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Grex > Language > #20: 'Explicit' lyrics at Community Newscenter | |
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| Author |
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tnt
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'Explicit' lyrics at Community Newscenter
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Sep 20 22:24 UTC 1991 |
I was in Community Newscenter (South U.) yesterday afternoon, and as I was
looking at some electronics magazines, my ears tuned in to the weird (as far
as I'm concerned) music they were playing throughout the store.
I particularly caught one part of the lyrics -- "Why can't I get, just one
fuck."
The place wasn't very crowded, but I looked around at other patrons anyway,
just to see if they had a reaction to the music. It wasn't apparent that
anyone did (although it probably wasn't apparent that I *did*).
I'm not a prude, & it takes a lot to anger me, but I just really felt sad
that noone had apparently thought that song/album might not really be
appropriate to play in a book store (which has a decent sized children's
book area).
I realize that "fuck" is 'only' a word, just like "shoe" is a word, but I'd
like to think that even *I* share some similar societal values with Ann
Arbor people & places (especially a regular old bookstore). Also, I think
case history with most of us shows that certain words are indeed offensive
to others.
I was going to say something to the clerk at the cash register, but I
didn't. I'm now thinking about writing a letter to the manager of
Community Newscenter, & sending a copy to other organizations (A2 &
Washtenaw County Prosecuting attorneys, A2 News,...).
Should I care?
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| 86 responses total. |
arthur
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response 1 of 86:
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Sep 20 22:53 UTC 1991 |
Not to the extent you do. IMHO, the more Americans come to
accept sexuality as a normal and open part of human life, the
happier we'll be. I expect hell to freeze over first.
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tnt
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response 2 of 86:
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Sep 20 23:00 UTC 1991 |
If it weren't for 'sexuality' being so incredibly vague --and varying--, I
might tend to support response 1.
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aaron
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response 3 of 86:
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Sep 20 23:24 UTC 1991 |
My brother, for a while, played a song with that lyric incessantly.
Provided it is the same one, why no complaint about, "Why can't I
get, just one screw" -- presumably, not a complaint about blister
packaging in K-mart's hardware section.
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danr
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response 4 of 86:
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Sep 21 01:10 UTC 1991 |
If it offends your sensibilities, then you certainly should protest.
I think I tend to agree with you that those lyrics are not appropriate
for that time of day.
In general, however, the patrons of the Community Newscenters are
not the kind that would be offended by that kind of music.
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shf
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response 5 of 86:
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Sep 21 01:17 UTC 1991 |
It was inappropriate for them to play the lyric. Video stores suffer from
the same lack of sensitivity when they play R rated movies with the same
language over the store monitors. And then there are those vulgar
bumper stickers.......
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shannara
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response 6 of 86:
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Sep 21 03:19 UTC 1991 |
go for it, Tim.
I walked into a video store, with a friend, and noticed a girl sticking in
a video, with her female associate. I don't know if she meant to get my
attention, but the movie was Stewardess School. I don't believe she put it
in for my and my friend's edification...I think she conveyed her point well
enough...
I wouldn't be surprised if you get a favorable response, tim...
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bad
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response 7 of 86:
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Sep 21 03:22 UTC 1991 |
I think sending a copy of the letter to the News and the prosecutor's office
would be obnoxious, but one to the store would be fine.
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tnt
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response 8 of 86:
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Sep 21 05:10 UTC 1991 |
I suppose Mr. Dunkle is right. I don't want to be like what's her dame from
Bloomfield Hills (the good looking woman who created the stir over Married
With Children).
Oh, I meant to say "name," & not "dame" (no, it wasn't a Freudian slip,
either).
I'll get the name of the manager of CN, & I'd also like to go one level up
& cc: the letter to the owner of the CN chain.
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mythago
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response 9 of 86:
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Sep 21 07:10 UTC 1991 |
Terry Rakolta? Oh, her.
Why is it that, whenever somebody objects to a song, magazine, book,
article, whatever, that the existence of children is dragged into the
picture?
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tcc
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response 10 of 86:
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Sep 21 07:46 UTC 1991 |
Judging from your prior responses in a prior item, you are more than well
equipped to answer THAT one.
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mcnally
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response 11 of 86:
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Sep 21 07:55 UTC 1991 |
I'd be willing to bet that the song was "Add it Up" by the Violent Femmes,
a reasonably popular song at the time I was in high school. It wouldn't
surprise me, therefore, if what you had heard was the radio tuned to some
station like CIMX that plays a fair amount of 80s "alternative" rock. If
that were the case it's likely enough that the store personnel had little
control over what was playing on the radio (other than to change the channel
or turn it off.) Presumably, even if they were conscious enough to try to
safeguard their customers' sensibilities by changing the channel, they'd
wind up with something just as potentially offensive. With a top-40 station
they'd probably wind up with "Gett Off" or "I Wanna Sex You Up" or, heaven
forbid, some heavy metal band. A country station would be just as bad or
worse, with seemingly most of the songs being about sex, alcohol, or marital
infidelity (or any combination/permutation thereof..)
Let's face it, if you want safe, sterilized music your best bet is to
bring in a bunch of "Sing Along With Mitch" albums and insist that they
play nothing else. (Note that this is also the best bet for driving a
store employee berzerk enough to cause them to try to bludgeon some customer
to death with a koosh or one of those "Learn to Play the Harmonica" kits.)
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mythago
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response 12 of 86:
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Sep 21 12:19 UTC 1991 |
re :10, I'm referring to the habit of justifying any dislike (especially
of anything with a sexual theme) by saying "But CHILDREN might hear/read/
see this!", without justifying exactly +what+ awful effect it will have.
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arthur
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response 13 of 86:
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Sep 21 18:20 UTC 1991 |
Exactly. And it's part of what's behind our problems with
sexuality. Too many people think that it is something we
have to keep a deep, dark secret from children. Not that
they don't get plenty of exposure anyway -- but
it's as 'forbidden' matter when they do.
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tdh
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response 14 of 86:
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Sep 22 01:19 UTC 1991 |
Mr. Tyler, you *are* a prude.
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mythago
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response 15 of 86:
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Sep 22 02:22 UTC 1991 |
I've even heard him use the word "bitch" once. Oh, wait, that's five
letters, not four. I guess it's OK, then.
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mcnally
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response 16 of 86:
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Sep 22 07:17 UTC 1991 |
In Tim's defense (oh god, has it actually come to that?) the song in
question, if it's the one I'm thinking of, depicts a fairly callous and
self-centered (and not very healthy) view of sexual intercourse. But I
doubt that Tim got much past the fact that the song contained the words
"fuck" and "screw".
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craig
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response 17 of 86:
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Sep 22 07:50 UTC 1991 |
How many publications in said venue contained the word "fuck"?
How many of these publications were available for reading/browsing
by youth under the age of 18?
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griz
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response 18 of 86:
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Sep 22 13:42 UTC 1991 |
Oh, come now, Craig. Do you really think that "youths under the age of 18"
are not aware of this word's existence, even if they do not
use it themselves?
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mcnally
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response 19 of 86:
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Sep 22 19:01 UTC 1991 |
I doubt he does. He's just trying to point out how fraught with peril
a bookstore is for pure young minds even when they aren't playing obscene
and suggestive music. It's a wonder the government doesn't raid them all
and shut them down.
,
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arthur
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response 20 of 86:
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Sep 22 19:40 UTC 1991 |
What I'm wondering is why the words 'fuck' and 'screw' are even
something we need to 'protect' younger people from. After all, we
don't get all worked up about people saying 'beer', 'alcohol', or
'driving'.
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sjr
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response 21 of 86:
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Sep 22 21:05 UTC 1991 |
...especially if all three words are in the same sentence.
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popcorn
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response 22 of 86:
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Sep 23 04:31 UTC 1991 |
This response has been erased.
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mcnally
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response 23 of 86:
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Sep 23 08:15 UTC 1991 |
re #20: You're probably going to keep on wondering that for a very long
time before you get an answer that makes sense. It's just one of those
weird societal hangups.
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glr
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response 24 of 86:
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Sep 23 13:16 UTC 1991 |
What about the little kids that have to read your entry witha 4-letter
word, here?
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