Why are there so many outcries to ban rock and gangsta rap? Why does our government want to censor music? Is it really the violence that comes from the lyrics of the songs, and the attitudes that it creates, both positive and negative?
People say that the things they want to censor are bad, but are those materials really bad? Could these music types be referred to as bad things just because they are new, strange, and daring.
Some people, such as Tipper Gore, the Vice President's wife, support censoring music . On the other hand, Frank Zappa, who has opposed censoring music, ridiculed Gore's assertion that certain types of music could promote deviant behavior saying, "I wrote a song about dental floss but did anyone's teeth get cleaner?"
Today's music has advanced greatly since Generation X's parents' time. The variety of music comes from a wide range of artists with many different ways of expression. It seems as though Generation X understands and accepts this type of artistic music. However, there are many that will not even listen to this music to give it a fair chance. One particular person like this is Bob Dole. One of our sources states that he is very one sided and hasn't even listened to the point of the music, but he still condemns it because of the word choice of the artist. While advocating censorship on one hand, Bob Dole is quoted as saying: "People are responsible for their actions. Movies and music do not make people into murderers."
We can also tell that Bob Dole is out of touch with music. He still refers to banning music such as Two Live Crew, which is hardly played anymore.
Many musicians have jumped in on the fight against censorship. They believe censorship violates the first amendment which talks about freedom of speech. They feel that our freedom is being taken away from us. There are hundreds of examples of where "free speech" comes with a muzzle, such as it is illegal to yell "fire" in a crowded area, but does this really compare to musicians expressing themselves through their lyrics and behavior? It is not only "free speech" and not only "free expression" but sometimes it is decency that is being questioned.
For the last fifty years, new music has been continuously threatened to be banned. Music isn't necessarily the problem; sometimes it only tells us the problems, and the artists are merely expressing their opinion.
We can see that the standard of censorship is very difficult since there are so many individual differences to choose from. Can one person really create definition that will be suitable for all types of music and still be fair to the rights of people?
Every person has a right to choose what they will and will not listen to. If they feel that the music is not of their tastes, and find it offensive, then they will choose not to listen to it.
There are probably many examples of where a musician has influenced teenagers in a negative way, but very few compared to the percent of the population that hasn't been proven to have been influenced by music. When Kurt Cobain committed suicide, three youths in Canada committed suicide that same week, so it shows that there may be a negative influence. There is a positive side to music also.
Just as many groups are for music censorship as there are against it. There have been many threats to censor music in the past but none have really followed through. There will always be people such as Bob Dole and Tipper Gore who want to censor material but very few will succeed, as shown in the past. People will always have the right not to view material that they find offensive, but if the material is banned, people will not have the right to view it at all.
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