Letters to the Editor
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Rights and Responsibilities
The First Amendment does indeed protect the right of artists to create their work as they choose. But that doesn't automatically make their choices good ones. They bear responsibility for the choices they make and their consequences. The constant stream of hypersexuality, misogyny, racism and profanity heard in some of the most popular forms of contemporary music does have a degrading effect on our culture. Face up to it - a culture in which language such as "m___f___ker" is common usage is coarser and less humane for that. While I would not advocate legal action to stymie any form of artistic expression I do believe that that the artists need to think more seriously about the impact their choices have. And consumers of music have a responsibility to be more careful about the kind of product they support with their dollars as well.