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Censorship Of Music

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“1989 the number another summer sound of the funky drummer” (Public Enemy). Songs such as this are fondly remembered and sung by the public, which reveals the fact that music is a major media and a major portion of the populous’ daily life. Many men and women have dedicated their lives to composing and performing many unique pieces. Music has evolved in many ways and produced many new genres to listen to, especially in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These many styles and the ways they have been presented have shown time and time to have a major impact and bond on our society. But is this power too much? Some leaders believe this, and because of this belief we are gradually seeing more and more songs becoming censored on the radio …show more content…

For example, in Africa in 1994, during the Rwandan genocide, “Rwandan radio broadcast songs encouraging the killing of Hutus by Tutsis before and during the 1994 massacres” (Polter 31). Another well-known incident with violent acts caused by music occurred in 1988, as discussed in the Vance v. Judas Priest case, where two young boys made suicide attempts while listening to musician Judas Priest’s music. This resulted in the suicide of one of the boys, which has led opponents to claim that the lyrics of Priest’s music encouraged the boys to make these attempts (Fischer 32). Censorship would assist in preventing such acts of violence. On the other hand, any proposition that music is the sole reason behind acts like these is sheer madness. Even though music and the talented artists and musicians behind them does hold the potential to spark an event such as these or add to a certain influence, “no musician or songwriter is capable of single-handedly turning our sons into skinheads, our daughters into anarchists, or ourselves into saints or sinners” (Polter 31). As a matter of fact, while music could lead to negative events and actions, music can also inspire positive actions and unite a group of people. Jill Suttie, a psychologist, has discussed this idea of positive inspiration via music, stating that music “is also a powerful social magnet” (Suttie 1). Suttie reveals how …show more content…

One prime example of this would be the controversy surrounding the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, who became well-known for singing an anti-Putin song at Moscow’s main Russian Orthodox Church, and were soon arrested and later placed in jail for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.” Then, two months before their sentences were over, the Russian government released them quietly in an effort to minimize criticism (Nocera 1). Essentially, this censorship of the mere act of singing a song in a public area was censored without consideration of the message it held, which was one that criticized their current government, Putin, and his methods. This idea of a message being tarnished is also implied in a song by pop band Peter and Gordon. The song in question was titled “I Go to Pieces”, and was found on a list of songs that were to be banned from public radio due to their connections to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. However, the government did not take the time to analyze the song for what its true message is. Peter Asher, a member of the band, admits that “a song about someone going to pieces could be upsetting if someone took it literally”, but then clarifies the issue, stating “’I can’t live without love’ is a sentiment that’s as true in crisis as it is in normal times” (qtd. in Nuzum 5). Even if a song

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