Response Essay To Censorship in Music
In _______’s report on “Censorship in Music,” the main thesis is that “Radio stations have to censor their music because they have no control over who their listeners are.” The essay develops a rationale behind this idea that popular music as become “more sexual, explicit and violent than it ever has in the past. The author though offers no citation for this claim, which is not something that would be universally accepted.
A leading question that stems from the logic of the thesis of “Censorship in Music” is “Does the internet need to censor it’s content because it has no control over who it’s viewers are?” Most, I believe would approach the Internet with less eagerness to censor as they do the radio.
It is unclear in the essay whether or not the author is writing in support of the current laws in place regarding radio censorship or if the author is advocating taking a further step towards further restricting current laws.
The current laws in place already stipulate the there is some obscene material that while protected by the first amendment’s free speech rights are not permissible to be broadcast. (Obscene, Indecent and Profane Broadcasts.”
The FCC already has in place restrictions in place that have been sanctioned by hearings that have gone as high as the US Supreme Court. On its website the FCC says that the “us constitution prohibits the Commission from censoring broadcast matter, our role in overseeing program content is very limited.” (FCC.gov).
The fact of the matter is there is already laws in place which restrict profane or indecent language between six a.m. and ten p.m.. The problem with censorship is deciding where it ends, how far people can go and who decides what is decent? Parents are responsible for what they expose their offspring to.
There are influences everywhere you turn. Consumers also have a way to police themselves. They are allowed to choose what they want to listen to, and do not need the government to stand between them and them. Children who have parents that have such a thin role in their life that they cannot keep a “bad” radio station away from them, probably have bigger issues of neglecting their children to worry about than whether or not the federal government should steop into their lives and makes decisions about what can be played on the airwaves.
The second reason the author thought that was related was making a a better rating system when it comes to rating music that is more similar to the movie rating system. Strangely though, the essay admits that what is being argued for is already in place. The censorship battles within the US court system have already taken place with rulings passed down which governs mass media.
The trend has been towards less regulation, but still upholds standards for broadcast content. Making any changes in the opposite direction would be a reversal of legal battles that have already occurred. The current system is working, and it allows artists to freely express themselves and to have a means to get their music and message to the masses of consumers.
Works Cited
"The Public and Broadcasting" - July 2008 | FCC.gov. (n.d.). Home | FCC.gov. Retrieved April 4, 2013, from http://www.fcc.gov/guides/public-and-broadcasting-july-2008
"Obscene, Indecent and Profane Broadcasts." Federal Communications Commission. Customer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.
