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From: seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Instrumental vs. vocal popular music(rating records,really)
Message-ID: <1192@mtgzz.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Sep-85 15:04:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: mtgzz.1192
Posted: Fri Sep 20 15:04:46 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Sep-85 04:37:19 EDT
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	Frank Zappa is not the only rock star to come out against the
rating system. Frank spoke in front of Congress yesterday (in a suit
and tie, no less). Two members from Twisted Sister were also there
(in their usual strange garb). Unfortunately I didn't get to hear what
they had to say since I was on the phone at the time. 
	I also heard that a number of rock stars have formed an
organization to fight this thing. Names I heard were Tina Turner and
Cyndi Lauper. 
	One of my friends contends that as soon as you rate records
teenagers will be sure to buy any record that has the worst rating just
to make sure they catch the bad words, Satanist references and generally
anti-social lyrics. To a large extent teenagers can't understand the
words well enough and if they can get the words don't necessarily know
what they mean. The song "She Bop" by Cyndi Lauper is a wonderful
example. Has great, catchy lyrics. Great to dance to. So how many
teenagers actually know what it means? How many adults know what it
means?? From my informal study, most of the people I know did not know
what that song was really about. Now you slap a sticker on Cyndi's
ablum that says this album contains objectionable material and you
can be damn sure those teenagers will find out why it's objectionable!
	I think the idea stinks. I don't like some of the lyrics in
some of the songs out there, but I don't think you should rate albums. 
Next they'll want to rate books. (Maybe they don't worry about that since
they don't know that their kids read Harold Robbins, etc.) I think these
movements are just excuses for parents. It's so easy for a parent to
say "Look how screwed up my children are! It's no wonder when they
listen to this evil stuff." Most teenagers are not as impressionable
as we believe. They get their value systems from their parents, not
records. If you manage to keep your kids from listening to this terrible
music and they still turn out to be delinquents, who will you blame
next?

Sharon Badian
ihnp4!mtgzz!seb

...we got to install some microwave ovens,
custom kitchen delivery.
we got to move these refrigerators,
we got to move these color tv's...