anti-social behavior, where would you stop? The source of inspiration most frequently cited by criminal has been the Bible." (Downs and McCoy, 1984.)Throughout American history, popular music has mirrored the thoughts and yearning of young people. Performers from the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin to Arrested Development and Madonna, have often celebrated change and challenged "the establishment." Clearly, the real intentions of the would-be music censors is to impose on all Americans the tastes and values of political power-brokers who don't connect with the experiences and concerns of the young, the alienated and minorities.Lyric-labeling, directed almost exclusively at rock and rap music, impoverishes our culture by muzzling the voices of that music's primarily young fans. Such suppression undermines the bedrock of our freedoms, the First Amendment, and it makes us all less free. The Supreme Court has interpreted the First Amendment's protection of artistic expression very broadly. It extends not only to books, theatrical works and paintings, but also to posters, television, music videos and comic books -- whatever the human creative impulse produces. Two fundamental principles come into play whenever a court must decide a case involving freedom of expression. The first is "content neutrality"-- the government cannot limit expression just because any listener, or even the majority of a community, is offended by its content. In the context of art and entertainment, this means tolerating some works that we might find offensive, insulting, outrageous -- or just plain bad. The second principle is that expression may be restricted only if it will clearly cause direct and imminent harm to an important societal interest. The classic example is falsely shouting "fire!" in a crowded theater and causing a stampede. Even then, the speech may be silenced or punished only if there is no other way to a...
