From: ksm@abb-sc.abb-sc.com (Ashley)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: The truth about Tipper Gore (was:Re: the US elections...)
Date: 10 Nov 92 17:13:55 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Kaos Laboratories


In article <1992Nov9.205900.1@ulkyvx.louisville.edu>, rtsumn01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu writes...
>In article <1223@abb-sc.abb-sc.COM>, ksm@abb-sc.abb-sc.com (Ashley) writes:
>> In article <2AFEADF4.29425@news.service.uci.edu>, cortese@skid.ps.uci.edu (Janis Maria Cortese) writes...
>>>In article <19043@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> darsie@eecs.ucdavis.edu (Richard Darsie) writes:
> 
>>>>How many times does this have to be said:  LABELS WARNING OF
>>>>POTENTIALLY OBJECTIONABLE OR OBSCENE CONTENT DO NOT CONSTITUTE
>>>>CENSORSHIP!!  
> 
>In theory this is true. In practice...I remember at the height of the
>labelling furor (way back when people gave a damn) that some record stores
>(remember? they used to carry records :) refused to carry albums with
>labels. This isn't something I heard from a friend, it's something I saw
>on the news, with interview clips with store managers, so I think it is
>a slightly reliable fact.
> 
>If albums become unavailable because someone is offended, that is de
>facto censorship.

	I worked at a record store at the time that Tipper Gore and the PMRC 
where in full swing. What they wanted WAS censorship. Tipper did INDEED make 
MANY statements about what was good and healthy for children and mentioned MANY 
TIMES the CHRISTIAN VALUES she wanted re-enforced. No More Censorship Defense 
Fund will have lists of her quotes. I'm sorry, but I don't have an address. I'm 
sure Alternative Tentacles, the Dead Kennedys's record label would though. Go 
to the local record store and write it down off the back of a CD or whatever.

>The purported idea behind labels is that parents can find out what is in
>an album and decide if they would like their child to buy it.  Supposedly
>it is *not* illegal for a child to purchase such an album--it's only a 
>guide for responsible parents. I think any "responsible" parent could go
>through my record collection and pick out which ones are questionable,
>without needing to resort to labels. There's something else going on.

Most album covers show the themes rather clearly. Half naked women posing 
seductivly in front of a bunch of leather and spandex wearing cock-rockers 
holding swords. A big inverted pentagram w/goat's head in the backgroud. 
Could result in this scenario:

"Hmm, honey, do you think it's alright for junior to listen to the song 
"Shela sucked me for Satan" by Devil's Advocate?"

"I don't know dear, it might endanger his immortal soul."

"Well, at least we know we will be able to sue the artist should he ever be 
driven to suicide by this satanic music. Remember what they did to Ozzy 
Osborne?"

"Yes dear. That could be quite profitable. We could afford the new motorhome!"

"You're right honey. Okay Junior, listen away!"

> 
>> 	Janis, the problem with Tipper Gore is a little deeper than that. 
>> Tipper was/is the leader of a Christian Fundamentalist cencorship movement. 
>> Here is a little history of what she has represented in the recent past (or 
>> at least until her husband began to look like presidential material).
> 
>[handsome history of the Dead Kennedys deleted]
> 
>Now, according to Jello Biafra (on his last spoken word album) and I think
>I've seen it elsewhere, she denies having any contact with Christian groups.
>Wasn't her co-founder of PMRC a fundie?

Yep. PMRC gets money from a number of fundie organizatins too. Church drives, 
etc. Get rid of the devil's music. I find it really funny that "Don't Stop 
Thinkin' About Tomorrow" was the theme of the Clinton/Gore campain and was 
written by Fleetwood Mac, a group Tipper wanted stickered and sold only in 
"adult materials" stores because Stevie Nicks is a Witch!

> 
>She also completely denies that she or the PMRC ever attempted to censor or
>ban *anyone*, and says that she opposes censorship.
> 

Well, isn't that *electable* of her to say that! He-he-he!


>Oh, I'd better warn y'all now. I'm including some slightly offensive quotes
>a little later, so if you have a real weak stomache, you can leave now.

Maybe this post deserves a sticker! 


	WARNING! EXPRESSION OF FREE IDEAS MAY BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH. PLEASE 
READ ONLY IF YOU WISH TO ENDANGER YOUR IMMORTAL SOUL WITH ETERNAL DAMNATION!

	Actually, Frank Zappa came up with a GREAT warning label satarizing the 
fundie censors. You should read it on the cover of the album/CD/whatever "THEM 
OR US". 

> 
>> 	During this time, Tipper gore and several other high ranking 
>> members of the PMRC came up with the warning label that they wanted to see 
>> on all albums containing "harmful material". The label would cover at least 
>> one quarter of the packaging and would read:
>> 
>> 		WARNING
>> The materials whether recorded or depicted in this package may contain 
>> references to and/or promote one or more of the following:
>> 
>> Pornography, murder, homosexuality, Communist Propiganda, fornication, 
>> sodomy, beastiality, felatio, connilingus, rape, masturbation, lesbianism, 
>> (etc, etc,.....) blasphemy, animal sacrifice, *satanism and witchcraft*, 
>> paganism, voodoo, Nazism, the occult, bigotry, un-American values, (etc, 
>> etc, etc.....)
> 
>This label also covered things like mention of alcohol. The result was that
>if it were applied impartially, just about everything would get stickered,
>including some songs that are (in my mind) some of the most harmless things
>ever. At the time it was pretty obvious that albums would *not* be labelled
>impartially.
> 
>The best example of this is Frank Zappa's instrumental album that's been
>stickered. An *instrumental*, fer cryin' out loud! They don't look or
>listen, they just oppress.


Yeah, I forgot to mention the shit they slung at Good Ol' Frank. He's been 
pretty active y'know. Has an album out that we should all go buy called 
"Frank Zappa meets the Mothers Of Prevention" or something like that. The drugs 
and alcohol section was deleted from my post because I wanted the scare line on 
the top and the religious bigotry line in the middle. The actual label rants on 
and on like a fundie preacher.



>On a further note, I mentioned above that the labels are not intended to
>be an actual age restriction (at least not the last time I heard). 

They where when they where proposed. We where all set to start pulling records 
and tapes fromt the shelves and send them off to be sold elsewhere. The chain 
record store I worked for was planning on opening a store to sell just "adult 
materials". The advertising campaign to re-assure the public that they would 
not be greeted by hardcore sex when they came to our "adult materials" store 
was already being drawn up and packaged.


>However, there are often local laws regarding certain albums. In Virginia
>those under 18 weren't allowed to buy the uncensored version of a work by
>some rap artist. At the same time, they *could* buy albums with such
>great themes as:
> 
>"I want to fuck the dead." --TSOL
>"Give praise to Satan." --Deicide
>"Kill the President." --The Offspring
>"Hack the heads off little girls." --The Misfits
> 
>These are NOT taken out of context, folks! All these bands have songs that
>I am sure would be at least as offensive as anything on that rap album I
>referred to. The government's choice of what they are censoring (and let's
>be honest, this is censoring) is a political thing. They don't listen to
>every album, but pick out certain ones based on political motives. I am
>sad to say that the majority of banned artists are black.
>

These albums and songs where not available in the store in which I worked. This 
was *partially* due to the small sales volume thay represented, but some other 
acts on big labels sold even less than groups like the Misfits did. The reality 
behind it was that the chain was bowing to pressure to keep certain artists and 
recordings off the shelves. The entire anti-censorship movement appeared only 
after the big groups on major lables began to be threatened. Then the media got 
involved and the public got informed, or should I say mis-informed?

	Yes, the successful censorship drives nailed rap artists hard. But I 
believe the effect this had was to keep them away from white audiences. They 
where still available in Mom-n-Pop stores in the black sections of town. The 
public outcry occured only when they threatened the big boys like Pink Floyd 
(advocating drug use, anti-family statements, advocates matricide, advocates 
disobedience to authority, sexual content, Nazism, etc...). THEN the big labels 
and the big money got involved. The DKs and 2 Live Crew where supposedly easy, 
they didn't have the funds! At least the DKs *eventually* beat the suit.



				- Ashley
Newsgroups: alt.pagan