Small article I wrote protesting against Tipper Gore and her actions regarding censorship. I know that not everyone will agree with me, feel free to critique, argue...whatever. Just hope you enjoy it.

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It's no secret that Tipper Gore, creator of the infamous "Tipper Sticker" isn't particularly loved by the artistic community. Then again, is it any surprise? Her name is shoved on millions of album covers each year because they contain what she calls 'explicit content', the very definition of which changes according to each individual.

So just what IS 'explicit content' by her standards? As with most right-wing Christians these days, it would appear that explicit content is anything that offends their precious moral values, which seem to be so fragile that even sneezing on them would break them, sending Tipper and her minions into a frothed jabber-frenzy about how we're promoting violence, promiscuity and drug addiction to our children, who have been coddled and bubble-wrapped until they're so alienated from modern culture that they can't make it in the real world when they leave home.
One could argue that the Tipper Sticker has now become the new Yellow Star, a-la Nazi Germany era. But instead of the Jewish community bearing the brunt of alienation and hatred, it's Snoop-Doggy-Diddle or Icey-Tea. Book burning has been replaced by Wal-Mart casually slapping a Parental Advisory sticker on the album cover, so that the fundamentalist Christian far-right, gay hating, liberal bashing monkey-people can keep their kids away from it, lest their ears should shatter like they were made out of expensive china.

I think in a world where we have innocent people dying in bloody and highly illegal wars overseas, offending our children (They are our future, dontchaknow) should be the least of our worries. In any case, we're just trying to prevent the inevitable. They're going to come into contact with these things sooner or later, so why not at an early age? At least when they leave home to become real people they're prepared for the real world. And what are they prepared for? The horrors of life.

"I'm a strong believer in the First Amendment," says Mrs. Gore. This is a lie. She's doing all that she can to castrate freedom of speech.

It's not often I say this, but I'm actually somewhat thankful that Bush cheated his way into office. Already, Gore uses her husband's status as a senator to pass these ridiculous legislations that that would have banned the sale of albums with warning labels to anyone younger than 18. Now, think how much more leverage she would have been given if Gore had become president? She could try and pass virtually anything she wanted, making it a bona fide law if it had passed.
What next? It wouldn't surprise me if she tried to pass legislations enabling her to send so-called "controversial" artists to Concentration Camps sponsored by Nike and Barbie, where Icey-Tea and William Murderface spent some time with their new camp counsellor Barney the Dino-Sore and learned how to be good little boys and girls, and coming out with those Ritalin-Grins plastered all over their faces. Where lyrics about drugs and pimping once stood, they're now writing songs about how Jesus was a white man, and how we should all bow down to the almighty consumer market. God bless America and screw anyone else who says different.
It's the invasion of the body-snatchers for the new millennium! No. It's invasion of Neo-Baptist Democrats. Ask yourself, which sounds more menacing?

But disregard all that you have read here. Just remember that if you say anything deemed too 'controversial', Tipper and her Pharmasmile Cronies may come a-knocking on your door.

Ouch! You are very brave indeed. Funny, but brave. I was a teenager when all this started. I don't buy CD's from Wal-Mart because they're actually all ready censored. You can't even listen to a song because half of it is blocked. I took 3 back one time and the woman goes, "What's your reason for returning them?" I said, "They're all censored." You should have seen the look on her face! I might as well have said, "I'm a godless satanist and I want to hear as much cursing and blaspheming as possible." No, I just want to hear the song.

P.S. Boy are you gonna get it for this post.! <snickers and backs away slowly>

Yes, there'll probably be a backlash from the religious members of the forum, but it happens. I'd do the same if I were in their shoes.

At the end of the day, nothing is more offensive in the eyes of any artist than having an ugly sticker plastered on the front of an album. If you look at the sales of albums with these stickers on compared to say, the latest Justin Timberfake album to be regurgitated out of the Music Industry, there's a huge difference.

As I said, feel free to call me an idiot, whatever. That's part of the reason I put it up on here; to see the reaction I'd get from people.

It's interesting, but I think you may be over-reacting a bit, in my most humble opinion of course. But the explicit content sticker was over-reacting as well. I never understood where parents thought all their children where darling little angels to never hear or say the "f word". It's not the end of the world, it doesn't erode morality, but it does make you a potty mouth .

I wouldn't equate book burning to explicit music notification stickers though. Books are full of knowledge on every aspect, once it is gone it's gone. There is no option to read the 'approved' source. But with music you have a choice of listening to the unedited copy, or buying the edited copy. Even in a 'moral' society that we live in today, explicit music will never be 'banned' or 'outlawed'. I just can't see it happening.

It's a good point. One that I didn't consider, I will admit. I think that music censorship has a chance of ending up as bad as the book burning incidents however, where someone in power abuses his/her standing to pass such laws.

I mean personally, I can't stand people like Lil' John or 50 Cent (probably bad examples but you get the message), and I think they're misogynistic fools. Nevertheless, I'll fight for their freedom to be able to say these things, because at the end of the day it's all freedom of speech. Just as people are allowed to call them misogynistic idiots

Good point though, thanks for the critique

This is a very good point. The best in your article. Children should be exposed to the real world while they are still at home and have the comfort of their parents. Take alcohol for an example. In Europe children are given wine at a young age. I was born in the US, moved to Luxembourg in 10th grade, and now I live in the US again. While I was in Luxembourg and even before then when I lived in the US, my parents gave me wine on special ocassions (ie religious holidays, birthdays, ect). I was taught to drink responsibly at home, and now back in the US and at college, I don't feel a need to go out and get drunk. Anime is another good example (yes, I'm an anime fan and have been one for a while). The Japanese expose their children to swearing at a younger age. I can remember being 10 and watching anime in which there was swearing (just stuff like "damn" and "hell"). Granted, this was one thing my parents had a little harder time accepting, but they soon did. They accepted the fact that I would be eventually exposed to such things, and they would rather have me exposed to such things while I was still with them.

You have done a beautiful job, rhyknow!! Can you get this published somewhere?

And to those conservative religious types, stop living in a dream world. Forcing your beliefs on your kids just makes them want to defy you even more.

Hi, rosenrot. Thanks for the positive feedback

I can relate the point you highlighted to a piece of my own life. From 1999 to 2004 I lived in Rome, Italy, where I attended a somewhat prestigious International school. My family has always been fairly poor, and my dad was a teacher at the school so the fees were considerably reduced. Anyway, my mum and dad have always taught me that money isn't the most important thing in the world, but you have to work to earn it. I was going to school with film stars' kids, who were horrible spoiled. Everything was waited on them, they got what they wanted when they wanted it. I know for a fact that none of them are going to make it in the real world because they haven't experienced it.

About alcohol, I live in the South of France. We see kids drinking from a very early age over here too, the legal drinking age in bars is 16, but as long as you drink responsibly, people don't have a problem with it.

Like I say, preparing your child is one of the most useful things you can do to help them out. At least then they know what to expect.

Thanks again for the comments

That's one well written article Rhy. I enjoyed reading it.

Rhyknow-

I actually know Tipper. We've had long discussions on this very topic; person-to-person with her ((I produced a cable TV show years ago and she came on as one of my guests a couple times)).

Anyway, as a parent myself, I have to agree that for the 10 or 11-year-old group up through 14 year-old-group the labeling is a good thing.

The reason I say this is because, again as a parent, sometimes you don't always realize WHAT you are purchasing for your child. I would never want my child at those young years to be listening to cop-killer raps, or sexually explicit songs. Okay, yea, maybe you think I'm a dud but I do it out of love.

I believe after 15-years-old, my child has the right to listen to what they choose when they spend their own money. And my daughter, who is the older of my two has all kinds of music. She even tells me now if she has purchased the censored or un-cencored versions. Whatever. She's 15 and I trust her.

Parenting is NOT an easy job !! Sometimes I wish the younger ones on here would put themselves in the parents shoes. Everything I do for my children is out of love and respect and you know what? I receive love and respect back from them as it should be

Just my thoughts, Jody

PS: My daughter sent me a text message the other day it stated: "Mommy, I dedicate this song to you...will.i.am 'Got It From My Mama'" ... now how cool is that? (( Don't tell her but it made me cry tears of joy ).

will.i.am "Got it from my Mama" *tear*

I have to agree with She-Ra to an extent. I don't agree with actually changing the music to beep out the bad words (artistic freedom of expression and all that), but I have no problem with a small label stating that it is PG-13 or something like that. Just a tool to help parents know what their kids are listening to.

Hi She-Ra,

I'm sorry if you were offended by any of my comments regarding Tipper Gore. I can certainly understand where you're coming from, and I do respect your opinions. I know that parents don't want their young kids hearing songs that try to justify the murder of police officers, and personally, I don't advocate that sort of music. What I do advocate, however, is freedom of speech and freedom of expression. I think that Tipper Gore is going about trying to make parents aware about the content of songs in the wrong way. As Jello Biafra said, "instead of the Tipper Sticker, why not print out the lyrics to all of these songs, and make them available to parents? Why not get the government to fund it?" I totally agree with that. I think it makes things a lot easier for everyone, because then the parents know exactly what their kids are buying, and have easy access to it.

My problem with the Tipper Sticker is that it stigmatizes artists. Take bands like Tool for instance, whose lyrics promote Love, Spiritual Harmony and individualism. But just because they say the F word in a couple of their songs (and it is only a couple), they get this ugly sticker slapped on the front of their album, which serves as a clear "keep away" sign to anyone who looks at it. That's my main problem with it.

Also, I'd say that the PMRC need to listen to these albums before they try and sticker them. The majority of PMRC members have admitted that they haven't actually listened to these albums themselves, so how can they know whether it contains "explicit content" or not?

Thanks for sharing your opinions Again, I don't mean to offend anyone here... I guess I was feeling in a bit of a radical mood when I wrote it