Free Essays on Music Censorship

Music Censorship: A Violation of The First Amendment â€Å"Eventually it was discovered that God did not want us to be all the same. This was bad news for the Governments of the World†¦ Mankind must be made more uniformly if THE FUTURE was going to work out†¦It was about the time that someone came up with the idea of TOTAL CRIMINILATION, based on the principle that if we were ALL crooks we could at least be uniform to some degree in the eyes of the law. Shrewdly our legislators calculated that most people were too lazy to perform a REAL CRIME. So new laws were manufactured making it possible for anyone to violate them at any time of the day or night†¦which is on of the reasons why music was eventually made ILLEGAL.† -Frank Zappa, liner notes from Joe’s Garage, Acts 2 (CBS, 1979) The first Amendment to the United States Constitution is as follows: â€Å"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 peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances† (Friendly). Music, like any other form of expression in this country, is protected by the first amendment from anyone who tries to censor it; and it would be a violation of constitutional rights to censor music. Of all the rights and freedoms guaranteed us in the Constitution, it is generally agreed that those set forth in the First Amendment are among the most vital and precious. The first amendment is basically the foundation of our Wentz 2 country, and censorship has no place in democracy. No government, special interest group, or individual should be allowed to deny anyone the freedom of expression. They cannot be given the power to control what one chooses to compose, express or listen to. Every person has a right t... Free Essays on Music Censorship Free Essays on Music Censorship Music Censorship? Webster defines music to be â€Å"a : the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity b : vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony,† and defines censorship as â€Å"examining in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable†. Therefore music censorship is the attempt to suppress or change any part of music that seems objectionable to a certain group of people. Throughout history every advancement in music is met with dispute. Bach’s complex harmonies and counter points, Jazz, and Rock ‘n’ Roll have all been met with opposition that it has had to break through. It is the same with some of today’s misinterpreted and misunderstood music(Lombardi). The history of censorship has been long in the making. The enlightenment in Europe was a time of intellectual stimulation and broadening of though, which migrated to the newly forming United States. It was in this time period that censorship by the government was put to question. People saw the futility of censorship in a free society. Heroic figures from the 18th century including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison all saw censorship as an enemy during the revolution saying â€Å"†¦censorship reflects a superstitious and ignorant past†¦.and inhibits social and scientific progress†. The framers of the constitution wanted to keep speech and press free, but despite these Enlightenment ideas embodied in the constitution censorship still prevailed. (Garry) In his book An American Paradox, Censorship in a Nation of Free speech, Patrick Garry tells examples of when censorship failed and to the favor of the opposition. In the first example Garry tells of how in 1798 John Adams imposed a law forbidding criticism of the government. This law was meant to silence the voice of th... Free Essays on Music Censorship Music Censorship From the shocking pelvis shaking of Elvis Presley in the 1950’s, to the much questioned lyrics of Eminem and Marilyn Manson of today, the music industry has always had a way of stirring up controversy in the United States (Zuckerman152). Some may argue that music is too violent and too negative for today’s youth. To other people, music is simply freedom of speech. It’s expression. The battle of music censorship has been fought tome and again, and still there seems to be no resolution to this debate. The government should not have the right to censor music. Some people may use the influence of music as an argument to censor. But, what is negative influence. Who decides? "Whether a person finds a work obscene depends largely on his or her moral or religious beliefs. These views change with each generation and further complicate the censorship dilemma" (Steffens 97). Religious or moral beliefs have a great influence on how a person feels about censorship, and as generations pass on the common beliefs on it may change. â€Å"They (Americans) may be irritated or outraged, by pop culture, but the polls tell us they understands that the principal causes of violence and other national problems lie elsewhere then in the entertainment industry† (Zuckerman 153). Is there any hard, solid evidence that music has this amazing ability to brainwash the youth and force them to break the law or end their life? Music is not responsible for what goes wrong in society. Many children often hear explicit language from older siblings or parents at an early age. If parents cannot censor themselves in front of their own children, they should not have the right to censor somebody else. If a parent takes their child to a record store and buy them a new album, they should know what they are purchasing by screening the album first for any questionable content. If they don't like the content, they can always return it to the store.... Free Essays on Music Censorship Music Censorship: A Violation of The First Amendment â€Å"Eventually it was discovered that God did not want us to be all the same. This was bad news for the Governments of the World†¦ Mankind must be made more uniformly if THE FUTURE was going to work out†¦It was about the time that someone came up with the idea of TOTAL CRIMINILATION, based on the principle that if we were ALL crooks we could at least be uniform to some degree in the eyes of the law. Shrewdly our legislators calculated that most people were too lazy to perform a REAL CRIME. So new laws were manufactured making it possible for anyone to violate them at any time of the day or night†¦which is on of the reasons why music was eventually made ILLEGAL.† -Frank Zappa, liner notes from Joe’s Garage, Acts 2 (CBS, 1979) The first Amendment to the United States Constitution is as follows: â€Å"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 peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances† (Friendly). Music, like any other form of expression in this country, is protected by the first amendment from anyone who tries to censor it; and it would be a violation of constitutional rights to censor music. Of all the rights and freedoms guaranteed us in the Constitution, it is generally agreed that those set forth in the First Amendment are among the most vital and precious. The first amendment is basically the foundation of our Wentz 2 country, and censorship has no place in democracy. No government, special interest group, or individual should be allowed to deny anyone the freedom of expression. They cannot be given the power to control what one chooses to compose, express or listen to. Every person has a right t... Free Essays on Music Censorship Music Censorship in Today’s Society Music is the most influential of all art forms. It can be expressed in thousands of ways depending on the artist. When music is censored, the freedom from the beautiful release of self-expression is confiscated. Thoughts and feelings are the most sacred possessions human beings have. The Constitution of the United States of America allows for all to asseverate these feelings and make them known to all who are willing to listen. The only barrier an artist should tolerate is one of his own creations. According to author Martha Graham, â€Å"Music, like art, mirrors the society that creates it, listens to it, and makes it a part of life†¦censorship follows the same principle†. When music is censored, America has become unjustified. American children of today’s society know firsthand what it is like to feel powerless in a world where their voices often go unheard. Particular artists/musical groups use kids as their target audience. Whether it is through sexuality, lyrics in which teens feel they can relate, or other desirable aspects such as money or expensive cars and homes, adolescents are strongly attracted to them and the lifestyles that they portray. The question asked by many is â€Å"do kids become obsessed with these stars to a point where it may cause them to temporarily lose control of themselves?† The United States Government will need to broaden its thinking before this type of censorship is effective or logical. Unfortunately, our government picks and chooses its battles based on the strengths of lobbyist and the cost of threatened re-election. The point is not if this thinking is right or wrong, the point is how authority is allowed to dictate what is appropriate. Everyone is entitled to have and hold his or her own opinions. It is also their right to voice them to whomever, whenever. People are unwilling to support the concept as bi-directional. The common myth of society is th...