[Note: The original version of this essay first appeared in Eastern Connecticut State University's Campus Lantern student newspaper in the early '90s and as part of my unpublished manuscript "In Mediocrity We Trust... In Debt We Die" And Other Essays before record labelling was imposed nationwide.]
Tipper Gore, I must admit, seems sweeter and a lot less arrogant than most would-be censors, but I don't approve of what she has done nevertheless. Members of the PMRC desired warning labels on records indicating such 'offenses' as sexual innuendoes, profanity, violence, rape and murder, plus implicit or explicit attacks on religion, or alleged encouragement of evil or Satanism. I suppose certain subjects children ideally should not be exposed to, but in a supposedly free society that is up to parents and not the government or other busybodies. The members of the PMRC claim that record labeling is not a form of censorship, but what else can it be called? By the way, since ignorance is bliss, the blissfully ignorant will likely allow record labeling lead to censorship of lyrics and concert performances, pulling of certain music recordings from stores, blacklisting of certain artists who make their living in the music industry (many of which have already occurred),; plus further whittling away of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and freedom of choice in all of its forms. This whole situation seems to parallel McCarthyism and the resultant Hollywood blacklisting. (to be cont'd)
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