With that being said, I think we have a real problem when things like this happen. It seems when something happens that doesn't make sense to us, we attempt to grasp at straws, and blame these tragedies on anything that we can. There is a song called "Pumped Up Kicks" that I am sure you have heard recently. This song has been out for over a year. It has managed to fly under the radar as do many other great Indie songs. However with the recent tragic event that took place, their song has been pulled from the air. Now, I understand the lyrics are controversial. However, how exactly did a shooting suddenly cause people to be offended by it? The lyrics haven't changed since it was first released. A song doesn't reach #3 on the billboards because most people find the lyrics offensive.
Now, I hate to be the one to blow this horn, but songs are a form of expression. Therefore, it falls clearly under the free speech realm. Now, I know most people will say that simply pulling the song off the air doesn't mean people can't listen to it on youtube. Therefore, it hasn't truly been censored. This is BS. You know it and I know it. Kiss FM is one of the largest nationally syndicated radio stations in the U.S., and one of the most popular. By doing this, they have essentially snubbed this band.
It's not like the band isn't being supportive. They are calling for stronger gun laws (which I won't even go into), and for donations for the school, and the victims families. Regardless of what political agendas they might have, their hearts are in the right place.
It's not just Foster the People that are having to endure this type of censorship. Ke$ha is also dealing with it. Her song "Die Young" has also been pulled from the air. It won't stop with just music either. Games, Movies, and just about any other type of media or expression that may or may not imply any time of violence. This isnt the first time this has happened either. If American citizens are going to have these kind of "values" when a tragedy strikes, then they need to be consistent with them. Not just when its politically correct, but all the time. It's one of the biggest problems with our society today. Political Correctedness is taken too seriously. We are too afraid to hurt someones feelings in public. However, we go home and put on our headphones and we still listen to the songs. We still play the games. There is a word for this. It's hypocrite.
I understand that the shooting was terrible. This is not to undermine or trivialize it in any way. I am just so sick of people suddenly gaining a conscience and looking down their noses at things that were just fine until something bad happened.
Foster The People, Ke$ha, Guns, Video Games.....
These things did NOT cause the tragedy. A person's actions caused it. Somebody made a conscious decision to pick up the gun. We need to understand that these types of things are going to happen. We may not ever understand them. We just need to know that ITS OK if we don't understand them. It's the times that we live in. Some people are sick, and rational thinkers simply aren't going to understand the series of events that led up to them committing these horrible acts. Mourn the lost, raise awareness, and comfort the victims families as best as we can. Don't point the bony finger of blame at things that are easy targets.
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