
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 19, 1992                   TAG: 9203190429
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

CENSORSHIP IS GREATER THREAT THAN WORDS

IN THEIR LETTER Feb. 19, Miriam Seeherman and Ira Gissen state that the "damaging impact of (rap artist Ice Cube's) message can hardly be overstated." I feel that this supposed danger is greatly overstated.

I strongly hope that record companies and leaders of the creative community will continue to support controversial artists. I totally reject the notion that the free exchange of ideas is in any way harmful, no matter how obnoxious or potentially offensive those ideas may be. Censorship, to me, seems far more threatening to "the future of American democratic pluralism" than anything a rap musician could possibly say.

Are record stores and concert promoters to become "thought police," subjecting each act to some sort of political litmus test before making them available to the public? The music consumer must be able to decide for himself or herself what is right or wrong, and what to buy or not to buy.

Ice Cube by no means has a monopoly on bigotry. Is there not some prejudice implicit in Seeherman and Gissen's assertion that Cube's message is dangerous because of his "immense popularity among African-American youth"? Do they believe young blacks to be so naive and impressionable that they can be told how to act by anyone who chooses to make a rap record? Young Americans deserve far more credit for being able to think for themselves. MARTY CASSADY CHRISTIANSBURG

by CNB