It’s important to embrace free speech, not silence it
In an op-ed for the LA times this past Friday, Kliph Nesteroff writes that for the most part, cancel culture is a myth, and that artists today have more free speech rights than ever before. He goes on to state that performers have always faced scrutiny, so why make an issue out of cancel culture if historically, it’s always been around? Predictably, he makes the history of cancel culture a racial one, which is the left’s sure fire way to deflect a debate they are uncomfortable discussing. He is correct that many performers, whether minorities or women, often did face criminal charges and death threats. However, I wonder if Mr. Nesteroff realizes that the same torch wielding power structure that existed back then is still around, only with a different ideology. It is no longer old white men censoring entertainment through media. It is now social media personalities calling out content that offends them.
In the 1980’s and early 90’s, artistic boundaries were pushed further than at any other time in modern history. Prince’s classic 1984 album Purple Rain features the song “Darling Nikki” and though no obscene words were used, the lyrics do contain sexual references considered unsuitable for children. The lyrics of the song led to the creation of the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) though other music, mainly in the heavy metal genre, also faced criticism due to violent and sexually explicit content. Many would believe that this was spearheaded by religious conservatives, and although many applauded the cause, it was actually Tipper Gore, wife of then Senator and later Vice President Al Gore that was the face of PMRC. Starting in 1985, a warning sticker was placed on material considered obscene, and it later moved toward even stricter measures, such as being 18 years of age to buy explicit music. Lawsuits filed against Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest, which alleged they encouraged suicide through subliminal messaging in their songs, only furthered the argument that music needed a panel to oversee content. By the late 1980’s it was rap music that found it itself in the crosshairs of the PMRC.
2 Live Crews 1989 album As Nasty as They Wanna Be was considered so obscene that record store owners in Florida actually faced prosecution for selling it. This extreme overreach of censorship united musicians, and Bruce Springsteen allowed the group to use music from his Born in the USA song on the groups next album, Banned in the USA. Interestingly, this push to censor obscene content backfired badly, and the warning sticker most likely led to an increase in record sales, not a decline. Although I was no fan of the group, I felt as if I should buy the album, if to do anything, show my support for free speech.
So how is it that youth, which historically always defended the right to free speech even if it offended others, today all of a sudden become the advocates of censorship? Most of these attacks have been against material released long before they were even born, which makes it even more bizarre. The song Baby it’s cold outside, Gone with the Wind, Dr. Seuss, and most recently the Rolling Stones song Brown Sugar, have all been victims of the cancel culture brigade. Blazing Saddles, like Gone with the Wind, now comes with a lecture before the movie is shown, as if this somehow will educate us on the evils of racism. The irony here is that the film, which features an empowering lead character played by Cleavon Little, mocks the stupidity of white people, as well as the macho culture of western films. Sadly, this narrative is lost on those that fail to read between the lines.
It is important to understand that censoring content is not progress, but instead, a huge step backwards in our evolution. For some reason, many millennials believe certain content needs to be destroyed in order to create a more tolerable future. It could be that there’s little appreciation for the sacrifices made by past generations, or an education system that sometimes interprets history rather than teaches it. I can’t fully blame them however, since influences most likely come from those in my generation, or from baby boomers. Whatever the reason, we need to discuss the importance of free expression with youth, since no one is off limits from censorships reach. It is a fundamental component of democracy, and opens the door for varying opinions. Even if we disagree with content, it is important to accept the right to express it.
Until next time.
JPN