¿¿Freedom??

[[MOS]]

I've just heard there is a prohibition (or recommendation, I heard both) for radio stations to stop playing some "unappropiate" songs. Not to mention movies, but this is about music.

I thought they'd be songs about war, antiAmerican songs, and things like that... And I was shocked when I saw songs like Tears In Heaven, Imagine, Dust In The Wind, New York, New York, and every Rage Against The Machine song (ok, they're quite anticapitalists).

Being a musician myself and a huge music lover above all, I can hardly believe this is true.

Will you allow your media to choose which mood you should have, or who/what should you be angry with?

Is that the freedom you've been talking about here the last days?

If ANY of you think this is correct or necessary, I'll be more than curious to read your opinions.

In my opinion, this is the same kind of mass manipulation that Hitler and many other "leaders" had used in the past. No comparison between Hitler and Bush, so don't yell at me for this.

[psalzer]

I really think it was just a case of someone getting overzealous. I don't think it's going to have any kind of lasting effect, and most importantly, it never came from the government and no one has suggested that it did, to my knowledge. There was plenty of outcry about it, too.

http://www.snopes2.com/inboxer/hoaxes/radio.htm

[[MOS]]

I hope you're right, here it was given as accurate news.

[TWTCommish]

Well, I have noted this much: they've stopped playing a lot of movies about war, murder, and other such things lately. "Rules of Engagement" was replaced with something else, and "Se7en" was supplanted in favor of "City Slickers." I think this is a (semi) good idea...but not completely. "Rules of Engagement" is about a questionable military action in the Middle East, and should probably be put on hold, but "Se7en" is just about a serial killer. It's dark and depressing to a degree (it ain't the feel-good comedy of the summer, in other words), but it isn't about Muslims, terrorism, or foreign relations.

[[MOS]]

Originally posted by TWTCommish
"Rules of Engagement" is about a questionable military action in the Middle East, and should probably be put on hold

I won't say anything to this one. You continue to impress me.

[TWTCommish]

Originally posted by [MOS]
I won't say anything to this one. You continue to impress me.

Huh? Is that sarcasm? Whether it is or not, I really don't understand why what I said was either A) Stupid, or B) Impressive.

[[MOS]]

Originally posted by TWTCommish


Huh? Is that sarcasm? Whether it is or not, I really don't understand why what I said was either A) Stupid, or B) Impressive.

OK, your smiley wins. Let's have a break

[TWTCommish]

What? I'm confused now.

Complete side-note: is that smilie in your signature in the public domain? It's awesome!

[psalzer]

The fall TV schedules are being looked at, too. I don't think any of it really amounts to censorship because I don't think any of it's meant to be permanent, but rather it's all motivated by a fear of trodding on wounded sensiblities right now...for the most part. A lot of it is seriously misguided...and sometimes the choices are incomprehensible. Some of them are understandable, but probably unecessary. My husband likes to relax with really, really bad science fiction movies. He went looking for one after several hours of CNN tonight, but found that "Fireballs from Space" was not being shown as scheduled. Given the title I guess that's understandable, but I'm surprised that any thought was given to programming on whatever cable channel it was supposed to be on. Anyway..the American people will not stand for curtailing freedom of speech and expression frivolously and this will all pass. It's small stuff compared with everything else that's going on.

[[MOS]]

Originally posted by TWTCommish
What? I'm confused now.

Complete side-note: is that smilie in your signature in the public domain? It's awesome!

Yes, it's public. You have to dive through 116 of them, that for sure.

[Hierophant]

This is all voluntary actions by different companies. The government hasn't pulled anything off the movie networks or out of the movie theaters.

You can go into one local Music store here and buy all the discouraged songs yet another pulled some from the shelves. I believe it is totally discretionary and up to the companies themselves.

Personally, I don't think anything should be pulled from the shelves but I respect the store owners decisions. I will simply take my business elsewhere if I can't find what I am looking for.

[Seer]

I don't think there's any movie or song that has more effect on people than what we're seeing played on the news over and over again.

[Seer]

Originally posted by [MOS]
I thought they'd be songs about war, antiAmerican songs, and things like that... And I was shocked when I saw songs like Tears In Heaven, Imagine, Dust In The Wind, New York, New York, and every Rage Against The Machine song (ok, they're quite anticapitalists).

I don't think there's any movie that would have more effect on people than what we're seeing played on the news over and over again. I heard a remix of these broadcasts and speeches with a song by Rage Against The Machine, the radio station stopped playing it after people voted 50/50 to play it or not.

[Hellbent]

I heard a nice little peice where Metallica's "Seek and Destroy" is played in the background as our illustrious politcians repeat over and over "this is an act of war" "our armed forces ar ready' etc etc.

[[MOS]]

I agree Ser, they're playing on the news the same 3 o 4 videos of the planes crashing, the two collapsing towers... Everyday, for the last 9 days.

And you can't go and forget about this and see a movie or hear a song? Any movie, I think. And any song.

[allie]

I think all media companies are just doing their best to be sensitive to the mood of the country right now. They also don't want to risk any criticism about their lack of sensitivity because that could hurt profits.

Some ball games were canceled to be played later. The players didn't want to play. The Emmey Awards were canceled and are being revamped for another date, so I hear, to be more somber and have less of the normal jokes and sarcasm.

This is totally up to companies. There is no government censorship or even suggestions. I, for one, appreciate their sensibilities. I know at times when I saw this stupid loud car commercial on TV, it almost seemed an intrusion into my life. There were good TV programs that I liked to watch normally that I just couldn't watch. I have also heard of a movie (don't remember title) that is being held for release later because of its subject material. My guess is that the movie studio also thought the film would make more money being released at a later date when people are more in a mood to go see it.

[DaveMaxwell]

I heard about that radio list. Apparently it started out with one company that owns a bunch of radio stations as a discussion of songs that should be avoided for the time being for sensitivity sake. It started with like 10 songs, but as it passed along the email chain, the list kept getting added to, and eventually people added songs they just didn't like or thought were overplayed. As it spread, all of a sudden it started to be pushed as a mandate, which was not supposed to be it's intent.

I agree it's never good to censor, but I thought it was good of the company to start the discussion to allow for people to think before they play a song which might offend people for the time being. Being sensitive after a national tragedy is always a good direction to take.