What drags us down as a society is our strange and non important fascination with celebrities and their personal lives. It becomes troubling when media reports the ridiculous things that Bieber does instead of what's going on in other countries right now or political news within our own country that's far more important to know.
I don't think anyone should see any performer peeing or pooping on stage, let alone in public; it's indecent and disrespectful to both oneself and others. I remember seeing somewhere on the internet that the heavy metal band Rage Against The Machine once stood onstage completely nude, with their penises showing. I really don't think they should have been allowed to do that.
I also think that decency and respect have fallen by the wayside in recent years within the music business. Many of these musical acts tend to rely on shock value and controversy in order to see their records, and I'm sick of it. I think it's rude, but many seem to think it's cool to curse in your lyrics and talk about sex, drugs, and alcohol. While music started shedding its innocence back in the 1960s, using blatant shock value in music began in the 1980s. Back in the old days, "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" was a common saying, but today, sex, drugs, and alcohol are permeated throughout all genres of music today, to varying degrees; in fact, sex and drugs do not seem to be as close with rock music as it was in the past, instead moving on other genres. I suppose now the new saying should be "sex, drugs, alcohol, and music in general." I still don't get why the music business even supports this trash; sure, it sells, but still. (I should also note that there is a distinct difference between "industry" and "business," which was originally noted by sociologist Thorstein Veblen; "industry" is about inventing new things that improves our quality of life, whereas "business" is solely about making money, and of course, money is the root of all evil. I learned this in a recent sociology class that I took last semester, named Development of Sociological Theory; as I also previously noted in one of my earlier posts in this thread, Thorstein Veblen also coined the term conspicuous consumption to refer to spending large amounts of money on lavish, extravagant possessions, and then flaunting those possessions, which many recording artists, as well as other celebrities and big-money businesspeople, tend to engage in today.)
Another thing I've noticed about today's music is that it's not about how good you can actually sing; rather, it's what you sing about (specifically, the lyrics you write) that determines your popularity. This is not to say that those who resort to this are untalented; they do have some singing ability (if they really couldn't sing at all, they wouldn't even have this career in the first place), but if it's not a total "wow" by itself, then they have to resort to over-the-top stunts in their performances, raunchy lyrics, and raunchy music videos. Unfortunately, even with good voices on their own, what's popular today is a combination of sex, drugs, alcohol, all-night partying, and extravagant possessions and lifestyles. These lyrics tend to act as "seducers" who lead their listeners astray into following those kinds of things and emulating that lifestyle. There's an actual motto for this, YOLO (You Only Live Once); it means living live to the fullest, even if it means taking risks (many of which are foolish and completely unnecessary, which is why I hate that "truth or dare" game because they will dare you to do outrageous things). Guess what: I have another motto for you: YODO (You Only Die Once), because you could very well die young from living that kind of lifestyle; Ke$ha even glorified it with a song appropriately titled "Die Young," which fully embraces the YOLO ideology. (The song was banned for a short time following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, because many of its victims were only 6-7 years old). The YOLO motto was coined by rapper Drake in his 2011 song "The Motto." Honestly, I'm sick and tired of it. (Of course, even before YOLO, there were "carpe diem" and "memento mori," which were Latin terms that basically meant the same thing.) I think the people who live this kind of lifestyle are fools; I do not wish for them to die young, but rather to realize that they are being fools and change their ways.
And while I do like some songs with mildly suggestive lyrics, I think some of them take it too far. Many songs in the 1980s and 1990s were somewhat sexual, but never overly erotic, which is why in this day and age, just being "sexy" isn't enough; you have to be sleazy and shocking; thus, I believe that it is not so much sex in itself that sells in this day and age so much as sleaze and shock. I try not to listen to it as often as I can avoid it, but there are times in which I am forced to listen to it, such as when I'm walking down the street and I hear people in their cars blasting their music so loud that everyone else outside the car can hear it, or when I'm in a public place that is playing this kind of music.
Yes, that would certainly be bizarre, so it would make sense for her and others to try to reach out to an older audience. However, I don't like the way they go about doing it; I'm not saying don't be sexy; I'm just saying don't be sleazy. The real problem, however, is the system that brings children into show business; it is broken and corrupt, exploiting them, which causes some of them to go bad as adults, whether on stage or off stage. This is why so many child stars go bad as adults, and that is why the system needs to change. (See more about this in my Justin Bieber thread.)
Last edited by SuperMillionaire; 01-30-2014 at 04:09 PM.
Is that your final answer?
In defense of modern day music, we have far less songs about having sex with under age girls.
I prefer may male nudity without the penis's thank you.
Here's something interesting that I found today:
1990: Pop Music Will Just Be Musical Orgies By 2010
The Parental Advisory sticker was created back in 1985, and in 1990, a newspaper columnist named Lewis Grizzard, who wrote for the Times-News paper in North Carolina, predicted that popular music will just be musical orgies by 2010; it turns out that he was right. 20 years ago, many rap groups and heavy metal bands were seen as sleazy, raunchy, and shocking; today, raunch, sleaze, shock, and awe are the norm rather than the exception. Artists today continue to push boundaries of what is acceptable, desensitizing society to the content in the process. When you say that we are more tolerant of these stage antics in music, that is exactly what I mean when I say you have been desensitized to the content, and some of you even revel in it.
This is a portion of the column that Grizzard wrote in the Times-News, published on June 22, 1990, contained within the article above:
Look at where we are now: sex, drugs, alcohol, and expletives are now so common in our music today that it's easier to list the exceptions and aversions, rather than the ones who play it straight. Recording artists today also seem to act as seducers who try to influence their fans into doing wrong. Back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" was a common saying, but today, it's more like "sex, drugs, alcohol, and music," as in music in general. And just ordinary sex will not be enough; it has to be sleazy, even pornographic, in order to sell records today. Why does controversy work so well in music today? Whatever happened to common decency and respect? I think it's very disrespectful, both to themselves and to others, for us to see their raunchy antics. If we don't do anything now, in another 20 years, who knows just how much worse it will become? We've let it slide for long enough; it's time to do something about it.We've gone from Elvis to The 2 Live Crew in my lifetime. Twenty years from now The 2 Live Crew will, like Elvis, seem absolutely harmless.
God knows what they'll be doing 20 years from now. Singing on stage in the nude, probably. Madonna sings in her underwear now.
They'll be singing naked and probably having sex on stage, and the kids who liked 2 Live Crew will have their drawers in a serious bundle because their kids will be determined to hear and see "Stark Nakkid and the Car Thieves" singing their controversial hit, "I Want to Kiss You on Your Woo-Woo in the Nude."
The point is, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Elvis seems like an angel now and, a generation from now, 2 Live Crew probably won't be able to get a gig playing a Tupperware party. So, nobody have a cow over 2 Live Crew. This, too, will pass for something even more shocking.
It always does.
Last edited by SuperMillionaire; 03-21-2014 at 04:06 PM.
Is that your final answer?
What concerts are you going to where people have sex on stage, SuperMillionaire?
Proud to be the Unofficial Secret Illegal Enforcer of Eyes on Final Fantasy!
When I grow up, I want to go toBovineTrump University! - Ralph Wiggum
If you want something to be done, I would encourage you to write to the record labels and artists to tell them about how disappointed you are that as the leaders of society they have allowed us to wallow in this new age sexual liberation. Perhaps you will even get some letters back.
Oh yeah, forgot Mozart.
translation of title: "Lick me in the arse", or more idiomatically, "Kiss my arse"