Let’s Watch Our Music And Lyrics

David Sorenson, News Editor

Music is a huge part of culture. The songs we sing and the music we play tell an immense amount about who we are, how we act, what we value, and what we believe. However, music is not innocent; it not only reflects our thoughts and feelings and actions, but shapes them (directly or indirectly) as well.

A few weeks ago, students may have noticed a change in the music played on campus, specifically in the fitness center and game room. Certain faculty members, including professor of Language and Literature Marthy Eads, have been pushing for certain stations to be blocked because of offensive content.

Three weeks ago, the most popular station, Q101 (100.7), which plays artists like LMFAO, Dev, and Lady Gaga, was blocked in favor of Alice 93.7, which plays artists like, well, LMFAO, Dev, and Lady Gaga.

If Q101 is the adult bookstore of the radio world, then Alice is the Spencer’s Gifts. Alice edits its music barely enough to incite listener’s dirty imaginations while maintaining the thin illusion of modesty.

What these “artists” who sing these songs are telling us is, “To be cool is to be happy, and this lifestyle is cool.” Unless venereal diseases, going to rehab and record-breaking fast divorces are cool, then I am afraid these musicians are a bit off-target.

If the only thing about this music was that it is offensive, then there would not be a problem. We have the freedom of speech, which is only really good if it protects offensive speech, since nobody is trying to stop people from saying inoffensive things.

No – the real problem here is twofold: a Mennonite university is playing the music, and it is being played in a public space. Some will call me naïve, but I still believe that a Christian university ought to promote Christian values.

When EMU plays this type of music, “edited” or not, they are sending the message that this music is fine to listen to, and quite honestly, it is not.

Perhaps it would be best to give a few examples. LMFAO’s “Sexy and I know it” includes lines like, “I got a passion in my pants and I ain’t afraid to show it,” and “We headed to the bar, baby don’t be nervous.”

Lady Gaga in “You and I” sings “I’d give anything again to be your baby doll.” Dev’s magnum opus, “In the Dark,” contains such zingers as “I’m only talking to you if you want to surf my seas,” and “I got a sex drive to push the start,” which frankly does not even make sense.

I’m not even going to mention the plethora of violent and drug-related lyrics. These songs and these radio stations are painting a pretty clear picture that all women are good for (or interested in) is sex, and this is simply not true. It is a fantasy, and a very damaging one at that.

When EMU allows this type of music to be played on campus and does not stop it, they are either saying “We approve of this” or “We don’t care,” neither of which is very reassuring.

Moreover, this image is terribly degrading, and I cannot see why a university that places so much emphasis on sexual health would condone it. Students, of course, can listen to whatever they want by themselves (though I would not recommend it), but when these songs are played in a public place like the fitness center, it is not hard to see how some people might feel uncomfortable, threatened, or embarrassed.

Students are paying good money to go to a Mennonite university, and if that does not mean a healthy, Mennonite environment, then they may as well go to JMU or any other state or secular school. As Dorothy Day said, “We have to create an environment where it is easier to be good.”

The problem is that Harrisonburg has hardly any good radio stations, and the ones it does have do not come in on the radios in the fitness center and in the game room.

EMU might consider investing in Internet or satellite radio, both of which provide plenty of stations of secular and Christian music that would fit our needs perfectly. I encourage you, students, to pay attention to the lyrics of these songs, and let administration know what you think about them.