Music is the universal language, and people can listen to a wide variety of song lyrics, expressing either peaceful thoughts or violent ideas. Many people believe that song lyrics worshiping violence and criminal behaviors should be banned because they encourage a violent society. The advantage of banning these type of lyrics helps to avoid the glorification of criminal behaviors, which do not foster respectful, honest and peaceful members of society. However, freedom of speech suffers as a consequence because singers do not have the right to express their ideas and people the right to listen to them.
Many individuals argue that song lyrics that glorify violence and criminal ways of living should be prohibited. Such lyrics are considered to influence negatively citizens’ behaviors by giving them a bad example to follow. Moreover, music is a powerful channel to communicate emotions and ideas, and many people might feel identified to emulate. Consequently, violent lyrics could prevent citizens to be peaceful members of society.
However, the drawback of banning song lyrics that worship criminal lifestyles do not respect freedom of speech. Indeed, singers have the right to express their ideas, which is different from putting them into practice. Furthermore, people have also the right to listen to any type of music to entertain themselves. For example, US singer Maddona’s song Like a Prayer was banned in some European countries because it was considered a violent depiction of religious beliefs, preventing citizens from enjoying her music.
In conclusion, while the advantage of prohibiting violent song lyrics help avoid glorifying criminal lifestyles that people might try to emulate, the downside lies in disrespecting freedom of speech. Singers express their ideas, and individuals can enjoy their songs just to entertain themselves. Governments globally should implement policies to maintain freedom of speech, allowing everybody to express their thoughts as they want.