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Television as a society influencer
How TV can change society
Positive influence TV has on society
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One thing that can be argued is that we are in 2016 and many of the explicit words do not phase us anymore. With this in mind censoring indecent and obscene material and language that do not have much of a meaning sounds redundant. There have been cases where music has been much more explicit then anything on televison. An example is Eminem who wrote the song “Kim”, in which he describes murdering his wife, and when performing the song live he got a fake doll that was supposed to represent her. When thinking about these occurrences that do not happen on television and the music tends to be more brutal. Television is meant to be a form of entertainment and the use of explicit language or actions can help add to the syntax of the words. South Park, a …show more content…
The context in which the word is used should allow it to be used. When Shaquille O’Neal cussed on national television he was subjected to a 25,000 dollar fine because he said it unexpectedly. The fine was unjustified because Shaq said these comments after a loss. Coming out the game many expect that one cannot control what one says because ones emotions are not stable. Many can argue that Shaq is a role model for a lot of children and he should not be using these words in the first place. Many people slip up and say these words in the heat of the moment so a warning should be all that’s issued. David Ortiz did something similar in 2013, but the outcome was completely different. David Ortiz said “This is our f***ing city” after the Boston Marathon Bombing. Ortiz was giving a speech that represented patriotism of the people of Boston to stay strong and he slipped up, but the FCC approved. There is a difference in context, but in both instances both were said in live television meaning the system from the FCC seems flawed. With this being said the FCC chooses to use the words obscenity and indecent which’s definitions are not
Passage Analysis - Act 5 Scene 1, lines 115-138. Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry IV Part I’ centres on a core theme: the conflict between order and disorder. Such conflict is brought to light by the use of many vehicles, including Hal’s inner conflict, the country’s political and social conflict, the conflict between the court world and the tavern world, and the conflicting moral values of characters from each of these worlds. This juxtaposition of certain values exists on many levels, and so is both a strikingly present and an underlying theme throughout the play.
Such nonverbal absorption from language spoken by actors on TV does not have the same effect on children’s intellectual and cognitive development as real-life language experiences. A conversation is cooperative, allowing “time for reflection, questions, and encouragement” (White, 2006). On the other hand, television provides no interaction, so the child is glued to the television, unable to ask questions and has no time for thought because the show must go on. As a result, children who watch excessive amounts of television become adapted to not think, leading them to be “passive and unrespo...
They questioned why words we all hear at home cannot be spoken on the radio if listeners are given a proper warning. However, there is no need for young children to be exposed to such vile material, and the American people must be more reasonable about morals and stop worrying about our “First Amendment” rights. In 1978, a radio station owned by Pacifica Foundation Broadcasting out of New York City was doing a program on contemporary attitudes toward the use of language. This broadcast took place on a mid-afternoon weekday. Immediately before the broadcast, the station announced a disclaimer telling listeners that the program would include "sensitive language" which might be regarded as offensive to some. "
As the technologies associated with communications have evolved, so have the messages that are being transmitted. In an effort to shield citizens from offensive speech, the United States government passed the Communications Act of 1934, which created the rules that a broadcaster would have to obey to remain on the air and restricted broadcasters from “utter[ing] any obscene, indecent, or profane language by means of radio communication” (Scalia 2). This ban on obscene language was only to be in effect from the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in an attempt try to limit children from hearing the offensive speech. Congress created the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate this act and in 1975, the FCC implemented the statutory ban on indecent broadcasts when the comedian George Carlin did his “Filthy Words” piece during a daytime broadcast. In FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, the Supreme Court found the ban to be both good law and constitutional. The FCC said...
Fairman also fear that the banning of any word would lead to an up rise of government language control. In New Zealand the Special Olympics had already attacked the Broadcasting Standards of Authority to forbid the use of the word retard from being able to be broadcasted to the public. This is significant because the Broadcasting Standards of Authority is known to be quite similar to the Federal Communication Commission which regulates interstate and international communication such as radio, cable and television. Overtime idea of banning any certain word has evolved and has spread to be censored in private organizations. For this reason, the idea of banning words or censoring word has already spread.
...from the other side of this argument is the fact that profanity and sexually explicit material shouldn’t be exposed to young children without their parental permission. But telling teenagers and young adults who are mature enough to choose what they want to listen to is completely wrong and unjust. The key word here is choice. As stated earlier, the thing that makes this country truly great is the idea that we have the right to listen to whatever we choose we want to listen to, not what a censor thinks you should be exposed to, it’s ridiculous.
How can the land of the free limit one of the core rights that all Americans are entitled to? Radio censorship is a common practice that many people do not notice when listening to the radio but artists, fans of certain genres, and almost every other American is affected in some way. The radio should not be censored as it limits free speech and it prevents children from learning about the real world which they live in.
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)
The United States of America seems to be protected by a very important historical document called the Constitution. Despite the fact that it was written and signed many years ago, the American people and their leaders still have faith in the Constitution. One of the major statements of the Constitution is the First Amendment, freedom of speech. Although it is difficult to decide what is offensive and what is not, it is clear to see that songs of rape, violence, bigotry, and songs containing four letter words are completely unnecessary for susceptible minds to acknowledge. It is reasonable to say that more people listen to music everyday and for that reason, music tends to be more influential. The American people should consider the idea of censorship of music lyrics that influence violence. We as Americans, have the voice to make artists think about the harm that their lyrics can cause their listeners and possibly change their damaging style. I think it would benefit the American people to research the effects of music lyrics on people, debate the findings of the research, and discuss the consequences and possible solutions for the problem. Those who see no problem with the explicit and vulgar lyrics of today's music use The United States Constitution to back up their rights. This very Constitution was adopted by a convention of the States on September 17, 1787 (12) and has been a ruling thumb in the actions of the United States Government. The current date is April 21, 1999—that's 212 years later! This is where the very popular freedom of speech amendment comes into play. This Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exe...
Censorship in music has been a major problem plaguing America since the early nineteen forties. It came to a head during the nineteen sixties with the Vietnam War and the hippie movement. During the nineteen seventies and eighties heavy metal and hard rock were getting the brunt of the censorship heat. Now in the nineteen nineties the major focus of censorship is rap; primarily gangster rap. Some of the main factors of music in general that cause legal ramifications are sexual content, suggestive violence and obscene language. Censorship is an attack against our first amendment right guaranteeing the freedom of speech. However if a song or album is deemed obscene the first amendment does not protect this.
Many people say yes, that there should be censorship because lyrics from songs are telling our youth it is acceptable to participate in illegal actions such as murder, rape or drugs. These people believe that the lyrics actually drive people to become social deviants. In one case, the parents of John McCullom sued Ozzy Osbourne, because his song "Suicide Solution", "aided, advised and encouraged" McCullom's suicide (Nuzum 1).
Eminem had a miserable childhood which he learned to thrive in and succeed to what he has become now. Marshall was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on October 17, 1972. He was the child of Bruce Mathers, Jr. and Deborah Nelson. Soon after Marshall’s birth his father left to California. His mother struggled to maintain a household, for which the result was frequent movement from Michigan and Missouri. The family then settled in Warren, Michigan in an African American middle-class neighborhood. The family was the only Caucasian tenants through the region. Marshall was a tall, scrawny, and white male that stood out amongst his peers, of African Americans, and was constantly bullied for his color. In addition his mother was an abusive drug addict who took prescription pills. Eminem then inclined to the interest of hip-hop listening to his first rap song at nine—"Reckless" featuring Ice-T. Later in his life he suffered family loss, like his Uncle Ronnie who committed suicide. Mathers became mute and antisocial for weeks. In high school he dropped out for repeating ninth-grade for his third time, for poor grades, and pursued lyrical writing. Marshall then joined rap groups and freestyles gaining success in the predominantly black industry. He then adapted to the name “M&M” as his rapper name, which later evolved to “Eminem”. Eminem’s adversities affected many of his works throughout his life and career. After his album Infiniti, Eminem was signed into Aftermath Records by Dr. Dre and started to produce albums of masterpiece.
Censorship has always altered the lives of many people, whether they know it or not. People are constantly exposed to the censored version of entertainment. The movies they watch, the music they listen to, and the games they play have all first been screened through different rating systems to find anything in them that can be interpreted as “obscene”. Once someone finds something, the creator of the work has no choice but to delete, edit, and basically censor the offending portion, otherwise it never gets to see the light of public consumption. Censorship has been used for all different kinds of works, for all different kinds of reasons. The many examples of album covers provided at TabooTunes show different types ...
Head, Tom . "Radio Censorship." About.com Civil Liberties. About.com, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. .
In the article, "You Can't Say That," the author Diane Ravitch talks about how certain words are deleted from books or not shown in films because they could offend certain groups. In the article, Ravitch argues that although it may seem like we live in a world where anything goes, the truth is, that's not true. Diane does research and gathers a list of more than five hundred words that regularly get deleted from textbooks and tests. Some of the words include cowboy, brotherhood, yacht, and primitive. Personally I believe that the censoring of words these days is somewhat extreme. I understand that certain groups could be offended by such words but why should everyone else not get the original words the author is trying to write because of that.