Ok so here is what I would like from you, the forum members. Think about the question, but read these two arguements first.

1-Teens in America are greatly influenced by the music that they listen to and we should reserve the right to censor the lyrics in order to help keep the morals and values alive in todays youth.

2-Teens in America are greatly influenced by their parents and piers, not by music. Music is not influencing teens to be violent, they are pre-exposed to violence and it should not be blamed on music.

Vote, and share your opinions.

How about option 3 - yes, music affects children, but no, we shouldn't censor...

Of course music affects you - at least the good stuff.  Why else would we listen?

Oh, I don't disagree with your point - I was just making the larger observation, slightly off-topic, that parenting isn't a binary decision.

Panda Man wrote: after listening to some rap songs.... ughh... that crap needs to be Censored along side with some Gothic/Death Metal bands.

Why?

But, larger question - what do we mean by "censored"?  And are we talking about somehow censoring for children only, or for everybody?

Hades wrote: Parent should censor the music their kid listen too, not the governemt. Same arguement for videogames, movies and tv shows.

First of all, Music is broadcast free of charge over the radio, on most stations.  Videogames and Movies are pretty much pay to watch or pay to get the game.  TV is a little on the edgy side as well.  If you want to listen to uncensored music, do the artist a favor and buy the CD.  Now think of it this way, if you had a kid, would you really want him to be listening to music that talks about sex, drugs, and cusses like none other???

W/ videogames and movies, you have some say as to what you are getting, you can keep your kid from playing an M rated game if you really want to, and you can keep them from seeing an R rated movie.  It would be really, really hard for parents to keep kids from listening to uncensored radio, especially when it is free of charge, and easy to access.

Consider my view, and think if you would want your kid (if you had one) to listen to this.

I don't have a child, but I am putting myself in a parents shoes. I voted for censorship on the radio, but only of excessive cursing and drug/sex related material.  I enjoy this music, but would I want a 10 year old kid listening to it? NO!

I am only 15, and I am not a person of really high moral values or anything ( I don't go to church).  But Just THINK about it.

EDIT - To Assassin

That's an understandable position, but it brings you directly to the main problem with censorship:  What should be censored?

I, for instance, have no particular problem with foul language of any kind.  That stuff is harmless, although it seems to get people riled up.  I might be more concerned, however, with "bad messages" - the movie "Grease", for instance, has a horrible message and (IMO) should not be watched by children.  Yet this movie is generally considered good family fare.

I would be more concerned about my children listening to Pat Robertson than Howard Stern.

One man's "bad influence" is another man's "good example".

Hades wrote: I allow my 5 year old nephew to listen to the same uncensored music that I listen to. He likes it. At 3 my sister, my nephew's mother, let him play the entire Doom game that the media partially blamed the Columbine shootings on. He resently tried playing Doom 3 but decided himself that it was too sacry for him. It is my sister's job, and also mine as his Uncle, to teach my nephew. The words that he hears in the music can be offensive to some people and that there is a time and place to politely use that language in order to be respectful. Parents can regulate what their kids listen to on the radio by turning the radio off or changing the channel. Same as TV.

Maybe you didn't read my post, I am NOT attacking video games or movies.

Hades wrote: Okay, so skip those 2 sentences. I was just illustrating the point that children can make thier own decision about what they like and dislike and some censor out what they dont like themselves.

These things aren't offensive to me...I just wouldn't like my kids going around having sex and cursing all the time.

Assassin69 wrote: ...I just wouldn't like my kids going around having sex and cursing all the time.

I, on the other hand, have no particular problems with cursing (as long as the kids understand that many people find it rude) and (responsible) sex.

But I bet I could find something I would like to censor that you find perfectly acceptable.

Which leads back to my point, which is the very reason that we have the First Amendment to begin with, which is that government sanctioned, content-based censorship will always silence legitimate voices, and is therefore very very bad.

Clark Kent wrote: Assassin69 wrote: ...I just wouldn't like my kids going around having sex and cursing all the time. I, on the other hand, have no particular problems with cursing (as long as the kids understand that many people find it rude) and (responsible) sex. But I bet I could find something I would like to censor that you find perfectly acceptable. Which leads back to my point, which is the very reason that we have the First Amendment to begin with, which is that government sanctioned, content-based censorship will always silence legitimate voices, and is therefore very very bad.

I am all for free speech, I am all for speaking your mind, but do you have to speak your mind by cursing? I don't have a prob w/ cursing, I just don't particualarly see the sense in having it all over the radio.  If you want to listen to cursing and such, buy the CD.

The question isn't whether I have to curse - the question is why I SHOULDN'T.  There is no compelling reason to prohibit cursing.  Sure, it is rude, but so is belching in public.  Would you prohibit belching around children?

Good discussion so far. How bout I add a twist to it:

It is found that most teens lash out due to a lack of a neurotransmitter in their braine known as dopamine. Dopamine, when cut off from the brain or in some way inturrupted, will cause a person to become more aggressive and aggitated. Dopamine can become blocked due to natural causes or by the use of drugs and alcohol. It's the reason why you feel 'High' after smoking marijuana or consuming alcohol; those two substances cause dopamine to not get to your brain. Knowing this and that over 50% of teens today drink alcohol and atleast 98% of teens have tried marijuana (I fall in the two percent category), could it be that the aggression already exists in them, and that music has nothing to do with their violent outlashes?

Assassin - And why shouldn't we have porn on TV?

Your position is entirely preconceived.

There are many countries around the world with significantly less (or different) censorship on radio/TV, and they seem to get by just fine.

In Sweden (for instance), normal speech includes significantly more cursing than American speech, yet crime is low and the economy good.  Sweden also has soft-core porn on TV, and the place hasn't collapsed yet.

Ultimately, you don't want cursing on the radio because YOU don't like it.  I, on the other hand, don't care.  Why should I allow my radio listening to be curbed in any way whatsoever just to suit your personal preferences?

Snipa - you should consider multiple variables.  There is plenty of data showing that violent imagery can lead to violent behavior.  Simply blaming it all on chemistry is a bit simple - there are always social aspects as well.

I would suggest you tweak your essay to INCLUDE dopamine issues rather than rely so heavily on the chemistry.

  I am all for censorship on radio and normal television (what I mean by normal are the channels that are "standard").  I do, however, have different opinions on how one or the other should be censored.  Radio should be censored, IMO, because kids listen to this all of the time, and can access it with or without thier parents permission very easily.  I also would not like to hear the immature cursings of many songs that I have listened to in the past.  Sometimes it seems that certain artists curse to meet sone kind of quota.  If I did feel that I didn't mind listening to words that in most cases don't inhance or make the song more pleasureable to listen to, then I could just go buy the cd or download the song.  I believe that there should always be censored and uncensored cd's.

  As for television, I think that the channels that just about everyone has should be censored, or at least until a certain time.  It would be copletely insane to have stations such as CBS, FOX, or even something like TBS playing shows loaded with cursing, sex, and drugs at 12 noon.  After 8-9 pm is a different story all together.  By this time, parents are home and should be settled down by then.  At this time, they can monitor what their children watch.  I don't really care what HBO plays during the day, so I think they should be able to play w/e they want.  I do take censorship on shows less seriously because of parent's abilities to block certain channels so that their kids can't watch.

  I think that parents have more control over video games and movies, so I don't care as long as children can't buy mature media (that goes for cds, movies, video games, ect. because if a parent doesn't mind the content, then they can buy it for their kids.) Another opinion I wanted to state is on the topic of drug use.  I think that drug use should be censored most of all.  Besides drugs being illegal, they ruin lives (i know this for a fact), and I wouldn't want my or anyone elses children to be exposed to things that would make them think that drugs are Ok or even normal.

Apparently my point was poorly stated.

If we each were to make lists of things that we deemed objectionable for public airwaves, Assassin's and Hashi's lists would presumably include cursing high on their lists, as well as sex/nudity.

My list, on the other hand, wouldn't include cursing at all, nor nudity, and only some aspects of sexuality.  Violence would top my list, as well as the type of subtly self-destructive behavior that is lauded in movies like "Grease".

Other people's lists would look different still.

By censoring, the government essentially sanctions one of these lists, and overrules the others.  I, for instance, have to listen to butchered rap music, while filth like "Grease" is played in prime time.  Horrible.

If my list were adopted, however, hashi would have uncensored filthy rap music on the radio, and wouldn't be able to watch Pat Robertson (who is clearly not suitable for children).

Therefore, IMO, the correct result is to make everything available, and let parents decide.  It is not the government's place to stop me from listening to my music just because it happens to offend somebody else.  This is just one step removed from laws prohibiting belching in public.

Clark Kent wrote: Apparently my point was poorly stated. If we each were to make lists of things that we deemed objectionable for public airwaves, Assassin's and Hashi's lists would presumably include cursing high on their lists, as well as sex/nudity. My list, on the other hand, wouldn't include cursing at all, nor nudity, and only some aspects of sexuality.  Violence would top my list, as well as the type of subtly self-destructive behavior that is lauded in movies like "Grease". Other people's lists would look different still. By censoring, the government essentially sanctions one of these lists, and overrules the others.  I, for instance, have to listen to butchered rap music, while filth like "Grease" is played in prime time.  Horrible. If my list were adopted, however, hashi would have uncensored filthy rap music on the radio, and wouldn't be able to watch Pat Robertson (who is clearly not suitable for children). Therefore, IMO, the correct result is to make everything available, and let parents decide.  It is not the government's place to stop me from listening to my music just because it happens to offend somebody else.  This is just one step removed from laws prohibiting belching in public.

  I missed self-destructive behavior on my list.  Seeing as how I don't remember any part of "Grease", I have no idea what you are talking about.  So, to clarify myself, cursing, violence, sex (mostly irresponsible sex), drugs, and self destructive behavior should be censored on the radio and censored on family TV hours.  I also agree that there shouldn't be nudity on any TV except the movie/porn channels.

 EDIT:  Oh, and stratoaxe, you are confused.  The government says that you can listen to anything you want, and the only thing that you can't watch is sick crap like child porn.  They just say that companies can not broadcast certain things to the general public.

Clark Kent wrote: Snipa - you should consider multiple variables.  There is plenty of data showing that violent imagery can lead to violent behavior.  Simply blaming it all on chemistry is a bit simple - there are always social aspects as well. I would suggest you tweak your essay to INCLUDE dopamine issues rather than rely so heavily on the chemistry.

That's just one segment out of three in my paper/debate. There are two other points that I have yet to present in this friendly little debate of ours. This poll was created more on the basis of getting a poll, not necissarily the info. Imagery was included, but not touched upon too much due to the fact that my topic is american music, and not television. Imagery is an interpretation of the mind in this case, so I can't speak heavily on the interpretations as a whole because it differs from person to person.

Hades - I should clarify.  My hypothetical list isn't of stuff I want censored, but stuff I find objectionable.

My actual "should censor" list is very short indeed...

Tipper Gore = evilzorz.

I met her once.  I smiled and shook her hand.  I thought it might be rude to punch her.

Clark Kent wrote: Assassin - And why shouldn't we have porn on TV? Your position is entirely preconceived. There are many countries around the world with significantly less (or different) censorship on radio/TV, and they seem to get by just fine. In Sweden (for instance), normal speech includes significantly more cursing than American speech, yet crime is low and the economy good.  Sweden also has soft-core porn on TV, and the place hasn't collapsed yet. Ultimately, you don't want cursing on the radio because YOU don't like it.  I, on the other hand, don't care.  Why should I allow my radio listening to be curbed in any way whatsoever just to suit your personal preferences?

I don't have a problem with it, **edited**.

hashi2008 wrote:   I am all for censorship on radio and normal television (what I mean by normal are the channels that are "standard").  I do, however, have different opinions on how one or the other should be censored.  Radio should be censored, IMO, because kids listen to this all of the time, and can access it with or without thier parents permission very easily.  I also would not like to hear the immature cursings of many songs that I have listened to in the past.  Sometimes it seems that certain artists curse to meet sone kind of quota.  If I did feel that I didn't mind listening to words that in most cases don't inhance or make the song more pleasureable to listen to, then I could just go buy the cd or download the song.  I believe that there should always be censored and uncensored cd's.   As for television, I think that the channels that just about everyone has should be censored, or at least until a certain time.  It would be copletely insane to have stations such as CBS, FOX, or even something like TBS playing shows loaded with cursing, sex, and drugs at 12 noon.  After 8-9 pm is a different story all together.  By this time, parents are home and should be settled down by then.  At this time, they can monitor what their children watch.  I don't really care what HBO plays during the day, so I think they should be able to play w/e they want.  I do take censorship on shows less seriously because of parent's abilities to block certain channels so that their kids can't watch.   I think that parents have more control over video games and movies, so I don't care as long as children can't buy mature media (that goes for cds, movies, video games, ect. because if a parent doesn't mind the content, then they can buy it for their kids.) Another opinion I wanted to state is on the topic of drug use.  I think that drug use should be censored most of all.  Besides drugs being illegal, they ruin lives (i know this for a fact), and I wouldn't want my or anyone elses children to be exposed to things that would make them think that drugs are Ok or even normal.

^^^

He pretty much summed up my whole point in this post

Clarky,

I'm sure you're a resonable person but...........

You tell other people not to curb your personal rights yet would like to see other's personal rights curbed.

It's inconsistant. 

Law abiding gun owners