Paper Topic:

Foul Language

Profane Language in Music and MTVs

We often hear from parents how difficult it is to raise children with good values . Although family plays a crucial role , environment still plays the dominant role in affecting a child 's attitude and perception Included in this environment , and perhaps the most influential , is media . Specifically , as television becomes part of every home , people have become accustomed to watching television programs , and letting children watch on their own , without parental guidance . In this case , it is possible for children to learn from TV and imitate

what they see and hear from it , thus making it more difficult for parents to identify sources and explanation for their children 's attitude . While it is the responsibility of parents to monitor their children 's behavior , media should likewise assume its role in censoring television shows that incorporate the use of profane or foul language

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC ) is the government agency under the Congress in the United States responsible for regulating interstate and international communications by radio , television , wire satellite and cable . As such , it is also responsible to ensure that laws regarding television program requirements are being applied . For instance , in 1990 , Congress enacted the Children 's Television Act (CTA in to increase the amount of educational and informational programming available on television . This act requires each broadcast television station to serve the educational and informational needs of children through its programming activities . Moreover , it also limits the amount of time devoted to commercial matter during children 's programs

Given that such rules on children 's programming exist , we may cite instances when the FCC may have been too lax in its campaign to serve the educational and informational needs of children , or to censor television programs in general . For instance , we may cite the phenomenal hit that music videos have among teenagers and even children under the age of thirteen

Two elements of profanity are embedded in music videos : first , the music itself , and second , the video used to interpret the music . In music , we see a direct misuse of the language while in videos , there is the indirect misuse of the language through gestures that convey violence , sex , and other taboo themes . Suffice to mention , we may include the video as part of non-verbal language

The history of American music accounts for a number of songs being banned from radio stations or states due to their obscene , profane , or racist lyrics . Among the songs included Jethro Tull 's Locomotive Breath ' which was pulled off by record executives for its lyric that said , and the all time winner has got him by the balls ' Another one is John Lennon 's song , Woman is the Nigger of the World ' which was banned by radio stations for its racist context . Then , there was also John Denver 's hit song Rocky Mountain High ' which suggested drug abuse

Sometime in 1985 , there were also moves to ban the MTV station from the local cable in...

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