Response To The Question example essay topic

When listening to the radio, you may notice that during certain songs there will be a brief moment of silence in the middle of a verse; assuming that the station is not experiencing technical difficulties, this is because the song displayed some kind of obscene or objectionable material that is not appropriate for "public consumption". Considering that music is a form of expression, and all forms of expression are protected by the First Amendment, I decided to ask the "public" if they felt music ought to be censored when receiving radio play, and to justify their reasons. The first victim was a 45-year-old father named Bob. Bob has a three-year-old daughter who is already a handful, so he claims, and feels that music ought to be censored when played on the radio because many times young children are listening to the music as well.

Bob feels that music that displays distasteful language or promotes deviant behavior only contradicts what he is trying to teach his daughter about what is and what is not appropriate behavior. Like many parents, Bob wants to preserve his child's innocence for as long as possible, and if censoring music helps accomplish this goal, then he gives two thumbs up. This would seem to be a likely response from a parent, but as not to make any assumptions, the next person questioned is also a parent. Crystal is a 26-year-old mother of two, with a third one on the way. In response to the question of whether or not music ought to be censored on the radio, Crystal felt that music should not suffer the restraints of censorship. Crystal claims that monitoring what your children are exposed to is the parents' responsibility, and that most children hear words or see things that may be objectionable, but cannot be prevented.

Crystal continues by saying, "This world is full of things I would like to protect my children from, but the reality is, I cant be there to shield them from every little curse word or act of violence. Kids are going to have to learn to deal with things on their own, and if I teach them what I feel is right, then they will be better prepared to deal with life's hardships. But, if I attempt to guard them from all of life's nasty little quirks, then when they are exposed to these things, it will only be more shocking to them, and could affect them more negatively than if I had just explained to them from the start that this is something that they shouldn't do or say". Crystal was quick to respond, barely taking a minute to think of how she was going to word her answer. Throughout this conversation, Crystal kept a comical expression upon her face, her lips pursed, sometimes twisting into a tight little smile, her eyebrows raising every fifth word or so when making point, looking at me as though her answer was obvious.

However, Crystal's ideas were a bit shocking, mainly because she is a parent. Then again, Crystal is a bit younger than Bob, which may be why she is not as conservative with her views. With the idea that younger people tend to be more freethinking, I move on to the next sample. Jennifer is Filipino, 21 years old. Jennifer felt that music, when played on the radio, ought to be censored because the radio is an easily accessible open forum, which at times, there are songs that promote violence and vulgarity, and adults are not the only audience of radio stations, kids are too. Jennifer just shrugged and finished by saying, "Kids shouldn't hear that kind of stuff".

Throughout this very short conversation, Jennifer kept averting her eyes, and shifting her weight, letting me know that I was wasting her time with a question that was a bit ridiculous, who would let there kids listen to songs that promoted "violence and vulgarity"? Once again, I surprised by the responses received; Jennifer was merely 21 years old but shared the same opinions of Mr. Bob Donohue. Maybe Jennifer's views had something to do with her upbringing, a long shot, but a possibility worth exploring. The last person questioned was Kevin, a Japanese man reaching forty. Kevin felt that no form of art should be censored. "In comparison to societies where various forms of art are not subjected to the laws of censorship, you do not hear of people, specifically children, performing violent acts because they were influenced by some song or something they read that was violent in nature".

Kevin then began to ask several questions concerning American inhibitions, and the conversation strayed off course. In conclusion, this survey demonstrated one cannot judge how someone thinks simply based on age, ethnicity, and, in this case, whether or not they have children.