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If Censorship in the 'Axis of Evil'

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If Censorship in the 'Axis of Evil' IF CENSORSHIP IN THE ‘AXIS OF EVIL’ IS EVIL IS CENSORSHIP IN THE ‘AXIS OF GOOD’ THEN GOOD? -Questions and answers on music censorship in the US...and the rest of the world FEATURING REEBEE GAROFALO & MARK LEVINE WHY IS MUSIC CENSORED? Censorship of music has existed ever since ancient Greece. Plato distinguished between “good” and “bad music” – suggesting that the “bad” had to be controlled or banned as it had the potential to divert people from the “good life”. Today music censorship is more complex. Active censors of music are states, religions, educational systems, families, retailers and lobbying groups. Censorship can be extreme, musicians being silenced, like the killings of musicians in Algeria, and the total ban on music in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Or it can be apparently banal, like the banning of certain songs during times of war and terrorism. Threats can lead to self-censorship and thus deprive musicians of their right to free expression. Music is a free expression of the ideas, traditions and emotions of individuals and of peoples. These expressions may confl ict with the politics of those in power. It may be as simple as South African musician Johnny Clegg said: “censorship is based on fear.” WHAT IS FREEMUSE? FREEMUSE - THE WORLD FORUM ON MUSIC AND CENSORSHIP is an independent international membership organization advocating freedom of expression for musicians and composers world- wide. As our guide are the principles outlined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights as they apply specifi cally to musicians and composers. The FREEMUSE secretariat was established in August 2000. FREEMUSE IN ACTION Our objectives are to: • Document violations • Inform media and the public • Describe the mechanisms of censorship • Support censored musicians and composers • Develop a global support network YOU CAN SUPPORT US - VISIT FREEMUSE.ORG - the only website documenting music censorship globally: News ... about censorship in more than 50 countries. Background ... comprehensive on-line library with articles, links and all the material from the Freemuse world conferences, seminars, and publications. Reports ... buy the Freemuse reports on USA, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Romania or download free PDF versions. Video and sound clips ... exclusive interviews with Damon Albarn, Didier Awadi, The Cure, Johnny Clegg, Chuck D, Farhad Darya, Junoon, Marcel Khalife, Femi Kuti, Ray Lema, Hugh Masekela, Nancy Sinatra, Patti Smith, Ali Farka Touré, and many more... Contact Freemuse Nytorv 17 DK-1450 Copenhagen K, Denmark, Tel: +45 33 32 10 27 , [email protected] 1 FOOD FOR THOUGHT ON CENSORSHIP In the new Freemuse report ”Singing in the Echo Chamber”, Eric Nuzum documents with numerous examples how musicians in the US participating in the public discourse in the weeks and months after 9/11 experienced strong resistance, sometimes resulting in censorship. In the report Nuzum refers to what analysts call the “echo chamber” of news media, where a report, once entering the national discourse, is repeated endlessly without any sense of the checks and balances normally applied to reporting. Several musicians in the US were severely affected by this “echo chamber”. The report raises several important questions such as “is there censorship with good intentions?” or even “considerate censorship”, and which are the major forces behind censorship in the US today? In a world where some political forces would like to divide the world in “civilized” and “non- civilized” and focus on clashes “between nations and peoples” rather than clashes ”within nations and civilizations,” it is relevant to ask questions such as: If censorship in the “Axis of Evil” is evil, does censorship in the “Axis of Good” then spring out of good inten- tions? We’ve asked two renowned scholars cum musicians, Professor Reebee Garofalo and Associate Professor Mark LeVine, some of the complex questions that Eric Nuzum’s report raises. We hope that the report and the questions asked may stimulate students and media to review and renew the ever vital discussions on freedom of expression in the land that put so high attention to freedom of expression in its First Amendment. Marie Korpe Executive Director Freemuse February 2006 2 REEBEE GAROFALO is a Professor at the tory and Politics of the Music Industry (Nelson-Hall, University of Massachusetts Boston, where he has 1977). In addition, he has written numerous articles taught since 1978. Garofalo is an internationally on digital downloading, copyright, racism, censorship, known scholar of popular music studies. His most re- the political uses of music, and the globalization of the cent book is Rockin’ Out: Popular Music in the USA, music industry for popular as well as scholarly pub- 3rd Edition (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, lications and has lectured internationally on a broad 2005). He is co-editor of Policing Pop (Temple Univer- range of subjects relating to the operations of the mu- sity Press, 2003); editor of Rockin’ the Boat: Mass Mu- sic industry. For relaxation, he enjoys drumming and sic and Mass Movements (South End Press, 1992); singing with the Blue Suede Boppers, a fi fties rock ‘n’ and co-author of Rock ‘n’ Roll is Here to Pay: The His- roll band. 3 MARK LEVINE is Associate Professor of Mod- Emmy award-winning “Promises” documentary. ern Middle Eastern History, Culture and Islamic Stud- He is frequently quoted in leading magazines and ies at the University of California, Irvine. newspapers. In his latest publication “Why they don’t For most of the last decade he has lived and worked in hate us” he goes beyond the stereotypes and below the Middle East. He is also a musician and as a con- the media radar and presents an alternative roadmap sultant he worked for the Oscar-nominated and double for relations between the West and the Muslim world. IDEA AND PRODUCTION: OLE REITOV, FREEMUSE LAYOUT: LENE AREVAD 4 FIVE QUESTIONS ON MUSIC CENSORSHIP number of examples of this in popular music. There GOOD AND BAD CENSORSHIP are also the activities of conservative religious groups Is there such a thing as music censorship grown like Focus on the Family, which exert pressure toward out of concern for the well-being of the country, limiting certain kinds of expression, or commercial our safety from harm, and the ability of our fami- enterprises like Wal-Mart, which actually do engage lies to live in peace and comfort - a so-called “well in a privatized form of censorship of popular music. intended censorship”? Mark: Certainly the US and the Bush Administra- Mark Levine: People involved in censoring music tion in particular have a very strong belief in their might believe they are doing it for these reasons, or own righteousness, that if we censor it must be for to protect certain members of society (children, mi- good intentions and to protect certain “core values” norities), but in practice I don’t believe there is such while other people’s censorship is a violation of free a thing as positive censorship outside of the obvious speech and other rights. example of preventing minors from viewing pornogra- But also the issue of censorship runs much deeper phy or graphic violence. than just blocking a song or TV show from being But even there I think it can easily go too far, such heard or seen. In academia where I also work there as the explicit lyrics stamps that are put on so much are increasing attempts by conservative groups, metal or hip hop here, which only serve to make al- working with the Bush Administration, to stifl e aca- bums more popular with the very audience they’re demic freedom in the name of academic freedom. supposed to protect. THE US CENSORS Reebee Garofalo: I can imagine people feeling like they are motivated by positive values in advocating If we focus on powerful attempts on implement- censorship, but even in such instances the results ing music censorship in the US, by religious tend to do more harm than good. The framers of the groups, political leaders, music industry, media First Amendment to the US Constitution stated that or corporates such as Wall- Mart. Who / which “Congress shall pass no law . .” abridging freedom group would you then say is the most infl uential of the press. This has been interpreted as a broad in the US today? based freedom of expression over the years, and it has served the country well. Mark: I think they’re inseparable from each other. Even though there are exceptions to the freedoms Americans have a long history of being against cen- covered by this Amendment, such as fi ghting words, sorship in theory, so to effectively prevent the dissem- incitement to riot, obscenity, etc, we do best when ination of threatening music the government can’t just we err on the side of allowing the broadest possible censor it the way a government in Africa or the Middle range of expression. East might do. Rather, the government, together with key social President Bush has launched the term “The axis groups and their corporate allies -and here the trium- of evil”. Applying this to music, does this mean virate of the Bush Administration, conservative Chris- that music censorship in, say, Iran or Robert Mu- tian groups, and Wal-Mart, is a classic example -must gabe’s Zimbabwe are “acts of evil” and that cen- co-operate to pursue common aims. sorship in the US are “acts of good intentions”? And the economic, political and social rationales be- hind the censorship must reinforce each other, which Reebee: Fortunately, there is relatively little formal becomes easier in an era such as today, when, like government censorship of music in the US. The proc- during the cold war, there is a discourse of “threat” ess is more subtle here, and therefore perhaps more against Americans.
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