Government censorship--absolutely not! Parental censorship--a must! I am a teacher at a high school inside a correctional facility for juveniles. My students walk down the halls every day reciting albums full of lyrics such as those quoted above. While I do not argue that music or any other media can force you to do anything, and I do argue that the responsibility for behavior is always the property of the behaver, I can tell you that young people who already find themselves at odds with the law or some other standards of society (many of which may be senseless and negative) take great comfort and support from violent music and other media. While it may not force behavior, it certainly does make that behavior seem more normal or feasible to them. When I was their age, there certainly were some violent youth (though they rarely killed anybody), but their was no mainstream music, movies, games, tv, lines of expensive clothing, and ambiguous role models to support those violent tendencies. If anyone still believes that media does not have a powerful effect on behavior, please call such corporate giants as Pepsi and Nike and let them know they can stop wasting their money on those advertisements meant to influence our buying behavior. I didn't expect to be writing about this subject in this forum, but I have very strong feelings about it, backed by much firsthand experience. If anyone wants to continue the discussion, I'll be glad to contribute.

Strongly, Chet W.