I'm in a class called Social Problems, and today we were studying how people frame issues and use their frames to argue their points. Based upon an assignment to read and discuss an article showcasing the media's crusade against rap and heavy metal music's "corruption" of America's youth, in class we watched a clip of Frank Zappa defending the use of profanity in music. I highly recommend watching it ([link]) but it's a twenty minute clip, so I'll try and summarize it. Basically, Zappa stated that the argument is strictly about words, and the government has no right to censor words. The infamous "7 words" are just syllables like every other word, and the can be used to convey strong emotion. He also stated, among other things, that America is headed toward fascism. Overall, his argument was that if parents don't want their children hearing profane or suggestive lyrics, it's their job, and no one else's, to make sure their kids don't hear it.

I can't agree more with Frank Zappa. I can't say I've ever really made any effort to listen to his music, and I think his daughter is possibly one of the most annoying women ever to grace the face of the Earth, but the man is a genius. First off, he knows what he's talking about, plain and simple. He didn't go on that show and try and bullshit his way through anything. In my opinion, he was the most informed one up there. He made everyone else, especially the prick from the Washington post, look like a moron. I'll stop venerating Zappa and make my main point:

Fuck censorship. It's stupid. For all intents and purposes, it's taking the hard work of someone else and shitting all over it. It also completely goes against this spirit of music and creativity by dictating what an artist can and cannot write. If an artist is writing a song and wants to use "fuck" in the refrain, he's far less likely to in the name of radio play and record sales. If a song is released with huge strings of foul language in the lyrics, the song will either not be played on the radio, or have the vocal track butchered with "beeps" or bits of silence. Either way, you're not hearing the song the way the artist intended, which is a slap in the face to whatever musician(s) worked hard to write, compose, and perform the song.

Who decides what is offensive and what isn't, anyway? Offensive material is completely and utterly subjective. If someone says the word "fuck" to me, it really means nothing, as (for better or for worse) the word has become a regular fixture in my vocabulary. If someone said "fuck" to a little old lady, the person would likely get slapped. If you call someone "gay", they'll likely take it in stride as if it were any other insult. If you call a gay person "gay", it's extremely offensive. I could go on and on with examples. Who has the knowledge and experience to classify words that are offensive then? No one in this world is qualified to do it, so it becomes "the government's" job. Fuck that. When did the government become an all-knowing entity? Furthermore, don't our nation's leaders have far larger things to bother with than if someone said "tits" on the radio?

Furthermore, what denotes "bad words" as bad words? When it comes down to it, they are, as Frank Zappa said, just syllables. When you say "ass", a newborn baby doesn't suddenly die. What do swear words mean, anyway? To fuck is to fornicate. An ass is a donkey. A bitch is a female dog. Crap and shit are both terms for feces. If "poop" or "number two" are acceptable, why aren't "crap" or "shit"? Get the idea? They aren't all that bad, yet they've been considered taboo and in poor taste for generations. Considering these swear words is a perfect example of old-school thinking. If you were a kid in the 50's and said "shit" you'd get the piss beaten out of you by your father. Why are these words treated the same today? I'd like to think society has matured in such a fashion that would allow swear words to be treated for what they are: powerful words. Swear words are powerful, and should be used only in appropriate situations. If you lost your company a million-dollar deal, it stings far worse when your boss says "You're the biggest fuckhead to ever walk God's green Earth" than if he said "Nice job, bozo". Both mean basically the same thing, but the first example is more powerful and more demeaning. If a lyricist wants to get his point across, there's no better way than with strong language. Now, I'm all for moderation; hearing "fuck" over and over again waters down the meaning. But there's no reason it can't be used in music, an expressive art form.

Frank Zappa's best point was that if parents don't want their children hearing the "extreme debauchery" in modern music, they shouldn't let them listen to it, and that this is strictly the parents' job. When I was in second grade, my (older) cousin was listening to The Offspring's Americana. I was amazed by the sound of the music, as I had only really been exposed to my dad's love for orchestral music and my mom's taste in oldies. I asked my parents if I could get the album, and told them there was some foul language in the album. They asked what, and I said "The 'f' word". That brought the conversation to an immediate halt, and I didn't get the album until years later. Probably a good call by my parents. That's how this whole thing should be treated. The government didn't have to step in, there was no news story at seven about how Americana was raping the minds of children around the world, when I listened to the album, I didn't go out and kill everyone on my street.

Fucking moron pussies (activists) have been trying for years to get this music banned. Apparently none of them have heard of the First Amendment. Try as they might, apparently someone in Washington has their head out of their ass and keeps telling them what to do what kind of New Year to have. One of the few bits of "progress" they have made is getting "Explicit Content" labels on the covers of albums. Now, I actually thought this was a good idea. It would provide a warning to parents saying "Hey, look into this before you buy it for your kids and try to win their approval, it has swear words and talks about sex", which puts the ball entirely in Mom and Pop's court. However, once it became obvious how senselessly this system is applied, my opinion changed. From what I can gather, when an album is being checked for explicit content, here is the process:
-Album is submitted
-Liner notes checked for lyrics
-If no liner notes appear in the liner notes, lyrics are provided
-Someone searches lyrics for profanities and other content
-A ruling is made

Obviously, at no point, is the music listened to. Perfect example: the album mentioned before, Americana. It had no label on it, yet is had plenty of foul language. One song in particular, the title track, had the word "fuck" several times, in prominent positions. Now, I would assume that would warrant a warning label, however, the word "fuck" was expunged from the liner notes.

-Lyrics as they appeared in the liner notes:

Well I'd like to tell you all about my dream, it's a place
Where strip malls abound and diversion's mere moments away

Where culture's defined by the
Ones least refined
And you'll be left behind
If you don't fit in
It's all distorted
In Americana my way

Well my dream has come true
My vision has come true

Now give me my cable, fast food, four-by's, tat's right away
I want it right now cause my generation don't like to wait

My future's determined by
Thieves, thugs, and vermin
It's quite an excursion
But it's okay
Everything's backwards
In Americana my way

Well my dream has come true
My vision has come true

I'm a product
Of my environment
So don't blame me, I just work here.

My rights are denied by
Those least qualified
Trading profit for pride
But it's okay
Everything's backwards
In Americana my way

My nightmare has come true
My nightmare has come true
Yeah, it's all coming true

-Lyrics actually sung

Well I'd like to tell you all about my dream, it's a place
Where strip malls abound and diversion's mere moments away

Where culture's defined by the
Ones least refined
And you'll be left behind
If you don't fit in
It's all distorted
In Americana my way

Well Fuck You!
Well my dream has come true
My vision has come true

Now give me my cable, fast food, four-by's, tat's right away
I want it right now cause my generation don't like to wait

My future's determined by
Thieves, thugs, and vermin
It's quite an excursion
But it's okay
Everything's backwards
In Americana my way

Well Fuck You!
Well my dream has come true
My vision has come true

I'm a product
Of my environment
So don't blame me, I just work here.. but I wanna Fuck You!

My rights are denied by
Those least qualified
Trading profit for pride
But it's okay
Everything's backwards
In Americana my way

My nightmare has come true
My nightmare has come true
Yeah, it's all coming true

So, as long as a band doesn't tell the RIAA that their lyrics contain foul language, their release won't carry a label? That means the people assessing the lyrical content of the music don't actually listen to it, so neither lyrics not present in the liner notes or the context in which such words are used are analyzed. What a flawed and half-assed system. You'd figure the assholes who were bellyaching and bitching for it in congress would go over this shit with a fine-tooth comb because they care so much about the perversion of society. Fuck those pricks. Mainly, fuck censorship.