| The Rest |
| World peace is so evasive because a recreational activity such as listening to music is taken so ascetically. Censorship invariably undermines the First and Fifth amendments and detracts from our culture that is generally accepting of diversity, so tranquility and harmony seems intangible. The ACLU is adamant about the futility of censorship, as they highlight here: ��scapegoating artistic expression is simplistic. How can serious social problems like violent crime, racism, or suicide be solved by covering children�s ears?� (D�Imperio) Even former Senator and Republican Presidential candidate Robert Dole, a leading advocate of censorship acknowledges, �People are responsible for their actions. Movies and music do not make people into murderers� (Jackson). Perhaps this lapse into clarity of his is an indicator of senility, but the point is valid: individualism is dangerous, but conformity is iniquitous, and therefore, censorship is not viable in any culture. Obviously, free speech is gently trod in deference to decency, but who is responsible for establishing these standards? Why do these standards exist at all? The answer most often returned is to ensure job security for members of the Recording Industry Association of America�s standards & practices department, but they could get other meaningless jobs, like Congressman, but take a significant pay cut. The only viable solution to this virulent musical tyranny is complete abolition of inhibition and its agents. There is no need for the Federal Communications Commission, Electronic Standards Ratings Board, RIAA, or right-wing conservatives in this progressive civilization. Obscenity will soon be a forgotten entity, due to the desensitization practiced in common social interaction and many forms of entertainment. Today, �How the Hell are you?� is a common substitute for �Good day to you sir�, and �Really? No shit� is a conventional expression of mild astonishment. One may ask, �What is this world coming to?� As the popular 1970s anti-war song says: �The answer, my friend, is blowin� in the wind�. This subjugation of musical autonomy in this day and age is a futile effort, a conspiracy in terms, and in practice, that must be eliminated in order to verge on Utopianism. That may never be achieved, because of conservatism and Catholicism, which had the conviction to create a schism in the Christian religion over simple depictions of their savior. As a group, they have never appreciated artistry in any form, but there�s always a propensity for change. The great Bill Cosby put it best: �There�s always room for Jell-O,� Jell-O proverbially representing an adjustment in the interminably wavering culture of the United States of America. Perhaps the theme of this paper is best illustrated below: |
| I did have a really cool picture of a shackled hand extending its middle finger, and scrawled next to it was "Censor This!" Sorry I lost it, guys. If you're a hot chick willing to console me, my email address is posted on the home page. Email me, we'll set something up... |