Censorship

Censorship is an important tool that the federal government uses to shape and mold people into good citizens of the United States of America. The September 11 attacks triggered the music industry to become sensitive to its output of songs that might be controversial. The FCC Enforcer fines a radio station for playing the bleeped version of Eminem’s “Real Slim Shady” and the FTC tells the music industry to stop targeting young audiences with inappropriate music. These incidents seem to be relevant reasons for the music industry not to poison the minds of goods citizens, but why not if this is the country of so many freedoms.

Does the government think that its citizens are not intelligent enough to make their own music choices? Could this music hold the key to some truths that government doesn’t want anyone to know about? I think music listeners are responsible enough to choose the music they want to hear and to not entertain the crap that does not appeal to their interests. If parents are responsible enough to rear children, then they are responsible enough to tell their kids that apples and not teeth rotting candy (rap music, heavy metal) is allowed in their home.

Songs such as Ice-T’s “Cop Killer” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Suicide Solution” give the FCC goods reasons for banning music from radio broadcasting. As stated in Ice-T’s lyrics:
I’m a cop killer, better you than me.
Cop killer, fuck police brutality!
Cop killer, I know your familys grieving,
(fuck em!)
Cop killer, but tonight we get even, ha ha

Yes, these lyrics are detrimental to the hearing of its listeners in that they provide an authentic account of the events occurring in society. The lyrics describe the response to the typical stories we see on the news. The alleged criminal was caught on the wrong side of the railroad tracks and was therefore taught a lesson by the police. The news only reported the side of the story that the criminal was a barbaric animal whose punishment was justifiable.

Ozzy Osbourne’s “Suicide Solution” alludes to the idea that the American Dream may be a fixation in our imaginations. The lyrics are the result of discovering this reality.
Wine is fine But whiskey's quicker suicide is slow with liquor Take a bottle drown your sorrows THEN IT FLOODS AWAY TOMMOROW!! Evil thoughts and evil doings Cold, alone you hang in ruins Thought that you'd escape the reaper You can't escape the master keeper 'Cause you feel life's unreal and you're living a lie

I don’t think these lyrics are enough motivation for a person to actually commit the act of suicide, but the lyrics provide a platform for building conversations around the topic. Many people suffer from this plague, so why ban this music it when it’s a relevant topic. Living in a state of denial is what will lead to this kind of human destruction.
We should question the society we live in when artist release music that is morally disturbing or lyrically suggestive. What element did we miss that they are trying to inform us about. Is this horrible music representative of the society we have become? What society created the people who would make music about killing cops and self? Someone has to be held accountable for the construction of the American Dream.