Explicit Lyrics Essay, Research Paper

John Schroeder, an 18-year-old Marilyn Manson fan, was walking with his mother

in a grocery store in New Braunfels, Texas,when he was arrested by an off-duty

police officer for wearing a Manson T-shirt. The shirt bore a lyric from

Manson’s song "Cake And Sodomy" which read "I am the god of

f*ck". The officer, who was working security, said that some shoppers had

complained about it. Schroeder was walked outside, where the officer asked

passersby if they found the shirt offensive. All but one just laughed and said

no. Schroder allegedly offered to remove his shirt, but instead was arrested for

misdemeanor obscene display, jailed for a few hours, and fined $125. The

American Civil Liberties Union is defending Schroeder, whose trial date should

be set within the next month. It is these kinds of actions that infringe on the

First Amendment o f the Constitution of the United States of America, and they

must be stopped. Music is a large part of our culture, and has been for

thousands of years. It is a form of expression, motivation, or just plain

pleasure. This basic activity of humans is a birthright, it is freedom of

expression, freedom of speech, which the government specifically spells out in

the First Amendment.