Censorship in America

Last Tuesday, hip-hop artists launched a campaign to change the ways of their culture. Worried that their music's trend toward glorifying violence and other forms of degradation, Hip-Hop 4 Peace promoters hope that toning down their lyrics and themes will help curb growing social violence in youth lifestyles.

LL Cool J's former manager Charles Fisher and Grammy award-winning artist Chuck D announced the campaign, sponsored by the Hip-Hop Youth Council, on November 12, 2002. They explained how the music industry should take responsibility in influencing young people, to empower and support them rather than undermining their security, particularly in so-called "gangsta rap."

The campaign is the most recent concerted effort in a movement called "raptivism," which began nearly a quarter-century ago in the New York ghetto. Some believe that raptivism could even rival the significance of the civil rights movements of the 1950s and '60s.

Still, many citizens believe that any censorship of artistic expression - by peer-pressure or government law - stomps on the American right of free speech.

This certainly isn't the first case of its kind in American history. People have always been concerned about offensive language and behavior that affects them or their children. Typically, this evolves into some sort of censorship rules to protect the general morals and mutual respect of the nation's citizens. So in this week's lesson, you'll learn more about the Hip-Hop 4 Peace campaign, get a tour of censorship efforts through history, and find out more about the FCC, the government agency that regulates obscenity and indecency through media.

The Hip-Hop Youth Council's Campaign

First, you're going to start out at the Hip-Hop 4 Youth Council's Code of Principles page, and read through the 15 principles. Were you surprised by any of them, or where they about what you expected? What do you think about their suggestion to get involved in supporting their communities? What about being conscientious about not writing lyrics that offend certain groups of people?

Also read the brief Petition for Corporate Responsibility to Our Youth. What do you think of the idea of using a petition to show broad support of a campaign for change? Have you ever signed a petition? Why or why not?

How Do We Define "Free Speech"?

Defining "free speech," one of Americans' most treasured constitutional rights, has been an ongoing debate ever since its inception. Everyone's got different tastes in music, movies and books, so how does a society reasonably govern personal preference?

Basically, the contemporary mix of culture at any given time dictates what's acceptable and what's not, as Culture Shock at PBS will show you.

Focus on the Flashpoints section first. Browse through any of the topics that catch your interest, trying to check out at least one example in each category. For example, you might want to read these pages: Visual Arts: The Comic Book Code, Music and Dance: Elvis Presley, or Literature: Mark Twain and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

After reviewing some examples, what similarities and differences did you notice in what exactly the "socially unacceptable" behavior was? How did the public react to it, and how did those reactions influence government or corporate action? How did the incident affect the artist? How did the right of free speech get addressed? How do you think people reflect on each of those events now, and how does that influence the decisions of today's society?

Next, check out the Who Decides? How and Why? section. Start with Criteria and Codes, which explains some non-government controls. How many of those have you experienced more than once? How has the frequency of that type of censorship changed or not as you've gotten older?

Do any of those controls go against freedom of speech as outlined in the First Amendment? What is "symbolic" speech? What is the "Three-Pronged Test" for obscenity? How does the federal law allow state jurisdiction, and why do you think that's an important provision?

Go on to the Who Decides? page and read about how people at different levels of production and distribution might be held accountable for public access to unacceptable media. The Means and Methods page lists how citizens can react negatively to artistic expression, from banning the artwork to killing the artist. Also, stop by the Definitions of Censorship page. How are these definitions similar to and different from each other? What's the government's roles in censorship? What's the difference between Congressional actions and Supreme Court decisions in how they affect regulation?

How does the public influence artistic expression with or without the backing of official law? How do you think society should address offensive expression? In what ways should artists be protected?

The FCC's Job

While the Judicial Branch defines the law, the FCC, or Federal Communications Commission, enforces it.

One of hip-hop's most famous cases involved Eminem's song, "The Real Slim Shady," which contains language covered under the "Parental Advisory" warning now required on such explicit content. A radio station in Pueblo, Colorado had been playing that song repeatedly, and a listener found the lyrics offensive enough to file a formal complaint with the FCC.

Visit the FCC's For Consumers page, where you'll see the various communications categories the agency regulates. Click to the Radio page. Since the FCC administers licenses for radio stations, you'll see how that helps control the broadcast content of them. The introductory paragraph says they don't govern "the selection of programming that is broadcast," but what are the three exceptions to that rule? Do you think they are reasonable? Why or why not?

Also read the page on Obscene and Indecent Broadcasts. For the FCC to determine legal indecency, why is context so important? Do you hear on the radio or see on the television differences in when certain programming is played during the day? For example, early evening TV might include family movies, while late night runs adult talk shows and horror films. How does our society influence these programming decisions, and, conversely, how might these decisions influence society? How well do all of these "checks and balances" work to continuously nurture our youth and protect social decency and respect for each other?

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