Society causes a lot of music censorship. Starting in the late fifties and early sixties members of society made efforts to censor R&B music (http://teenmusic.about.com/library/weekly/aa022301a.htm). They were concerned that the music endorsed

wild living, promiscuous sex, and lewd dancing (http://teenmusic.about.com/library/weekly/aa022301a.htm). “During the late sixties and seventies, Jim Morrison’s dark and suggestive lyrics stirred up communities, and parents were appalled to see Elvis Presley’s hip-thrusting” (http://teenmusic.about.com/library/weekly/aa022301a.htm). Society censors music like this because they are afraid of it. They think it will alter the minds of their children and cause them to do things they would have never done if it were never suggested in a song’s lyrics. “Music mirrors the society that creates it” (http://teenmusic.about.com/library/weekly/aa022301a.htm). Some people believe this, while others believe that music causes problems in our society such as crime and drugs. “For every person who believes certain lyrics portray a frightening world, there is another person who finds them deep and powerful because that world is all too real” (http://teenmusic.about.com/library/weekly/aa022301a.htm).

In addition to Rolling Stone, other magazines have been voicing their opinions about music censorship for years.

I do not agree with the censorship of music. I think that it is the parents’ responsibility to decide what their children may or may not listen to. Society and the government are not here to raise America’s youth, parents are. Also, an artist’s music is an art, an expression of themselves and what they have been through. Changing their music, changes their art that they created. I would find that very insulting if I were a music artist. I do not think that parental advisories help parents at all. I think that for a parent to decide whether their child is old enough to listen to a music album, they must listen to it themselves. I also think music is an important part of a teenager’s life. I know in high school I often used music as an outlet. For some, they are living the music, in a ghetto with parents with drug problems. For others like me, who fortunately did not have any of those problems, we use it as an outlet when our sweethearts break up with us or we just have a bad day. Foremost, I believe that music censorship infringes our first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of speech. Saying that music artists may not use certain words is the same as saying a newspaper cannot print a certain article in my opinion. Yet it seems that music is an easier target because pro-censorship groups claim that they are helping the youth of America.

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