October 04, 2001 8:36 p.m.

Since he blew me off tonight I have wanted to slap every guy that has checked me out, because the one who should doesn't.

frickin' boy again, read my censorship paper instead.
October 04, 2001 6:51 p.m.

Anway, I was talking with him briefly this evening,...and I could tell that that was the last place that he wanted to be. Granted I'm sure he as exstremely tired...and he did have another class he needed to go to, but it hurt.

I've said this before, and I will say it again, I absolutely HATE that there is someone out there that can have such an powerful effect on me, for good or bad, and he doesn't know,...or realize, or care.

Ripping Tipper a new one. (my paper on music censorship)
October 04, 2001 12:14 p.m.

Now, I will not post her essay for a few reasons. #1. Copy right, and I would have to put a bib with it n stuff. #2. It's kinda long. #3 Her arguemnt is so wrong that it isn't worth my time typing it out.

So, I'm just posting my reponse to it. This is kinda long, but....It makes me sound smart...and well...I want these opinions to be know.

And um....be cool (and honorable) and not steal it for your own use. Thanks.

Censorship

Out of all the concepts that the United States was founded upon, I feel that the most significant is freedom of speech. To quote the film The American President, “See, America is advanced citizenship, you have to want it bad, cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It says, “You want free speech? Then let’s see you tolerate a man who’s words make your blood boil, someone shouting at the top of his lungs advocating something that you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours”. I personally feel very passionately about the subject of censorship. I am greatly bothered by how freely some high-ranking individuals in this country are so easily ready to dismiss or limit this essential freedom. Censorship can be blatantly seen in the music industry. I do not believe any artist should be silenced, regardless of the message.

Tipper Gore is one of the most well known activists for music censorship. Of course she states several times in her article, ‘Curbing the Sexploitation Industry’, that she is “not advocating censorship but rather a candid and vigorous debate about the dangers posed for our children by…the ‘exploitation industry’. She goes on to add that “children deserve respect and sensitive treatment” (248) and thus, if your opinion is different from hers you must be a bad parent. She encourages parents to write record labels pushing the issue of parental warning labels or supporting the PTA, because “parents have First Amendments rights, too” (250). I personally feel that her entire argument is a red herring. She is using the issue of protecting the youth of America as a platform to attack content which she is personally offended by. She is able to hide the fact that she is indeed advocating censorship because of her impressive use of pathos. She insinuates that if you are not offended by certain lyrics or videos than you are a sick individual. She finds extreme examples of sexual and violent content to point the finger at. Thus, the music and film industry is guilty by association. Again, this is a falsie. For example, she makes reference to an advertisement for a soap opera that included images of rape. Yet, how does this occurrence directly relate to the music industry? She is not advocating for television warning labels (249).

She later writes of a case where a five year old boy attacked a two year old girl with a knife after watching a horror film. Here she is making a faulty analogy. She makes it seem that it is the fault of the horror film, the makers of this film, and the film studio that this young boy committed this act. Might it be the fault of the parents who allowed the child to watch this film? Might it be the fault of the parent who was not watching as the child left the location of the television, migrated to the location of the knife, which was clearly at his disposal, removed it and carried it to the location of the young girl and proceeded to stab her? It is my opinion that the supposed supervisors of this child are to blame, not the extreme violence of the film. Yet, she cannot be advocating for the implication of a film rating system because there already is one in place. If the rating system was so effective in prevent the stabbing of this girl, than yes, a rating system should be put in place for the record industry. Clearly, the rating system was not effective.

Sandwiched between these two faulty analogies is a statement regarding the graphic nature of rock concerts.

Several rock groups now simulate sexual torture and murder during live performances. Others titillate youthful audiences with strippers confined in cages on stage and with half-naked dancers, who often act out sex with band members. Sexual brutality has become the common currency of America’s youth culture and with it, the pervasive degradation of women (249).

She names no names of artists or concerts at which these events have taken place, all she is doing is making a blanket statement and making it sound like this is a common occurrence at any rock show. In fact current ‘shock’ rocker Marilyn Manson, whose live show is the most commonly attack and protested concert of recent time, has decided take a moment during the concert and read from the Bible passages containing a great deal of violence. This was his response to the conservative Christians who often protest his concerts claiming that his music and performance is far too violent and graphic for a God fearing individual to be subjected to. The protesters clearly disregard the fact that all the concert patrons bought their tickets of their own free will. There is no one at the gate of a Marilyn Manson concert holding a gun to someone’s head forcing them to enter. Concert goers are aware of the nature of the music and had to pay to see it. Someone has to supply the money for these tickets. If a six year old wants to go see a Marilyn Manson concert, s/he would not have the means to purchase the tickets her/himself. For the most part rock concerts, which is the type of concert that Gore is making specific reference to, are not marketed to younger audiences. As for the “pervasive degradation of women” (249), no one is forcing these woman to do anything. If they are uncomfortable with how they are being portrayed, if they are feeling victimized, they do not have to participate.

Also when she states that, “National health officials tell us that children younger than teen–agers are apt to react to excessive violence with suicide, Satanism, drug and alcohol and drub abuse” (249) she is making an over simplification. Given the context of what she is writing she is of course implying that the only way for children to witness “excessive violence” would be from violent films or music videos and the only violent words they would here would be from the same, as well as music. I repeat, this is an over simplification. She is completely disregarding that these are extreme cases, and in fact a child would be more likely to become suicidal, ‘satanic’, or abuse drugs or alcohol after witnessing ‘excessive violence’ from someone in their immediate family, not an outside source, which is the nature of film and music. I do not even want to touch the idea that a film or music video is enough to make a child become a true Satanist. Honestly I doubt anyone under the age of 12 is aware of the details of Satanism. They might however become a little Goth ‘poser’, but that is entirely different that adopting an new religion.

Gore also makes a non sequitur comment about sadomasochistic pornography. “Sadomasochistic pornography is a kind of poison. Like most poisons, it probably cannot be totally eliminated, but it certainly could be labeled for what it is and be kept away from those who are most vulnerable.” (250)

Given the context one simply has to inferred that she is referring to rock concerts, music and videos as sadomasochistic pornography. While, yes some rock videos do contain images of sadomasochism, for example the Nine Inch Nails video for the song, “Closer”. The video contains a great deal of graphic imagery and places the viewer in the role of sadist. The song itself is very filthy and sexual in its nature and artistically the video fits the song perfectly. Trent Reznor, who wrote the song, had not original intended on releasing this song due to its content. The song was created for the same purpose a painter paints, personal artistic expression. Yet, the video, which had to be edited so that it was able to be shown on television, as well as the song, became a commercial success. Why was this? The song contains the ‘F’ word. Owning this song became the cool and rebellious thing of the time. Young people would walk around singing, “ I want to fuck you like an animal” not having any real concept of what they were saying. It was not, as Gore would have the world believe, that they were desensitized to the images or the meaning behind the words. Quite the contrary, they were to naive to understand. The only real understanding they had of the song was that it used the “F” word and thus made it bad, and again, they felt rebellious for saying it. Thus, Gore’s idea of labeling it as such and keeping it away from those who are “vulnerable” just makes it all the more appealing.

So who is it exactly that is vulnerable? Is it the young and impressionable youths? Is it the convicted sex offender who might relapse upon the viewing of such material? Or is it the upper class middle-aged man who has certain fantasias which he is unable to share with his wife? Maybe Gore means all of these people, maybe none, the truth is her statement is so vague that realm of applicable subjects is so board that it could be anyone or anything. In fact, this is the same with every comment she makes. She makes vague attacks on everyone who is not of her audience, middle aged, white conservative, Christian parents. She attacks a religion which is different from her own, Satanism. If I am correct, the last time I checked this country offered Freedom of Religion. She attacks those who differing sexual opinions than she does. Again, she is using the idea of ‘protecting the youth of America’ as a red herring. She has transformed the issue of censorship into platform to force her personal morality on the country. Thus, because of this reasons her argument should not be accepted as credible.

Works Cited

Gore, Tipper. “Curbing the Sexploitation Industry.” Vesterman 248-250.

Nine Inch Nails. “Closer.” The Downward Spiral. Interscope Records, Nothing Studios,

1994.

Vesterman, William. Reading and Writing Short Arguments. 2nd ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1997.