From: adamsr@netcom.com (Rick Adams)
Subject: Re: Tipper Gore for Vice Lady! (Was: Clinton's VP list gets shorter
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 92 18:02:15 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <tony.711569813@ais.org> tony@ais.org (Tony Poole) writes:
>
>Then maybe you otta check it out for yourself?  Hmmm.... that would mean
>getting involved with your child, now wouldn't it?  Seems some people think
>that's a sin or something.
>
>Is there anyone here that feels that if you raise a child properly that you
>won't have to worry about what type of music they listen to?  Seems to work
>pretty well for me, and worked pretty well for my parents.
>
>Too many parents worry about how their children will percieve lyrics after
>the fact.  Rather than supporting a record labeling movement, maybe some
>parents should spend that time evaluating their parenting abilities.
>
	There are two problems with this approach: It assumes that _all_
parents will become so involved (a patent absurdity in our culture,
unfortunately); and it assumes that music listened to by one child will not
affect anyone else.

	Following this thread is particularly interesting since it is so
apparent that virtually no one who is participating in it has read Tipper
Gore's book on the subject! Having done so, I tend to question my former
opposition to her stand, and I suspect others here would do the same.

	While it is certainly inappropriate to censor _any_ artform,
regardless of content - it is equally inappropriate to make all materials
available to children without at least providing the parents with specifics
as to the content of those materials. One thing which has been overlooked
here is the _nature_ of the materials Tipper Gore is citing in her stand -
nearly all of which are Heavy Metal albums which emphasize such themes as
brutality, sexual abuse and objectification of women, suicide, rape and
violence. To argue that such materials are suitable for children to access
without limit is to argue that six year olds should watch the Texas Chainsaw
Massacre for entertainment!

	Obviously, the parent should listen to and discuss music with
his/her child - but the problem is that in order to do so that music must be
accessible - which (without any labeling or external printing of the lyrics)
often means having to purchase the album only to find out that the material
IS objectionable!  At least with movies, the parent can decide whether or
not to purchase or rent a video tape based on the rating and/or the
description/blurb on the box. No such protection exists for the album
buyer.

	One _very_ simple solution - suggested by Tipper Gore and ignored by
those who label her a "censorship nut" is to print the lyrics on the outside
of the albums. Certainly, if the lyrics are available, no one can claim that
the parent isn't informed as to content prior to purchase - nor would
warning labels be necessary. In fact, the only serious objection I have seen
voiced to that concept was that the album may then be considered obscene
material - hardly a valid argument against printing the lyrics since if they
are too obscene to be printed, the parent may well find that to be a hint
that she or he may not want a pre-teen listening to them unsupervised!

	Given the extremes to which modern music _is_ going (i.e., music
videos which glorify the whipping/rape/killing of women, etc.), little doubt
remains that _something_ will be done to limit access by children in the
near future. Individuals such as Tipper Gore (who, for those who havent read
her book does NOT come off as a fundamentalist, but as precisely what she is
a  _clinical_psychologist_ [and member of the board of the National
Institute of Mental Health] interested in the _emotional_ effects of the
material on children) oppose censorship and are looking for solutions which
will prevent it from occuring. If none of those solutions is implemented,
however, individuals such as Donald Wildmon and his fundamentalist American
Family Association are bound to ultimately have their way and that
censorship WILL become reality.

	I don't support _all_ of Tipper Gore's arguments - my objections to
modern lyrics have to do with the violence and the treatment of women, not
to the sexual content - but I _do_ feel that her thoughts merit a more
considered response (including a reading of her book on the subject) than
they have been accorded here! She is _not_ a censorship advocate, nor a
fundamentalist - and those accusations simply shift the focus from the
issues to personalities.

>Music is too often used as a scapegoat for poor parenting.
>
	Poor parenting is too often used as a justification for unlimited
license to push garbage to children. Try explaining to a child - no matter
HOW well raised - why it's okay to act out a rape or brutalization of a
woman on a stage and have the audience cheer, yet at the same time s/he must
respect women as individuals and _never_ view them as sex objects or as
inferior to men! An adult can understand the distinction between performance
and reality - a child finds such mixed signals (particularly in a culture
which tends to support the sexist stereotypes these performances
demonstrate) confusing and may end up questioning the honesty and validity
of the parent _regardless_ of the quality of the parenting!

-- 
    Rick Adams | KE8HH    /|\        You are right from your side,         
      adamsr@ais.org    /  |  \        And I am right from mine.           
     adamsr@netcom.com  \ /|\ /  We're both just one too many mornings,    
    rick.adams on GEnie   \|/  And a thousand miles behind. (c Bob Dylan)