I’m surprised no one has noticed the connection between two events that happened on Capitol Hill Tuesday: The House of Representatives held hearings on what to do about objectionable rap lyrics, and two congressmen introduced a bill called the "Family Friendly Flights Act" that would restrict the showing of in-flight movies with adult content. As an election year approaches, looks like Congress is getting ready for another round of ritual theater in which it acts like it’s doing something to protect kids from grown-up entertainment.
I’m not too worried that actual government censorship will take place here; for one thing, Congress hosts these hand-wringing sessions every few years, but usually without actually passing legislation. Plus, everyone at the rap hearings (music executives, rappers, civil rights activists, and legislators) seemed to agree that federal regulation is not the answer. On the other hand, self-policing doesn’t seem to work either. Labels may release CDs with diluted language, and broadcasters may bleep the most offensive words, but no one doubts that kids are still getting the complete message. And airlines have been cavalier about complaints from parents that their kids are captive audiences who can’t help but watch violent and sexual images screening above every seat.
I suppose we’ll have to wait for the market to provide solutions — rappers and hip-hop labels who cater to an audience that wants clean lyrics, airlines that provide individually programmable screens for each passenger. Meanwhile, I wish Congress would consider it a higher priority to protect us from real gangstas than the imaginary ones on the airwaves, and from real weapons on planes, rather than just images of weapons.
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I just took a flight to Florida this summer and they made me sit through an episode of Joey. I’d like to see them pass legislation to stop that from ever happening again.
I was surprised that Cong. Bobby Rush held that rap lyrics hearing because he was a BLACK PANTHER FOR GOD’S SAKE. Let the market work its way through this….when gangster & ghetto rap becomes old and young folk see they’re falling further behind because of that lifestyle, the music sales will decline. I knew this would happen. Music sales goes in cycle. Music goes in cycles. Look at jazz which was thought to be racy. it’s hardly selling exc. to a niche crowd. The same will happen to rap.
This past weekend in my city a 12 year old girl was shot in the head while sitting on her front step. Let’s see congress have a hearing trying to protect kids against that.
The bozos in Congress hold hearings like this to show the folks back home how big they are on “family value”. Also they don’t have to mess with petty issues like health care, social security or the crumbling inferstructure.
infrastructure
I really wondering some times how harmful these things that people are trying to protect kids from actually are? I mean what’s the worst that could happen to a kid if he sees (and not even hears) a PG-13 or edited R rated movie on a plane. I think if a lot of these parents would spend half of the time they use protesting actually raising their kids and teaching them good values, then it wouldn’t matter what movies they saw or song lyrics they heard.
When are people going to learn that censorship is not the answer? Video games, music, movies, TV, etc. do not make children commit crimes. It’s the parent’s style of discipline (or lack thereof) and the environment that the child grows up in that help mold who they are. I was almost completely uncensored as a child and I turn out to be a law-abidding citizen. I hate that we all have to suffer because of a few bad eggs.
I tend to be anti-censorship and liberal and all that crap, but I have to say I was pretty ticked off when they showed “Man on Fire” on a plane when I was traveling with my then 7 year old daughter. Of course she wasn’t using the headphones, but she kept trying to watch it anyway on the screen above her. I thought the movie was incredibly inappropriate to show in front of kids, what with the whole “little girl getting kidnapped” plot….way to freak my kid out. Thanks, airline!
Come on! Your statement about videos etc. do not make kids commit crimes is not completely true.
And aren’t you lucky to have such a lovely upbringing. But someone has to protect those unfortunates who have those ’stupid’ parents. What do you want the gov. to do? Absolutely nothing??
As Bob Newheart once said….”I am concerned that with all the comedy on TV that it might start spilling out onto the streeets”.
Censorship sucks (that was me, not Bob)…anytime youmake something illegal based on moral reasons…then people are just going to seek it out more. especially kids. “Oh they dont want me to listen to this? It must be good then”
Giving passengers individual screens doesn’t keep a kid from seeing violent/sexual images. I was on a flight with my sister’s four kids, all of whom were under 7 years of age, and thanking God that they were all asleep, because the guy in the row next to us was watching Borat, and all they did for the nude wrestling scene was put a black rectangle in front of the actor’s naughty bits. I wasn’t particularly happy about accidentally seeing that–and kids can easily see over into other people’s seats.
Well since conress really dosen’t have any answers to real problems, they might as well micro-manage (or make lots of noise to give the impression of) the little ones all in the name of “protecting the children”
The point is having the government censor mediums such as television and the Internet, takes away from the parents choice. Parents should decide what is appropriate for their kids. E
i agree, these things should be left up to the parents to decide,….i personally think certain things kids SHOULD be subjected to, so they can understand what is wrong,….also so they don’t grow up to be wussies
(j/k)