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As of late, the music industry has been getting a lot of negative attention. More importantly, it has been getting a lot of fingers pointed in its direction.

As the media has begun to focus more and more on the violent crimes occurring both within our borders and outside, many parents and guardians have begun placing the blame with music. Not only music, but all forms of electronic entertainment. This includes music, video games, television, movies, even the internet.

These irresponsible care-takers have started a new trend of censorship. A censorship that should not be tolerated. Unfortuneatly, the same people who spread the violence are spreading this idea of censorship. They would be the media, of course, who ironically show much more violently images that any television show I've ever seen.

For example, our wonderful reporters have been speaking much of young parent who put his infant child in a microwave. (Don't worry, the child is fine but was treated for burns). Certainly people can't blame electronics, simple entertainment and music for something as repulsive as that man's actions.* It would seem to me he came up with that idea on his own, wouldn't you agree?

The point I'm attempting to get across to you my dear reader is that the horrid violence within America does not find it sources with video games and T.V. More specifically, its source is not in music. Music is source of power, energy, release. Music is something that triggers not rage, but serenity within our brains. Even if the music has violent or sexist lyrics.

I know metal has saved my life more than once. And there is nothing like moving within the sea of people at a concerts, your senses overwhelmed and all you can feel is the joy and release brought on by the vibrations moving through the floor and the people. Nor is there anything as calming as blasting your stereo and singing along whether you be in the shower, your room or your car. Singing at the top of your lungs with no fear of being off-key or singing the incorrect lyrics.

That, my dear reader, does not encourage violence. It encourages freedom, relaxation, escape.

As per this idea of censorship, it is simply unconstitutional to censor art in any form. Art is, by all means, a form of speech. What happened to freedom of speech? Where is my right to speak? To paint? To sing? To write? To create? To think?

Stop trampling on my rights and be a parent. Be the care-taker your supposed to be. They have parental controls for a reason. Be involved in your child's life, teach them! Violence occurs because we have poverty, because we have dysfunctional and broken homes. Broken people. Perhaps we should be giving them music instead of taking it away.


[* The latest I heard via CNN was that he or his young wife had claimed "the devil made me do it". Perhaps his ideas weren't original after all.]