorship of Music Misguided
Granted, there are entertainers in the music business who, as Tipper Gore says in "Curbing the Sexploitation Industry," want to send the message that "sadomasochism is the essence of sex," so that they can make a not-so-honest dollar. As Charlene Choy says in "Romantic Rot," some performers will scream about anything, including "suicide, sadism, incest, [and] bestiality," if it will make them stand out and turn a bigger profit than another musician.
Still, Gore and Choy are missing the essence of modern rock. To explain which aspect of modern rock Gore and Choy have overlooked, I will define rock in a broader sense than many people use in their day-to-day conversation: for the purposes of this argument, I will define "rock music" to mean any form of music which has emerged since the 1940's which has had enough popularity to allow people to identify themselves as a member of a group based on the type of music to which they listen. Therefore, types of music as diverse as disco, heavy metal, rap, classic rock (from the 1950's through the 1970's), "grunge," pop, industrial rock, and country-western will be covered under this definition.
What Gore and Choy have misunderstood is the way that music can create bonds between people, both between individual fans of a particular group and between the singer and an individual fan. People can learn how others think and can learn more about themselves through the sometimes-brutal reality of modern musical lyrics. Nirvana's song "Dumb" can show popular people how it feels to go through high school as a social outcast. The music of Garbage and L7 can give men a glimpse of the female mind. The music of Nine Inch Nails and the Gin Blossoms can take sane people on a trip through the mind of someone who is losing his (or her) sanity.
Music can also help people, particularly those going through painful times (such as adolescence) to understand that they are not alone and that other people have the same feelings that they do. After grunge-rock superstar Kurt Cobain committed suicide in April 1994, one fan wrote to Rolling Stone magazine describing how the music of Cobain's band, Nirvana, made her feel. "I could be feeling like total shit," wrote Carrie Loy, "and hear a Nirvana song and end up feeling renewed afterward.
Abstract On June 26, 2015 a divided Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples could now marry nationwide. At the time of the split ruling there were 9 supreme court justices, 5 of the justices were Republicans, and the remaining 4 were Democrats. In high profile cases it is except that the justices will vote along party lines. When the 5-4 ruling was reveled by the following statement. “It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right (Corn,2015).” written by
The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights exists because the Founders of our country understood the importance of free expression. The First Amendment states "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . ." (Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution 17). One of the ways the American people use this freedom of speech and expression is through the creation of the art form known as music. Music's verbal expression bonds our society through our emotions and experiences. This fundamental right of freedom of expression is being threatened by public and governmental groups who believe they have authority to monitor and decide what others should experience. The censorship of music lyrics is a violation of our First Amendment right, and public groups should not be allowed to bypass this right to censor obscene lyrics produced in the music industry.
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)
Racism, hate, sex, drugs, and profanity are among many things people encounter in everyday life whether they want to or not. The one thing that people do have control over is what kind of music they listen to and to take that right away from anyone would be more offensive than having the president of the United States of America get oral sex in the oval office, one of the most honored places in the country. People get more worked up over the things in life that mean nothing, than worrying about crucial issues. Our society can tolerate watching parents smack their children in *Wal-Mart more than they can stand to hear a curse word, or a sexual comment in a song. Music is an expression of the artist and should be treated as that. Censoring music is like telling Michelangelo he could not put the penis on “David”. The truth is that censoring music is an action that goes against the constitution of the United States of America and although some content may offend people, prohibition of freedom of expression violates the rights of more than those offended.
Once people hear about the United States they automatically relate the country to the word “freedom.” Little do they know that this country has many similarities to countries where censorship plays a major role in their daily lives, due to their government. One of the major issues that involve censorship within the United States is the question whether or not music should be censored; and how will parents or the government decide at what age it is appropriate to allow children to listen to music pertaining profanity? There are two sides to this issue; there are people who are for and there are those who are against censorship in music. At what point does action transcend from a matter of consumer choice to the matter of censorship? I think that the government and parents should not refrain their children from listening to different kinds of music, because once they do that, they deprive their children from knowing what’s happening in our society.
was all right, so that he can accept it and move on. The narrator also
Gay and lesbian couples deserve for their commitment to each other to be viewed with equality on a legal and social level. There are numerous rights withheld from same-sex couples when they are denied the liberty to marry. For example, same-sex couples are usually not considered next-of-kin. In medical situations this means that they are unable to visit their partner in the hospital, or have a say in life-or-death medical decisions (Wolfson). Recently, two reporters from the New York Times calculated that same-sex couples can lose as much as $500,000 over their lifetime, because they are unable to receive employers' spousal health insurance, as well as other disadvantages (Badgett, 2013). On top of the legal issues faced by homosexual couples, they also face discrimination daily. Social acceptance of gay marriage cannot be mandated, but with legalization, gay marriage will eventually become a social ...
As many people know, Kurt Cobain was lead singer and guitar player for the grunge band, Nirvana (Russomanno, Tony). There is truth behind the lyrics and tone of Cobain’s music. It takes people into the depths of what was really occurring behind closed doors. Cobain struggled with many adversities such as heroin, chronic stomach pains, drinking, and pills (Cobain, Kurt). Cobain, however; he did not deal with his adversities well. He was actually unable to ever overcome them.
of the way he views Drab, his work and his life. This is similar to
On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. Should gay marriages be legal? Why should our nation accommodate such a dreadful Supreme Court ruling? Gay couples have become a major problem for our children. Children only repeat what they hear, see, and other habits from their role models. Our children are the ones who are being subjected to these horrifying situations.
Much of the actions artists are exploited through the media. Popular tabloids, magazines, and blogs thrive off of the dramatic and shocking things these musicians do.
Despite the overwhelming success of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, Cobain was never fully satisfied. His life was plagued by bipolar disorder, addiction, and depression, along with reoccurring stomach pains. From the development of ADHD in his youth, Cobain suffered for most of his life, which ultimately ended in his suicide. The pulling away from society, creating grunge music, and committing suicide displays the inner tortures of Kurt Cobain.
Many people have heard or were even fans of the famous band Nirvana. Even if the name isn't entirely familiar, songs from them are popularly known because of the band's great success. On April 5, 1994, the world lost a legendary rock singer, Kurt Cobain. Being the front man of the successful band Nirvana, he created a new era of rock called grunge. Along with the predictable troubles of fame came difficulties in Kurt's life, struggling with his drug addiction, spasmodic behavior, and medical problems that were never examined nor treated. One might agree and say yes, it is obvious Kurt committed suicide but many others beg to differ. His death greatly affected Nirvana fans and some began to speculate that his death, in fact, was not a suicide. Even though Kurt Cobain's life was difficult with the fame and his bipolar disorder, his death isn't believed to be suicidal because, he and his wife, Courtney Love, were on bad terms; he was leaving behind a two-year-old daughter, and Nirvana was at the height of its success.
Nowadays, no matter what the professions, a mainstay of the companies prefers to hire employees who basically need to know how to operate computers. “Knowledge of computers” has become a basic requirement in job descriptions. As computers are capable of handling large amounts of data in a very short time, they are well suited for word processing. For instance, medical officers use computer to record patients’ data for finding them easier and more
In the modern society, computers play an influential role in our lives in many ways. Actually, they have taken an essential part of our lives and have become an inseparable feature in our way of life. They have reached to a point where someone can freely say that living without a computer is similar to living in an environment without air to breath. They have become very common, appearing in every environment and fields such as medical, government, business, international offices, and in many family units. Among the few inventions that almost lay a hand on our lives, is a computer. It has brought radical changes in our habits of thoughts, communication, in performances and in writing. It has also brought revolution in the globe both culturally and socially benefiting human beings in a number of ways. Over a half of a century, computers have been there but peoples’ behaviors came to be converted in the last 400 years (Financial Daily, 2010). Majority of things are nowadays accomplished with only a click of a mouse. To create and spread its awareness together with understanding its numerous advantages, computer studies have been made mandatory in every level of education. The paper will examine how computers have impacted personal lives by elaborating both advantages and disadvantages associated with computers.