Music Should Not Be Censored

Why Music Should Not Be Censored
“Censorship is based on fear ”(Johnny Clegg). The fear that people, especially youth, will be exposed to music with lyrics and/or videos that contain obscene content. There are those that want to limit the exposure of these songs to the public. Then there are the others who want to let people choose what they can and can not listen to. Music censorship has no place in our modern society, because of its negative effects.
Censorship is nothing new in America. After the civil war, pro southern songs were banned. During the roaring twenties, there was a movement to censor jazz, because of its negative effects on white youth. These were all minor things compared to the controversy that surrounded heavy metal and
When we listen to music, we are listening to the artist sing about real things going on in our world. Explicit and descriptive language are things we hear in life everyday(Rivera). We see and hear obscene content everywhere. It is in advertising, television, the internet, and even from our peers. There is no way to hide ourselves from these things. In the end, it is just pointless to censor music on the basis of limiting exposure, when there is no way to not be exposed. Furthermore, just because we censor music, does not make the problem go away. Censoring a song for inappropriate language does not stop a person from using that word(Noise Between Stations, 7). Repugnant content, will exist regardless of it being in a song or not.Being that, there is no point in censoring a musician, because he and or she uses “immoral” language or talks about suggestive material, will not change the fact that you will hear it from something
Most musicians have first hand accounts of certain situation, whether it be alcohol/drug abuse, racial discrimination, or views they want to share, and this is often what they write their songs about. Musicians have the responsibility to share their knowledge or beliefs on subjects they feel important(Kris Kristofferson Freemuse). If a musician’s work is altered or censored, then the information they want to share is basically useless. An artist's work should not be changed so that the message they want heard can be expressed as it is meant to. Musicians have an amazing gift to relate to people. Musicians and their music relate to people especially youth(Noise Between Stations, 2). When someone like a teenager is still trying to find some sort of self-identity, music can help them determine what sort of beliefs they feel are right. If the music they connect to and base their beliefs off of is no longer available, then they have no source of backup for their beliefs. Not only do musicians write about such topics to teach, but it makes them more relatable, which benefits both the artist and the listener. These topics that they sing about may seem obscene, but they are just realities that make their music real(Noise Between Stations,7-8) When a musician tries to make their music real, it increases the satisfaction from the listeners, which fundamentally leads to