Censorship in Music

1. Van Harrison - Brown Eyed Girl

2. What's interesting about the title is it was supposed to be called "Brown Skinned Girl" but due to the racial tensions in our society, he changed it to make it "radio friendly." The song is however about an interracial relationship which most certainly caused unease and was banned by radio stations for the line "making love in the green grass." Many stations used the reference for intercourse as their reason for not playing it, but it is evident that there are racist undertones in their reasoning. When it was played, the line was replaced by "laughin' and a-runnin', hey, hey." 

a) The censoring was done mostly by enterprises who were not comfortable with how suggestive and radical the song was, as many radio stations would not play it.

b) While there was resistance to the song, it became a huge hit in the 60's. Since then, the song has gotten 9 million airplays, is the most downloaded and played song of the 1960's. The uncensored version is also frequently played in 60's and rock radios today. The outcome was that even though there was some censorship, that did not ruin the real song and its intentions, being found as wildly enjoyable for all listeners.

3. I believe the reason for banning Brown Eyed Girl is absurd. It's one line that is there to express passion, it does not spread any sort of hateful message. It's not explicitly stated but I definitely believe that the song was banned for the interracial relationship that is portrayed in it, making it a racial conflict that shouldn't even be an issue. I am glad that it still is a song that many people cherish regardless of the nature of the song and what certain individuals thought.  

Works Cited
Morrison, Oliver. "Turn That Down! 40 Banned and Censored Songs." National Coalition Against Censorship.26 July 2016. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.

"Brown Eyed Girl." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.

Court Case Simulation Reflection

As I was a lawyer for a perspective I did not support in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, I got to learn that there can be opposing arguments that can both have valid points. Preparing for this case was strange, as I was afraid of having weak evidence and poor rebuttals for a viewpoint I didn't even like. While researching I was surprised to learn that the school had one, but after seeing their arguments, it was clear to see why they had won, as distractions in an academic setting is a strong reason. During the beginning of the simulation when we had to state our claim, I was highly impressed by how seamlessly fellow classmates were able to argue our side, using psychological persuasion and the support of the school to help our argument. How my team prepared for the argument is that we delved into the emotional conflict for the pregnant teenager and the father, talking about how conflicting a spotlight on this situation could be for the teenager and her academic and social life. We prepared to rebut our opposing team's argument by talking about how the students were possibly endangering the life of another girl and distracting other individuals from doing well in an important time in their lives. I was pleased with the results, while my team did not win I did not feel like we deserve to because I believe the other lawyers had a more logical foundation to their argument.

HUAC

The House of Committee on Un-American Activities

1) The House of Committee on Un-American Activities was a subcommittee that attempted to find citizens and organizations who were accused of having relations with Communists. The purpose of HUAC was to find information and individuals who had strong Communist ties and were Communist sympathizers.

Pete Seeger

2) I thought that Pete Seeger was rightfully non-compliant as the committee was being obtrusive to matters that should not have been seen as "treacherous". I was also heavily dismayed by how Seeger was treated by the group, as they were conniving and unjust.

3) The evidence that was presented against Pete Seeger was a Daily Worker article where he was sighted singing at a Communist Party function

4) Seeger's reason for pleading the fifth was that it is not illegal to perform to a wide variety of individuals, regardless of political affiliation, religion, race, or social standing. He is also a faithful American who has not committed any violent or harmful crimes that impact his nation, therefore giving him the right to be resistant to their prying.

 Paul Robeson

1) Paul Robeson was a recognized concert performer and actor who received a law degree from Columbia University and was an acclaimed political speaker.

2) I absolutely adore Robeson's response to the committee, whenever they asked incessantly ignorant questions, he ignored them, invoking the fifth amendment. He wasn't afraid to bluntly state how racist the chairman was and evading questions that highly implied a connection between being a Communist sympathizer and black.

3) The evidence presented against Paul Robeson is that when he wanted to get a new passport he refused to say he didn't have any affiliation with the Communist party.

4) He says that the Committee deserves to be with the Alien and Sedition Act because they are trying to ostracize innocent and good groups of people for racist and unjust reasons.

Defining Terms

1) Fascism- This seems to be a brutal form of authority, a government with one ruler where the citizens cannot disagree with.

2) Democracy- This is supposedly a form of government where the citizens choose the leader and there are equal rights and opportunities.

3) Democratic Socialism - This is the idea that our government and society should be run democratically.

4) Communism- A system in which there is no private property and the government owns services that are used to make and transport goods.

The Volunteer

1) The Abraham Lincoln Brigade was when thousands of men and women went to Spain to fight fascism and join the International Brigade

2) Robeson decided to go to Spain because he liked their democracy and felt more freedom for his race. The war was considered an American problem because fascism was a huge problem infecting the world and the European countries were afraid to intervene, leaving America to play a vital part in this conflict.

Tangled Situations

Since I was a toddler, I have had unruly thick curly hair. While my chaotic strands didn't bother me in my formative years, the comments my hair provoked did. It was too poofy, it wasn't normal, it had too much frizz, too much volume. Apparently straightening my curls were the only way my critics would be satiated, to tame my wild mane. It didn't register that there could be a correlation between their disdain and my ethnicity until the Black Lives Matter movement. We don't appear to see hair as an aspect one can be racist upon, but it is a reality, as words like "exotic" and "unnatural" are thrown around. As it turns out, black females are no exception to this unfortunate  circumstance.  As it turns out, there is even a school in South Africa that suppresses black voices with a policy that does not allow hair to be worn naturally. "At Pretoria High School for Girls,  students must have a presentable and neat appearance. Pretoria Girls' Code of Conduct does not specifically mention Afros, but it does lay out rules for general appearance, including prescribing that all styles "should be conservative, neat and in keeping with the school uniform.' (Thabile) Fortunately, there are many students standing up to this racist policy, but it's absolutely absurd that a girl has to protest in order to wear an afro. Many individuals are struggling to embrace their beautiful hair because they are told it is not natural and it is wrong. Issues like these show why the Black Lives Matter movement is imperative to our society so that black lives are seen as they should, as essential and miraculous as every other life should be viewed.


Works Cited
Vilakazi, Thabile. "Students Say School's Hair Policy Is Racist." CNN. Cable News Network. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.