Singer/songwriter K.T. Oslin told the following story at the opening of the First Amendment Center's new headquarters on the Vanderbilt University campus in Nashville in 1993:
"A decade ago, I wrote a song about older women and younger men. Must have been on my mind at the time. The song was called 'Younger Men.' My song had been released; it was struggling to find its audience, and I personally was calling radio stations to talk about the song. The first call I made to a radio station program director who told me, 'Yes, I know the record, and no, I'm not going to play it.' When I asked why, he said, 'I think a song about older women with younger men might offend my male listeners' I said, 'Are you telling me you've played it and received complaints?' 'No, I think it might offend my male listeners,' I want to make it clear to you there are no swear words in my little song, not even a 'hell' or a 'damn.' Nobody gets drunk, steals or cheats. It's just about love. Then I asked the man, 'Are you currently playing the song, "The Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time"?' He said yes. I said, 'You don't think that's offensive to female listeners?' He hung up. I have learned that all of us in America are subject to someone else's opinion of what is correct speech and what is not. But, thank God, I can make up my own mind about that as well. I continue to write what I want because I can speak as I please in America, thanks to the First Amendment."
Censorship over music is very common. Whether it be a bleep-out of lyrics, labeling of songs that are deemed inappropriate, or radio stations that monitor what they allow to air. But, when does censorship go too far?
As shown in K.T. Oslin's story, this question can be a very hard one to answer. There are many motivations behind music censorship, including political, moral or religious reasons. And since we all have different opinions and lifestyles, it is hard to say what should and shouldn't be censored. Like in K.T. Oslin's case. Oslin and the radio program director had different ideas about Oslin's song because of their differing sexes. The radio director was worried about his male listeners being offended by Oslin's song because of the song topic, but he neglected to consider his female listers in his other song choices.
So, especially because we are granted free speech in the first amendment, how do we know what and what not to censor? This question has sparked many debates and the creation of organizations such as the First Amendment Center. The First Amendment Center seeks to build an understanding of the first amendment and its core freedoms through education, information and entertainment. The First Amendment Center website is full of information about the freedoms the first amendment grants Americans; and not only how it relates to the arts, but also the internet, public expression and advertising.
Important Questions to Consider- When does censorship go too far? How do we know what and what not to censor? Are we really allowed to say whatever we want, whenever we want?