What's indecent to you?
by Brian Anderson
The Metropolitan
Sex, sex, sex-don't forget drugs, alcohol, and social deviancy.
Britney Spears' live broadcast of a concert caused some parents to become outraged. The parents argued that Spears has a negative influence on their children's actions.
Indecent entertainers are all over the airwaves. Some performers offer their shameful message with a wanton disregard for decency. Adults in our society have the right to freedom of speech, but that right should be used responsibly. Individuals and parents define what they consider to be gratuitous actions and opt whether or not to support an entertainer.
During daytime hours, though, children have easy access to programming filled with sexual descriptions and other controversial topics. In such cases, parents should have the ability to protect children from crude content. Parents have the right to safeguard children from offensive programming, but they only have the capability to do so during the evening. Contentious entertainment should only air during and after primetime hours.
Adults have the maturity to change the channel or refuse to purchase a CD or DVD if they find the content disagreeable. On the other hand, children lack the maturity to understand what they see and they often imitate popular entertainers.
The quandary with a performer like Spears is her popularity among children.
Some parents disagree with Spears' provocative performances and refuse to allow their children to attend her shows or purchase her CDs. Spears has said that she is a woman and performs as a woman-which is fine, that's her prerogative. Conversely, it would be nice if Spears would take young girls into consideration when performing because they make up a large portion of her audience.
If performers don't take young people into consideration, then parents should deal with the situation as they see fit.
Spears is not famous because of her vocal and musical talent (or lack thereof). Her performance uses sexual innuendo and revealing clothing to gain the attention of men and boys. Women and girls seem to admire Spears for her popularity. The music is junk, so it can't be that. Spears rarely writes her own music and her pop sound is geared toward an immature audience.
Artists like Spears are manufactured by the music industry and shouldn't be taken seriously.
Recent discussions of children and adults replicating indecent popular entertainers brings up an interesting question: Why do people imitate entertainers?
In a recent episode of MTV's "I Want a Famous Face," a young lady received several thousand dollars worth of plastic surgery to look like Britney Spears. Why? People should be themselves and admire entertainers for their talent or the good they do.
It's a gloomy thought that many entertainers resort to sex, drugs, and social deviancy in their lyrics and actions to attract fans. A mention of such social issues is fine because they are a part of life, but to build an entire career around them is sad.
Many people admire 50 Cent because of his thug lifestyle. Why? He is a misfit who has the ability to rap. Without this ability, he would be nowhere in life. His lyrics speak of important issues that should be known by everyone, but he seems to promote a thug lifestyle rather than further alternatives. 50 Cent should inspire people to get out of situations he has experienced instead of glorifying them.
Entertainers have the right to speak and do as they wish. That is the beauty of America. It's good that issues are set on the table. As a society, Americans can continue to grow with discussions of important and controversial topics that performers offer. Adults and parents should make their own choice about whether or not to support entertainers who push the limits. Entertainers should use the right of free speech to build society rather than create negative drones that degrade civilization. |
