Argumentative Essay: Should It Be Censored?

Envision a nation where everyone who felt offended by music, art or literature tried to get the offensive content banded. This would create so many problems when the way people feel about something becomes more important than the actual laws that determine whether or not material should be censored. Though this can be a sensitive subject, I wish to proceed from the viewpoint of whether the artist of the song deserved to have this song pulled off radio stations across the United States. On December 14, 2012 a shooter opened fire on an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut that sparked emotion all across the country which lead to the ban of multiple songs that referenced death of young people and shootings. I’ve chosen to focus on the song …show more content…
It turns out that the song was actually inspired by the growing rate of mental illness in teenagers and the consequences that come from ignoring such an important issue. Artist Mark Foster said that he was a strong advocate for gun control and he wanted to “create ongoing dialogue for an issue that was being talked about but ignored by the government”. Foster the People bass player Cubbie Fink, whose cousin was present during the Columbine shooting, also spoken on the songs behalf on how being able to play a song to discuss the topic felt amazing because they were reaching out to listeners about something so important. Those who banned this song after the Newport shooting could actually be harming their cause instead of helping it because the purpose of the song was to raise awareness about the possibility of what had taken place that fateful day. Shutting down the voice of those singers who just wanted to draw attention to a very real problem violated their right to freedom of speech and expression, not just of their views and opinions but about a political topic that could eventually lead to progression in the United