They say music can alter moods and talk to you
Well, can it load a gun up for you and cock it too?
Well, if it can, then next time you assault a dude
Just tell the judge it was my fault and I'll get sued
- Sing for the Moment, Eminem
In modern times, free speech is one of the most debated and talked about issues on the internet. With the rise in gun violence, some have turned to blaming media such as video games and music for creating a more violent population. Attempts to censor art are becoming more and more frequent, which has created a whole new conflict about the first amendment.
Firstly, there have been many studies showing that violent video games and media (like movies) do not cause violence. The idea that they do has been flipped from the left to the right many times in the past, and it's currently being used as a way to avoid talking about gun control. That said, it is understandable that some have concerns.
In some video games, you can rape female entities and kill anyone. Popular rappers like Eminem have many lyrics about raping and beating women, and TV and movie violence has never been more glorified or gorier.
The reason all of these are protected under the first amendment is because the intent of the creators is not to do harm. It would be hard to argue Eminem wants his audience to act violently towards women because most of his songs are clearly fantasies, parodies, or obviously non-serious. The Boys and Game of Thrones directors are certainly trying to shock the audience with their use of violence, but they're not trying to encourage their audience to murder people. GTA may allow you to act questionably, but it doesn't give you more freedom than anyone has in the real world. (Just because the game lets you act like a terrible person does not mean the creators want you to be one in real life.)
I think it is concerning that so many people are willing to censor media they consider dangerous, even if it's protected under the first amendment. Artists, in my opinion, are not responsible for how their audience behaves. Violent people may like art that they think reflects their values, but that doesn't mean it's the art that corrupted them. For every one school shooter that played GTA there are literally millions of other players who are just normal people. Blaming art that portrays controversial issues for the controversial issue itself is only going to prevent us from addressing and solving the real problem.
I think your perspective on how messages about violence and mistreatment of individuals in music are protected by the First Amendment is really interesting! I completely agree that the artists and video game creators should not be held accountable for producing their products, however, I believe there should be some extra guidelines as a safety precaution. For example, movies have specific ratings on them for specific age groups (G, PG, PG-13, etc.), so a method such as this could be helpful for how to handle graphic video games or songs. I think that creators or influencers should be careful about the material the put out into the world because whether they intend to or not, or even realize, their messages and ideas affect multiple people. This being said, I still believe they should have the freedom to produce their work, I just think they should be mindful of their audience and that the music labels or video game corporations should set age restrictions or something similar.
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ReplyDeleteGreat article, I like that you touched on studies about violent video games not leading to actual violence. There are in fact normal people who play such games and go out into the world not actually thinking of doing what their character does in game. Touching on Mahita's comment, there are censorship and rulings on music and games. Now whether they are always enforced is questionable, but there were countless times I wasn't able to buy a game or download a song when I was younger because of adult ratings. Now back to the article, yes I think we should stop blaming art and address the real problem in today's society. The first amendment should continue to apply to artists and producers. Unless studies directly show a correlation towards their graphic content towards crime then there shouldn't be any restrictions.
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