Toxic Video
by Kerry L. Marsala

Where are the parents, where is the outrage from society and why are we all letting the entertainment industry propagandize our children? Many studies have demonstrated the influence of certain Rap/ Hip-Hop music, music videos, and video games on our youth but no one seems to notice.

With soft porn, drugs and violence being peddled to our children faster than the Wicked Witch of the West, why do those who control our 'pop' culture continue to defend this peddling of smut, under the guise of free speech rights? Money honey, that’s right "It's All About the Benjamin's" (Puff Daddy). The industry moguls may sit there in their three thousand dollar suits and multiple gold rings and say its all about my artists right to say, play, perform, and create whatever they want cause its their First Amendment right. Well, I must ask them- if it's all about the freedom of expression then why are you dripping with the jewels, and the cars, and the mansions, and the bread baby? Seems to me that old devil called greed at any cost has bitten and hooked you in the soul-line and sinker.

Available to every kid now 24/7/365 and packaged under the Freedom of Speech for your kiddies comes, song lyrics that express having sex with whom, what, and where ever makes you feel good, along with cappin someone cause they looked at you funny (including both genders). But wait we have more for you, music videos that have orgies performed for you (the Black Entertainment Television runs many horribly lewd videos on Saturday daytime). That's not all folks, act quickly to change that dial on the radio. Shows that are touted as entertainment (Howard Stern) will be blaring from your car speaker's epithets of unknown body parts. Lastly for all the little tikes comes a multiple helping of various video games to plug into your idiot box that may contain excessive violent acts, cursing, witchcraft, Satanic references, and nudity.

When we tout in song or celluloid the praise of raping, killing, and abusing women are we not creating a generation that will be desensitized to the respect of womankind, perhaps everyone? When the acts of murder, disrespect for authority, policemen, government in a way that is full hate, what are we creating within the cranium of an easily influenced child?

Ah, but you say, it’s the parents responsibility to keep their children from these harmful forms of entertainment. Yes, it's true. Parents are the first to be responsible and should be a held accountable for such disregard and lack of guidance of their young. We as parents have the right of remote, purchasing power, and the off/on switch. But you know as a parent, speaking here, how hard it is to keep my kids out of this filth all the time? You can't even walk into a video store without a movie filled with sex scenes and language blaring around the store as you quickly try and find a family film to watch. For that matter you can't even walk down the video aisle with your child and not have to shield their eyes from breasts, butts, and other body items.

Ever try taking you kid with you to a music store? The music is pumpin, the beat is thumpin to Tool's song Jerk-off- "Consequences dictate our course of action and it doesn't matter what's right/ It's only wrong if you get caught/ If consequences dictate my course of action I should play GOD and shoot you myself." Or perhaps another store might be showing the video to the heart warming tune of We All Die Someday performed by DJ Muggs, 50-Cent, Eminem, G-Unit and Lloyd Banks. With lyrical stanza sung by Eminem like this; "I'm an OG, your (expletive) with GI Joe." I am not kidding here either. Yes, I can cover my kids' ears/eyes and run from the store, but why am I a hard working taxpayer being denied the right not to have my kids eyes and ears assaulted? Why are the rights only given to those who have the agents, managers, and labels?

In May of 2003 a study appeared in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology stating, "Anything that increases the extent to which a person is thinking in aggressive terms will tend to increase aggressive behavior," says study author Craig Anderson, a professor and chairman of the department of psychology at Iowa State University. "Lyrics are just one piece of the social environment that will have some impact."

Do we really buy into the lie fed to us by the entertainment industry, that the use of profanity, nudity, and violence really doesn't impact our society? Watch the evening news, read a newspaper, pick up a news magazine, go to your local playground, walk around the shopping mall, head into a fast food joint and listen, watch and become aware of the attitude change breeding under the skin of our fair youth.

It is the parents responsibility to raise, discipline and monitor their children. But what is society made of? Parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, godparents and the like. These are the ones perpetuating this filth and indoctrinating the minds of our next generation. They all have a responsibility not only to their own kin, brother, or sister, but to yours and mine as well. This is why all aforementioned forms of relatives need to help individuals raise their children in a safe and proper environment that promotes the well being of all. These make up the village that help us raise our children, individually and together all responsible for one another.

If we continue down the path we are heading, can we even survive? I think not.

Kerry L. Marsala writes for www.americonservative.com; www.azconservative.org; Opinion Editorials; The Rant; Assistant Editor of the GOPUSA/Arizona; Independent Newspapers and is a contributor to Canada Free Press; Canadian Free Press; Sarah's Seed Woman's Journal; Southern Chandler Newspaper; Washington Dispatch; New Zealand Herald; Focus Magazine and The Truth Magazine. During the 80's Ms. Marsala worked as a freelance photojournalist for The Rock Revue and Newsreel Magazine.