Arguments Against Censorship in Music

Arguments Against Censorship in Music Have you ever wondered why radios have to bleep everything? Or why some CDs can’t be sold in stores? Or why there’s a little â€Å"Parental Advisory† sticker on some albums? If you answered â€Å"yes† to any or all of these questions, then stick around, because for the next 5 minutes, I am going to explain to you why the censorship on our music is way too harsh. Censorship in music should be reconsidered because of many points such as political views, the fact that musicians are willing to fight for their own music, and most of all, freedom of speech! There’s a song that comes to mind when I think about political censorship. A song called â€Å"Not Ready To Make Nice† by The Dixie Chicks. The song won three Grammies in the categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals. The song is about how they, the band, felt about the invasion of Iraq, and the responses to their position on this situation. Natalie Maines, the main vocalist of the group, was quoted as saying that â€Å"[they] don’t want this war, this violence, and [they’re] ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.† Some of the lines in the song are about the death threats that the band had received in 2003. â€Å"How in the world can the words that I said send somebody so over the edge that they’d write me a letter saying that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over.† Another line in the song â€Å"it’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought’a hate a perfect stranger,† refers to an incident where a mother is actually egging on her young child to say to the band â€Å"screw ‘em!† Think about that. The next song that I think of is American Idiot by Green Day. From the beginning, this song was opposed by most people in the US because of the open lyrics that express the author’s feelings towards President George W. Bush, and certain political issues. Some believe that the song is â€Å"anti-American† because of the title. However, if you actually listen to the lyrics, you might see how patriotic the song really is. The title refers to the authors’ opinion of how politicians these days are telling people what to do, buy, and believe, and how they’re constantly dooped by all these commercials and campaigns that eventually turn is into, for lack of a better term, â€Å"American Idiot†[s]. In the song, the singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, says that he doesn’t want his nation to become idiots, and doesn’t want to be â€Å"part of a redneck agenda†, and doesn’t want this country to be hated because of decisions made by the gov ernment. â€Å"Welcome to a new kind of tension, all across the alienation.† For this next topic, let me give you some background information. The committee that labels CDs as â€Å"inappropriate† and put the Parental Advisory stickers on CDs is called the Parents Music Resource Center, PMRC. It was founded in 1985 by Tipper Gore. It was created with a goal of â€Å"increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed [by an unknown source] to be violent, have drug use or be sexual.† The people to whom I will be referring to are John Denver, a famous musician during the 70s, and Dee Snider, the lead singer for the band Twisted Sister. These people were called to a senate hearing about the PMRC, and stated their opinions on the topic. John Denver had prepared an official statement for the hearing. After he had given his statement, he spoke off the record, saying â€Å"in my experience, sir, all over the world, one of the most interesting things about music that young people are listening to, is it gives us as adults a very clear insight as to what is going on in their minds. We can know what they’re thinking by listening to the music they surround themselves with.† To me, this totally makes sense. It’s an easy way for parents to communicate, and understand what their children are feeling, and thinking. He goes on to talk about â€Å"the troubled children† he’s talked to, and the troubles they have about â€Å"an inability to communicate with their parents.† This would all be fixed if parents could just understand what their kids are feeling and thinking by just listening every once and a while. This next man, Mr. Dee Snider, is quite an amazing and humble man. He starts out his official statement by saying, â€Å"I am 30 years old, I am married, I have a 3 year old son. I was born and raised a Christian and I still adhere to those principles. Believe it or not, I do not smoke, I do not drink, and I do not do drugs.† Does this sound like a man who needs to be censored? I didn’t think so. In his statement, Mr. Snider talks about how he was attacked three different times because of his music. The first one, Tipper Gore had written an article in a Long Island newspaper where she â€Å"claimed one of [his] songs, ‘Under the Blade,’ had lyrics encouraging sadomasochism, bondage, and rape.† He actually talks about those lyrics and says that the lyrics are about the fear that people get before they go into surgery. Attack number two, Twisted Sister’s song â€Å"We’re Not Gonna Take It† was labeled as rated V because of â€Å"v iolent lyrical content,† when Snider assures everyone that â€Å"there is absolutely no violence of any type either sung about or implied anywhere in the song.† Lastly, Mr. Snider was accused of sexism because of a T-shirt Tipper Gore thought she saw. In response to this, Snider says â€Å"we have always taken great pains to steer clear of sexism in our merchandise, records, stage show, and personal lives.† Clearly, the PMRC is trying to make up stories to get their way. â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting the 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.† These are the exact words of the first amendment of the Bill of Rights. Basically, congress can’t make any laws saying that people can’t speak their minds. If you ask me, congress has done just that by censoring our music. I think that music is the most important and powerful form of expression that both entertains and informs. So, why hide it? Moral values? Racial implications? Fear? The actual censoring of music began in the 1950s when traditional conservative values were part of the peoples’ mindset. People during that time believed in those morals, and strived to determine what is â€Å"acceptable† for people to listen to. By the end of the 1950s, members of the society witnessed many young adults and teens expressing new attitudes about topics like sex and drugs. This movement started breaking down the â€Å"traditional moral order† in many ways, but especially in music. It may seem off that race would be a factor in music censorship, but it actually is a huge problem, especially in the 50s and 60s when rhythm and blues was first introduced to the world. Some older white people believed that RB was a threat that corrupted the young people who listened to it, and that it promoted â€Å"immoral behavior.† This prompted authorities to take action. An example of these actions; after receiving a myriad of angry letter from listeners, a Chicago radio station promised to censor â€Å"any controversial music, especially RB†. A more recent example of racial censorship in music would be MTV refusing to play music videos from black artists. During a live interview in 1983, famous musician David Bowie asked, â€Å"Why are there practically no black artists on the network?† Good question, Mr. Bowie. I’m sure everyone else was thinking the same thing. â€Å"Censorship is based on fear.† A fear that music will affect us negatively. A fear that music will prevent us from achieving a morally acceptable life. A fear that society will change significantly. Not for the better. The people who decided to censor OUR music are afraid of the unknown, and our music seems to hold that unknown and uncertainty. There’s a song from 1975 called â€Å"The Pill† by Loretta Lynn that was censored on many radio stations for more than 10 years after birth control pills became popular. People did this because they were afraid of the unknown, and thought that all their kids would start acting out, and going out of control. So, all these people who are afraid of our music just try to cover up the problem instead of facing it like adults. To end this speech, censorship in music should be reconsidered because of many points such as political views, the fact that musicians are willing to fight for their own music, and most of all, the freedom of speech. Now, instead of leaving it like this, I’m going to leave you all with a quote from R. Andre Hall. â€Å"From the Vietnam War to today’s Iraq War, and from the advent of the sexual revolution to today’s â€Å"culture wars,† music is recognized as a potential source of power to change values, ideas, and beliefs- as well as to influence actions. Those who fear this change try to stop it by censorship, even when, as history has shown us, censorship is futile when change is inevitable.†

Death of a Salesman Essay

What techniques does Arthur Miller use to highlight the conflict between past and present in Death of a Salesman? How do these techniques also demonstrate his main themes? Death of a Salesman is set in a time when the capitalist system is changing. It is set in the late 1940s, not long after the Wall Street crash in 1929. Willy Loman is unable to adjust to these changes and therefore, there is conflict between the past, where his dreams were achievable, and the present, where he has fallen foul of the capitalist system and is no longer any use to the firm. These conflicts are personified in Willy, and Arthur Miller uses a number of techniques to highlight this. The techniques Miller uses represent Willy’s mind and they distinguish between past and present. These theatrical methods also help to demonstrate the main themes in Death of a Salesman. These theatrical methods include music, lighting, wall-lines, scenery, the use of leaves and also use of costumes. In my essay I plan to explain what each method conveys to the audience and show how Miller uses these methods effectively to highlight the conflicts. Music is used to highlight significant points and themes in the play. Also, the type of music sets the mood for a scene. It creates atmosphere and conveys to the audience the emotions of the characters. Also, silence can highlight a particular scene. The absence of music means that the audience focuses entirely on the conversation taking place. In Death of a Salesman, flute music is heard constantly throughout the duration of the play. It bridges the play, as it is heard both at the beginning and the end. The flute music evokes a faraway, idyllic world, representing the past. It also represents a contrast between Willy and his father. Willy’s father was a pioneer; he made flutes and sold his own products. Willy, on the other hand, has to sell other people’s goods to make a living. A good example of music being used to set the scene is at the beginning of the restaurant scene. The lights have blacked out signifying the end of the previous scene ‘Suddenly rollicking music is heard. ‘ This is setting the mood of the scene for the audience. It shows that the atmosphere is happy and lively. This is to show the mood of the present time. It is a contrast to the past. By having rollicking music, Miller is highlighting this contrast. This links to the theme of Happy and shows more of an insight into his character. Happy has chosen this restaurant and it shows the kind of life he lives, and this is a contrast to Willy.

Baroque Oratorio

Oratorio, which literally means â€Å"hall for prayer†, strictly refers to the musical setting usually pertaining to religion having a storyline. Usually, the text or story is based on religious books such as bibles. It is like an opera minus the scenery, costumes and actions, but has a lot of recitative. In addition to this, at some time, the forms and styles that is present in the oratorio is almost fairly accurate than that of the opera and focuses greatly on chorus (Boynick, 1996, February 1).Handel’s â€Å"Hallelujah Chorus† from his oratorio â€Å"The Messiah† features elements such as basso continuo, homophony, combined instrumental-vocal forms, and a pleasant harmony. Basso continuo refers to the sustaining of either the bass or and the keyboard instrument. This would result to the development of a continuous accompaniment. Furthermore, this is notated with a new music notation system. Homophony refers to the use of one melodic voice while being ac companied by instruments. Handel used a musical technique called the text-painting.It is a technique wherein the melody mimics its lyrics. Melodic rhythm can be observed in â€Å"Hallelujah Chorus†. The rhythm kept changing wherein the word â€Å"hallelujah† was sung in so many different ways. The rhythm of the piece in macro- and microbeats is â€Å"Bah-Bum Bum Bah; Bah-Bah Bum Bah† (Runfola and Taggart, 2005). Handel’s â€Å"Hallelujah Chorus† is still popular nowadays because it is often heard in churches. In addition to this, Handel’s â€Å"Hallelujah Chorus† continues to change or adapt with the generation.There are variations of this piece that becomes familiar to everybody, especially those who are really religious. The piece is also intriguing that it states a story from the bible in a way that excites the audience. References Boynick, M. (February 1, 1996, October 10, 2000). Musical Forms: Oratorio. The Grove Concise Dictiona ry of Music Retrieved February 3, 2008, from http://w3. rz-berlin. mpg. de/cmp/g_oratorio. html Runfola, M. , & Taggart, C. C. (2005). The Development and Practical Application of Music Learning Theory. USA: GIA Publications.

Free Essays on The Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam, which stands at 726 feet, was the world’s tallest dam at the time of it completion in 1935. It took just four years (1931-1935) to build this massive structure. Although larger dams have been built it still ranks as one of the tallest. The dam is located between Nevada and Arizona along the Colorado River. This massive dam was the idea of President Herbert Hoover. The structure’s name was changed from Boulder Dam to the Hoover Dam in honor of him. The need for a dam had been seen for over two decades, so in the early 1920’s site testing began for this great project. Many thought that by controlling the Colorado River they could provide hydroelectric power to many areas out west. This added power was needed due to the extreme growth of Las Vegas and Southern California. Many bids were made on the price of the dam, but in the end it was the Six Companies Inc. who won the project. They estimated the dam to cost $48,890,955. Although they were anxious to start construction it could not be done until transportation to and from the site was established. Thus the first project was to lay roads and railroads to transport the many materials to the site. The next step was to reroute the Colorado River until the dam could be completed. Six Companies built four tunnels through Black Canyon, and then lined these tunnels with concrete. A temporary dam was then constructed to push the river into these tunnels. After the river was â€Å"moved† out of the way special men called â€Å"high scalers† were called in. The men chosen for this job came from all different types of backgrounds, but all had the same thing in common: they were agile and unafraid to swing out over empty space with only a slender rope holding them up. This work was some of the hardest and most dangerous work on the project. The men would descend into the canyon with only small tools and a water bag. Next jackhammers, that weighed 44 pounds, would be lowered to th... Free Essays on The Hoover Dam Free Essays on The Hoover Dam The Hoover Dam, which stands at 726 feet, was the world’s tallest dam at the time of it completion in 1935. It took just four years (1931-1935) to build this massive structure. Although larger dams have been built it still ranks as one of the tallest. The dam is located between Nevada and Arizona along the Colorado River. This massive dam was the idea of President Herbert Hoover. The structure’s name was changed from Boulder Dam to the Hoover Dam in honor of him. The need for a dam had been seen for over two decades, so in the early 1920’s site testing began for this great project. Many thought that by controlling the Colorado River they could provide hydroelectric power to many areas out west. This added power was needed due to the extreme growth of Las Vegas and Southern California. Many bids were made on the price of the dam, but in the end it was the Six Companies Inc. who won the project. They estimated the dam to cost $48,890,955. Although they were anxious to start construction it could not be done until transportation to and from the site was established. Thus the first project was to lay roads and railroads to transport the many materials to the site. The next step was to reroute the Colorado River until the dam could be completed. Six Companies built four tunnels through Black Canyon, and then lined these tunnels with concrete. A temporary dam was then constructed to push the river into these tunnels. After the river was â€Å"moved† out of the way special men called â€Å"high scalers† were called in. The men chosen for this job came from all different types of backgrounds, but all had the same thing in common: they were agile and unafraid to swing out over empty space with only a slender rope holding them up. This work was some of the hardest and most dangerous work on the project. The men would descend into the canyon with only small tools and a water bag. Next jackhammers, that weighed 44 pounds, would be lowered to th...

discovering truths essays

discovering truths essays How do human beings make decisions? What triggers a person to take action at any given point? Have you ever found yourself asking these questions? An attempt to make sense of these questions can be as easy as studying psychology or the science of the soul. While many people have contributed greatly to the science that seeks to understand human behavior it takes dedication to specialize in this area of work. Completely and exclusively learning, understanding, studying, and explaining the answer to these questions can only be understood by a true psychologist. Psychologists study the behavior of individuals and groups to understand and explain their actions. They specialize in a wide variety of areas. Experimental psychologists concentrate on human behavior as well as rats, monkeys, and pigeons. Environmental psychologists study the influence of environment on people. Clinical psychologists work in mental hospitals or clinics or maintain their own practice. The psychologist field I wish to pursue a career in is a counseling psychologist, who helps people with daily problems concerning their personal, social, educational, and vocational life. Along with the few I have named there are many other types of psychologist professions. Each psychologist contributes by applying his or her own knowledge and expertise to the field of psychology. Becoming a Psychologist is no easy task. A masters degree in psychology takes about 2 years of schooling. It qualifies a person to assist psychologists in the same field. However without much schooling and training opportunities are limited. Your best bet is to get a doctoral degree, which takes anywhere from 5 to 7 years it, is required for employment as a licensed clinical psychologist. Advancement in this field is limited due to how far you pursue schooling but, most psychologists with doctoral degrees venture out on their own after several y ...

Alzheimers Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alzheimers Disease - Essay Example Alzheimer’s disease is defined as a progressive, degenerative brain disorder manifested by memory loss, impaired thinking, difficulty in finding the right word when speaking, and personality changes and which eventually lead to cases of dementia (Harvard Health Publications, 2009, p. 2). Continual loss of nerve cells and synapses and decreasing levels of neurotransmitters which are crucial to memory, mental functions, and relaying of complex messages to the nerve cells in the body affects not only the cognitive aspect but also the activities of daily living and one’s personality. The prevalence rate of diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease is approximately more than five million and by 2050, 11 to 16 million of the American population will be probably diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease; that is, one in eight people ages 65 and above is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease cause financial and emotional strain to families and is estimated to have caused the nation a $148 billion health costs annually (Lu & Bludau, 2011, 3). When a person was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, it usually takes 8-10 years to death. Because there is no cure or prevention for the disease, it is essential that different warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease are noted in order to prompt early diagnosis and care and to temporarily stabilize or delay worsening of symptoms through drug interventions. In line with this, the Harvard Health Publications (2009) identified seven warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, which includes: trouble remembering things starting from short-term memory such as a new acquaintance then progressing to loss of long-term memory such as recognition of family members; mood or personality changes (very angry to sad, socially-outgoing to withdrawn, and signs of depression); trouble completing ordinary tasks such as simple tooth brushing; difficulty expressing thoughts particularly in language (e.g. ringer for telephone); impaired judgments such as inability to balance a checkbook; di sorientation manifested by losing track of date and time; and unusual behavior like wandering in the community (p. 3).

Barriers of Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Barriers of Communication - Essay Example In the time when every organization is trying hard to gain competitive advantage, appropriate use of time is one of the factors that makes a difference and provides an organization with an edge over the others (Grasso, Golen, and Burns, 2005, p. 37). Overcoming barriers to communication not only saves time, but it also makes it easier for the management to implement any kind of change any time, and saves the resources that are otherwise consumed in conveying information. The most detrimental barriers to the achievement of goals and objectives vary from one organization to another depending upon a range of factors. These factors include but are not limited to the location of organization, its culture, the size and nature of business, and the socio-economic circumstances prevailing in the region. To identify its most detrimental barriers, an organization should review its past performance and trace the roots of the problems that it has encountered. For some organizations, it might be barriers to communication, whereas for others, it might be barriers to change, lack of funds, or culture