Commend Creative Freedom
In the battle between censorship and creative freedom, Ice-T’s song “Cop Killer” is a controversial topic. The song’s lyrics are strong and violent. Being in a country where freedom of speech is valued greatly, the issue clearly rises within itself. Writings by Michael Kinsley and Barbara Ehrenreich go head to head in examining both viewpoints demonstrating that both sides of the argument are valid, but the song is creative freedom.
Michael Kinsley approaches the issue with a strong mindset. The viewpoint he produces uses many valid points against the song “Cop Killer”. The song should not be acceptable by the media or anyone else. “It’s absurd to discuss Cop Killer as part of the ‘confrontation of ideas’ ‒ or even …show more content…
Examining her viewpoint, she feels that “Cop Killer” is an expression of creativity and freedom of speech. The song has to lead to realization of the issue of police and their relationship when it comes to African Americans. Moreover, there are far worse things that people are exposed to every day besides one song that is the harsh truth. She provides statistics to her claim that the police are not innocent when it comes to issues of taking advantage of certain people. It is well known and assumed that police are more likely to profile someone who is African-American than someone that is white, “Black youths know that the police are likely to see them through a filter or stereotypes as miscreants and potential ‘cop killers’” (Ehrenreich 186). The issue has stood for centuries. Before the L.A. riots, after, and still to this day. Ehrenreich further supports the issue when she states that, “The U.S. Justice Department has received 47,000 complaints of police brutality in the past six years, and Amnesty International has just issued a report on police brutality in Los Angeles, documenting 40 cases of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment’” (186). Clearly, this provides enough evidence to prove that the rap is more than just edgy lyrics. Ice-T is not just rapping about it because he is profiled to write a song like this one. He is putting himself out there by saying this is an issue that everybody needs to pay attention to, whether you like it or
In the battle between censorship and creative freedom, Ice-T’s song “Cop Killer” is a controversial topic. The song’s lyrics are strong and violent. Being in a country where freedom of speech is valued greatly, the issue clearly rises within itself. Writings by Michael Kinsley and Barbara Ehrenreich go head to head in examining both viewpoints demonstrating that both sides of the argument are valid, but the song is creative freedom.
Michael Kinsley approaches the issue with a strong mindset. The viewpoint he produces uses many valid points against the song “Cop Killer”. The song should not be acceptable by the media or anyone else. “It’s absurd to discuss Cop Killer as part of the ‘confrontation of ideas’ ‒ or even …show more content…
Examining her viewpoint, she feels that “Cop Killer” is an expression of creativity and freedom of speech. The song has to lead to realization of the issue of police and their relationship when it comes to African Americans. Moreover, there are far worse things that people are exposed to every day besides one song that is the harsh truth. She provides statistics to her claim that the police are not innocent when it comes to issues of taking advantage of certain people. It is well known and assumed that police are more likely to profile someone who is African-American than someone that is white, “Black youths know that the police are likely to see them through a filter or stereotypes as miscreants and potential ‘cop killers’” (Ehrenreich 186). The issue has stood for centuries. Before the L.A. riots, after, and still to this day. Ehrenreich further supports the issue when she states that, “The U.S. Justice Department has received 47,000 complaints of police brutality in the past six years, and Amnesty International has just issued a report on police brutality in Los Angeles, documenting 40 cases of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment’” (186). Clearly, this provides enough evidence to prove that the rap is more than just edgy lyrics. Ice-T is not just rapping about it because he is profiled to write a song like this one. He is putting himself out there by saying this is an issue that everybody needs to pay attention to, whether you like it or