Music censorship is defined as any discriminatory act that advocates or allows suppression, control, or banning of music or music related works against the wishes of its creator or intended audience.(Nuzum 7) Studies in elementary schools, high schools, and universities have shown that music has little or no effect on students attitude, behavior, etc. (Nuzum11) The highest authorities in America agree that there is no evidence that music can make a "good" person go "bad. (Nuzum 9) Supporters of music censorship are using their own freedom of speech to shut down another person's first amendment rights. Often, organizations in favor of music censorship obtain all their supporting information by using "special interest research," and poor science. Then by taking their findings out of context they are able to say that censoring music is effective and worthwhile. (Nuzum 9) Americans are lucky that, unlike many other countries, music cannot put you in jail. (Nuzum 11) All together, authorities, studies, and the constitution have proven that music censorship is unfair, unnecessary, and has little influence on music listeners.
Many studies in schools for children of all ages have produced the exact same results. Listeners are not attracted to or influenced by a moral or ethical message with which they do not agree. People who disagree with a message in a song either reject it and never let it touch their CD player again or create a twisted definition of the song that fits their beliefs, which no one can dispute. Patricia Greenfield, a social scientist, conducted a study of music in 1987. She played Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" to children of all ages, and then asked them what they thought the song meant. All children attributed the theme of the song to pride in the USA, the singer's birthplace. When shown the lyric "Sent me off to a foreign land, to go kill the yellow man," they were asked who they thought the "yellow man" was.
