Pago 12
Daily Nebraskan
Thursday, September 5, 1985
R
win a
Corruption is on the airwaves and in
record stores. Today's youth are being
inundated with smut and unwhole
some thoughts by sinful rock-n-roll
sleazebags who they idolize and im
mortalize. Those aren't my feelings at all, but
many right-wing crusaders have felt
that way about rock and pop music for
years.
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Scott
Harrah
Now right-wingers are trying to put a
stop to the sinful sound of today's
music with warning labels on albums
that contain sexually explicit andor
drug related lyrics.
According to Rolling Stone maga
zine, a group of Washington, house
wives known as the Parents Music
Resource Center, has persuaded the.
U.S. Senate Commerce Committee to
tentatively schedule hearings on the
subject for Sept. 19.
The PMRC wants the music industry
to institute standardized ratings, sim
ilar to film ratings, for records, tapes
and music videos. Songs with sexually
explicit or profane lyrics would receive
an X; those that advocate the use of
drugs or alcohol would receive a DA;
those that glorify violence, a V, and
those that are occult-oriented would
get an 0.
The group also wants printed lyric
sheets to be available so parents can
look at them before a child can pur
chase a record.
Some of the objectionable songs on,
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the PMRC's list include Sheena East
on's "Sugar Walls;" Prince's "Darling
Nikki;" Madonna's "Dress You Up;"
Mary Jane Girls' "My House" and Cyndi
Lauper's "She Bop."
The above are merely the purported
sexually explicit songs. Other sinful
sounds include Def Leppard's "High
and Dry" and Twisted Sister's "We're
Not Gonna Take It" both lambasted
for being related to the glorification of
drugs and violence.
I wonder what this suburban fascist
group called the PMRC expects to
accomplish with album warnings. Kids
don't have to turn to Madonna to learn
about sex their friends do the job for
them.
What kind of world does the PMRC
think their kids live in? Sex is available
to teens in the nearest backseat. Drugs
abound at parties and violence occurs
if someone doesn't approve of their
trendy clothes.
That's why I consider the PMRC's
issue a paltry plot. It's an irrational
suggestion that will produce no results.
Admonishing kids about the 'naughty
aspects of music will only make them
crave it more.
Taking the "big bad beat' away from
our children's virgin ears seems ludi
crous since they can always turn on the
radio.
And the "Washington Wives," as
they are known in radio broadcasting
circles, can't regulate what stations
play as long as their programming
meets FCC standards. Songs are legal
as long as they don't use blatant pro
fanity or "four-letter" words, the Rolling
Stone article said.
The "Washington Wives" ought to
look at a more disturbing thing hap
pening to kid3 today. Their upbringings.
It's become the trend in these yup
pie years of Reagan to encourage kids
to conform to the mainstream. Parents
today are raising their kids to become
WASP, upper middle-class Republican
bigots.
The notion of thwarting musicians
creative license and warping our youth s
minds with white bread WASP morals
seems a lot more disturbing than Prince
singing about his libido.
It's no wonder kids turn to the
"occult" as a way to rebel against their
parents.
The "occult" warning is another
PMRC travesty. Isn't this the United
States, a country where we laud our
right to religious freedom?
Some "occult" religions like witch
craft are legitimate I know someone
who believes in it, practices it and
belongs to a witchcraft school. Isn't
trying to censor information about
occult-type religions unconstitutional?
If the right-wing Rate-a-Record cru
saders get their way, kids in a few years
might be saying something like this on
their 21st birthdays:
"Now I'm old enough to think for
myself, use the bathroom alone, drink,
drive, smoke and . . .listen to Madonna!"
Cards & Letters
Petra's 'silver-platter' philosophy
harmful, as crowd reaction typifies
Petra, if you didn't already know, is
just about the most popular Christian
rock group there is. Their style is loud
and sometimes heavy, but their mes
sage is supposed to be about Christ. I
attended one of their concerts recently
and was encouraged by the show of
enthusiasm from the music lovers that
were there, but, at the same time, I
found certain aspects of the perfor
mance very disconcerting.
For starters, their message seemed
to be one of total passivity. They
stressed that without Christ, there is
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no hope, and compared him to a
stretcher on which sin-laden Chris
tians are carried to heaven. Sit back,
they said and let Christ carry you to
your eternal reward. I cannot help but
wonder if this type of attitude is help
ing to breed a whole new generation of
apathetic, spoon-fed Christians who
believe that because they are hopeless
sinners, everything has to be given to
them. Being a Christian takes a lot of
hard and sometimes painful work; Petra
ignored that. I find this "silver-platter"
philosophy to be nothing more than an
extension of the totally self-gratifying
"me" generation and a most effective
way of commiting theological suicide.
. Furthermore, the crowds themselves
typified this attitude. I was seated
right next to the stage so all I had to do
was raise my head and I could see just
about everybody in the whole audito
rium. Those next to the stage had little
regard for their neighbors as they
pushed and shoved to get closer. And
when a singer passed by, hands shot up
in gleeful expectation, perhaps even
prayer, that the singer would touch
them.
Still others who were farther back in
the crowd closed their eyes, tilted their
heads back, raised their hands high,
and swayed, slowly, silently to the
music. A shiver went up my spine when
I remembered that I had seen the same
position used by members of the Hare
Krishna cult during a prayer ceremony.
I realize, of course, that these actions
are historically reserved for screaming
youths at concerts who are swept up in
the emotion and power of the moment,
but I do not feel that these types of
displays are appropriate for a Christian
concert. Would Christ do it if He were
in my shoes?
Moreover, it is abominable when the
group capitalizes on the suspended
rationality of its listeners by having an
alter call at the conclusion of the show.
This, the decision to commit oneself to
Christ is without doubt the single most
important decision anyone can make.
To make this choice simply because
the music was good, or some friends are
going to do it, or, even worse, to be in
the spotlight for a moment is the same
as ridiculing its importance. No other
decision should take more thought,
more consideration than this. It should
be a rational act done only with the
intent to follow through.
Finally, I left the concert wondering
where all the money was going. I know
that my ticket is comparable to a gen
eral admission ticket to Foreigner, and
that Foreigner makes no pretense at
helping their fellow man. Foreigner is
out for profit and so, I must conclude,
is Petra. After it was all over, I began to
wonder if Christ himself would have
gone to such a concert and was cha
grinned to find that He probably
wouldn't even have been let in the door
He wouldn't have had the money.
Van W. Kloempken
senior
political sciencepre-law
