Profanity in music, is it a problem that must be addressed now or is it even a problem that we as a society have the power to fix. There have been many different arguments on the topic of profanity in music, however the question remains should music be censored. In Robert T. M. Phillips’ address to congress he insists that we must act now to protect our society from the damaging effects of explicit music. Becky L. Tatum argues in her article “The Link Between Rap Music and Youth Crime and Violence” that the effects of rap music are basically unknown and extensive research must be conducted before causal assumptions are made. Martha Bayles suggest in her article “The Perverse in the Popular, that society is attracted to evils or negatives and therefore would not allow music censorship to be successful .Therefore the problem is that we have no adequate answer to the problem.
Bayles suggest that many of our ideas about popular culture come from three sources Communication Theory, Cultural Studies, and Traditional philosophy. Communication Theory begins with the perception of a helpless society. Many Communication Theorist believe that the media has the power to transform human consciousness. However, as Bayles points out, after surveying the available evidence W. Russell Newman observed that most human beings are resistant toward any message that dose not fit the cognitive makeup of the mind receiving it.
Cultural Studies focuses on the political and social impacts of media. Cultural Studies assumes that all cultural products are ultimately about power and possess value only to the degree that they attack established social order. Traditional Philosophy emphasizes the perennial difficulty of sustaining excellence in a culture seemi...
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...ences attitudes and behaviors. There is almost an even split between studies that music has antisocial effects and studies that suggest that the effects are minor or nonexistent. Tatum suggests that extensive research must be conducted before casual inferences are made.
What we have here are three vastly different points of view. There is Phillips’ who insists that we must act now to protect our society from the damaging effects of explicit music. Then there is Tatum who argues that the effects of rap music are basically unknown and that more research needs to be done before we can say for sure that there is a problem. Last but not least we have Bayles who uses the ideal of perverse modernism to show her readers that perhaps this is a problem that does not have an acceptable answer. It may be that by trying to solve the problem we create a bigger problem.
This article is titled “Rap music is harmful to African American communities” and is written by E. Faye Williams. Williams is a chairwoman of the National Congress of Black Women (NCBW). The national congress of black women is a non-profit organization dedicated to the educational, political, economic, and cultural development of African American women and their families. Williams’s article “Rap music is harmful to African American communities” makes her qualified and a credible source to be writing on this question: If rap music and other media is harming the African American community? In her article, she states her side of the argument of how rap music and media are indeed harming the African American community, using the context, and reasoning,
Profanity in pop music has become a major burden on today’s society and is negatively affecting the behavior of the listeners. It does not have a positive message and it tells the listener that doing the wrong ok. It contradicts what the Bible says.
Theodore Adorno and Max Horkheimer were two renowned Jewish representatives of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory; they were particularly dominant during the early 20th century, approximately around the time of the 1920’s to 1960s. They took refuge in America after Adolf Hitler’s rise in Germany. These to philosophers developed the ‘Culture Industry Theory’ in the 1940s, in light of the disturbed society they had seen during this time. They witnessed how Nazi Fascism used mass media such as films, radio and newspapers to brainwash millions into partaking in this ideology. Similarly they saw the rise of Capitalism in America, which also used mass media such as Hollywood films and advertising to disseminate the masses into the capitalist Ideology. This essay will evaluate how the ‘culture industry’ had profound social impacts in society and examine weather it is valid in contemporary society.
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.
Do you believe that one’s words can reflect on a certain person’s action? Today, Rap has become the most popular type of music in the US. The Rap industry is dominated by artists’ who mostly dedicate their lyrics to either violence, drugs, or sex. Through 1998 and 1999 the survey taken by the National Music Bureau, stated that 46% of the listeners of Rap are under the age of 19. While 65% of the listeners, live in run-down homes, or impoverished areas, usually being inner cities. The National Music Bureau also reported that in the 66% of the listeners of Rap who are under the age of 19, 86% of those teen-agers are black. Along with that fact, many of the artists sing about their ghettos, and their past ways of life, which included, drugs, sex, murder, and alcohol. The listeners of rap living in run down areas in the inner cities see themselves in the same situation as many of the rap artists’, and duplicate what they hear. So although a person may be responsible for his or her action, rap music dramatically affects the lives of America’s inner cities and slums.
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.
Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. Fourth Edition. Athens: University of Georgia Press. 2006. Print.
McWhorter, John. “Rap Music Harms the Black Community.”Popular Culture. Ed. John Woodward. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 53-59.
... 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.
Music, a popular outlet amongst the teen community for exploring emotions and blowing off steam. Times have changed, and the way music and lyrics are perceived has developed in a violent fashion. According to new studies, that have occurred, violent music lyrics increase aggressive thoughts and feelings. I chose this topic because music is such an influential part of our lives that it often dictates the mood we seize to exist in. If violent thoughts occur, what can come of it?
Teenagers today are negatively impacted by the messages that rap music is sending out through its lyrics, music videos, and through personal statements from the artists. The impacts include perilous things such as drugs, unprotected sex, and murder which will lead to them hurting themselves as well as others. Through censoring music and speaking up, concerned adults can help to diminish these problems although they may never completely disappear.
There have been multiple cases where music is claimed to be the source of a young individual’s violent behavior. Although there are many factors that go into determining aggression and violence, I was interested if certain genres of music such as rap, rock, and heavy metal and its lyrical content could really cause some violence. It’s a growing epidemic in our country of violent children committing brutal acts on society. Many claim that these violent behaviors can come from violent video games and movies, but is violent music being overlooked as a cause? Music is influential, and younger individuals could interpret violent and negative music content as something that is acceptable to do. This topic is significant to research and learn about
While the censorship of art is not a new phenomenon, recent years have witnessed renewed and intensified attempts to control popular culture. In particular, rap and rock music have come under increasing attack from various sides representing the entire left and right political spectrum, purportedly for their explicit sexual and violent lyrical contents. In this paper is investigated which moral codes underlie these claims against popular music, how social movements mobilize actions around these claims, and the way in which they are manifested in mechanisms of control targeted at rap and rock music. Moreover, I explore how the performers and fans of these musical styles have in turn articulated counter-claims, and how they have mobilized social forces in defense of the free expression of their art-form. The issue is addressed through an historical examination of the actions undertaken to censor and control rap and rock music since the founding of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) in 1985.
Popular culture and media are concepts deeply intertwined, as media often acts as the driving force behind the ever-strengthening phenomenon of a universal culture. Assisted by modernisation, the importance of media and popular culture in contemporary society has shifted, demonstrating that the concept of modernity is integral to an understanding of popular culture and media. Furthermore, popular culture and media are interrelated with the concepts of power and agency, as they are fundamental players in society (Habermas, 1989). The concept of ‘celebrity’ is also interweaved in this. Whether popular culture and media are positive or negative forces in contemporary society is debateable. Some perspectives argue the connective nature of media, claiming that it has enabled globalisation. However, other perspectives demonstrate that media and popular culture have spread detrimental problems in society.
One of the most essential role’s played by media in an individual’s viewpoint is on political, economic and social cultural issues. Bazalgette Explains that “Media studies open up your understanding of how things work, how people become informed - or misinformed - and how the myths and ideologies that govern all our lives are created and sustained.” (Bazalgette, 2000). There are disagreements on this topic because the subject is still new and how should media be interpreted and also how the hybrid subject came about from different sources (Bazalgette, 2000). There are different disciplines of hybrid such as semiotics, structuralism, sociolinguistics and many more. In academic discipline media studies is also considered. In order to analyze the media there are no limits to individuals.