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RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland
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- #1
- Posted: 03/16/2015 13:30
- Post subject: Point of Discussion: Censorship
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POINT OF DISCUSSION
This is Point of Discussion, a thread for people to discuss issues and topics related to music in a thoughtful and productive way. The goal of this is to make you think, to make you take a look at what you believe, why you believe it, and what others believe. Good discussion is the key to any society, and this is a place where, hopefully, that can be fostered. If you would like a certain topic to be discussed or question to be posed, PM me and I'll toss it in when I can.
All of that being said, there are a few guidelines.
The Guidelines:
1. Don't be a dick - it's fairly simple, just be civil. Say what you want, believe what you want to believe, that's fine, just don't be a dick about it.
2. All opinions are welcome - no matter how unpopular you may think your opinion is (or how unpopular it eventually proves to be), post it. It's welcome. Just be prepared to defend that opinion if it's challenged.
3. There are no wrong opinions - like, it's literally impossible. These are opinions, so no matter how strongly you feel about it, it's neither right nor wrong, it's just an opinion, so keep that in mind.
4. The conversation can go anywhere - even if the discussion goes off of the original topic, that's fine. All kinds of tangents are possible, just try to keep it semi-relevant.
The Topic:
Censorship in any form of entertainment has always been a major topic, and in music especially. Often brought to mind is the whole Tipper Gore issue of the 80s which resulted in the now-familiar "Parental Advisory" sticker on albums. So the question is: what, if anything, should be censored in music? Should a company refuse to sell an artist's album because, for example, the album art is offensive? Should the music on the radio be censored? And if so, where is the line between appropriate and inappropriate?
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2023 Chart
Early Psychedelic Rock
Electronic Chart
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RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland
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zdwyatt
Gender: Male
Age: 45
Location: Madison WI
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- #3
- Posted: 03/16/2015 14:19
- Post subject: Re: Point of Discussion: Censorship
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| RockyRaccoon wrote: | | So the question is: what, if anything, should be censored in music? Should a company refuse to sell an artist's album because, for example, the album art is offensive? Should the music on the radio be censored? And if so, where is the line between appropriate and inappropriate? |
Generally, I have no problem with a company refusing to sell something they find offensive. Just as I should be allowed to consume what I want, another person should be free not to. Back in the major label heyday, this was probably a thornier issue, because an artist might not have had to freedom to take their "offensive" work elsewhere. These days, it'd be easier for someone to find the market for their work.
I also generally agree with the FCC obscenity rules (nothing indecent from 6am-10pm). The whole notion of those and other FCC regulations is that these things are broadcast over open air and in limited broadcast space. Having a license grants a sort of power of imposition and that has to come with some rules. I will say that what qualifies as "indecent" tends to be a little puritanical for my taste, but that will change with time.
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sp4cetiger
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- #4
- Posted: 03/16/2015 14:43
- Post subject:
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| RockyRaccoon wrote: | | side note: my apologies for not having a PoD last week (if anyone noticed), I was pretty sick. |
Sorry to hear that, man. Hope you're feeling better now.
As for the PoD, I'm very anti-censorship. Of course, I can imagine extreme cases where I would support it (e.g., some types of slander, leaking of private or classified information), but those are definitely the exceptions.
That's not to say that private companies should be forced to sell something they find offensive, but I do think governments should stay out of such things. Maybe I'm a bit of an idealist when it comes to artistic expression, but I'd say that art reflects life much more than life reflects art.
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Decurso
Gender: Male
Age: 51
Location: Sao Paulo, SP Brazil
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- #5
- Posted: 03/16/2015 15:38
- Post subject:
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I am opposed to any and all forms of censorship....BUT...a company determining what standards they want to be associated with is NOT censorship. IMO censorship is the limiting or restricting of access to materials. Just because one company decides not to release a certain album or song because it doesn't conform to their moral standard does not mean another company can't release the same material. This becomes a bit more problematic when you take into account that most artists are locked into exclusive contracts with one company. I think that as long as the company's standards are clearly defined and consistent, it should not be an issue.
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meccalecca
Voice of Reason
Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Enchantment
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- #6
- Posted: 03/16/2015 15:57
- Post subject:
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I agree with others here that say the government needs to steer clear of censoring art. It's often done haphazardly, and and with biased motivations.
Sure, there's music, movies and art that's unethical. From hate-filled skinhead nazi punk to underage porn, there's stuff that has no place in the public spectrum, but I think it's up to the public to make those decisions, by exercising their purchase power, as well as parents overseeing what their young children listen to.
Of course, there are times when parents are totally absent from the picture, and I guess society has to step in and act as surrogate parents. And that's why we have a movies rating system and what not. So we're in this situation where the FCC is basically needed at times because there's so many terrible parents out there.
So, now I'm contradicting myself. But I think the artist should never be censored. Only the public may sometimes need to be shielded. If that makes any sense.
When I was in college, I was working in an electronics department, and there would be times I'd see parents buy their very young child extremely violent video games, and couldn't help but wonder what the fuck was wrong with them. a young child's brain is very malleable, and the influence of such a thing could really shape them.
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zdwyatt
Gender: Male
Age: 45
Location: Madison WI
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- #7
- Posted: 03/16/2015 16:02
- Post subject:
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| meccalecca wrote: | So, now I'm contradicting myself. But I think the artist should never be censored. Only the public may sometimes need to be shielded. If that makes any sense.
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Makes perfect sense. It's one thing for the government to say "you cannot make this art," which I am not okay with. It's another thing to place restrictions on when and how that art is distributed, or to create guidelines to aid responsible consumption.
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RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland
Moderator
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- #8
- Posted: 03/16/2015 16:06
- Post subject:
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| zdwyatt wrote: | | Makes perfect sense. It's one thing for the government to say "you cannot make this art," which I am not okay with. It's another thing to place restrictions on when and how that art is distributed, or to create guidelines to aid responsible consumption. |
I can agree with that. As a parent, there are times when I can't control the fact that my son sees something that I didn't want him to see. Even now, if I want to watch a basketball game or something, I have no problem watching that with me, but then they cut to commercial and there's an ad for something really violent or sexual or something and all of a sudden I'm trying to find the remote and change it really fast. It's frustrating. And obviously I'm aware that I couldn't possibly expect the FCC to conform its rules to my moral standards, but there are instances in which, as a parent, you're not able to stop your child from seeing something you may not want them to see, because it might just be out there in the public.
All that being said, I'm strongly against censorship in the sense of the government or any institution (schools especially) saying "You may not make that art", but that doesn't mean that warnings/rating systems/whatever can't accompany said art.
_________________
2023 Chart
Early Psychedelic Rock
Electronic Chart
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meccalecca
Voice of Reason
Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Enchantment
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- #9
- Posted: 03/16/2015 16:45
- Post subject:
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Rocky, That's definitely a problem I've heard quite a bit. Networks need to show greater responsibility in those regards. I think it happens a lot with sports because of the high testosterone viewership they tend to market to.
For some reason, this thread has made me think of the film Dogtooth which I finally watched recently. It's a Greek film about parents who raise their 3 kids with zero exposure to the outside world. They completely condition them to think and act a certain way. It's a jarring fictional story deeply rooted in the reality of completely controlling development.
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CubaZed
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- #10
- Posted: 03/16/2015 16:51
- Post subject:
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I'd say something but I honestly think I can't elucidate my opinions any better than Mecca already has for me. Definitely a really interesting topic though.
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