Offensive Art Fall 2024 by

Nude Statues and the Catholic Church

dana_gorzelany — 2024-07-29 23:18:03 UTC

Although this is not recent censorship, one of my favorite bits of art history knowledge is that Pope Clement XIII had all phalluses removed from statues and fig leaves made and affixed in their place. Around 100 years later, Pope Pius IX had all phalluses that were uncovered destroyed. This was done because there was a rule against all "lasciviousness” in religious art-- meaning that the Christians were uncomfortable with the implicit sensuality of Greek and Roman sculptures (and art).

Lizzo, “Grrrls”

dana_gorzelany — 2024-07-29 23:18:03 UTC

I chose this example because I think it is a remarkable instance of self-censorship, in which an artist listened to a marginalized community and chose to make a change in her art in order to minimize harm. Lizzo’s single “Grrrls” originally used the slang term “spazz,” which many disability advocates consider harmful for its associations with conditions which cause loss of muscle control and motor skills. After listening to and learning from these voices, Lizzo chose to re-record the song with a new line, releasing this statement: “It’s been brought to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song “GRRRLS”. Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language. As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I overstand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally). I’m proud to say there’s a new version of GRRRLS with a lyric change. This is the result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist I’m dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world. Xoxo, Lizzo.”

If You Seek Amy by Britney Spears

dana_gorzelany — 2024-07-29 23:18:03 UTC

Radio has always been a big part of censorship when it comes to music with inappropriate language and text. This song was actually banned in the U.S. and the UK because of the chorus and the title of the song sounds a lot like F-*-*-* me when sung. The radio tried changing the name to "If U See Amy," while another station changed it to just Amy. What is interesting with this song, is how sneaky the title is to stir up the conversation on censorship because it is sitting in a gray area since it does not have profanity written in it. Radios had to make a decision on whether to play this hit song at the time, which led to many debates. The radio version is only If you see Amy rather than saying seek. - Lauren Davis

"The Interview" 2014 Film

dana_gorzelany — 2024-07-29 23:18:03 UTC

This movie was to be released in 2014 in theaters but it was canceled due to tensions with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. At the time surrounding this film's release, he was testing heavy ballistic missile tests and the United States became fearful that the film was released that Kim Jong-Un would have retaliated with acts of war. I really enjoyed this movie and watch it over again when I want a good laugh. I am not sure how accurate the movie is regarding Kim Jong-Un's behavior as a dictator, but comedians like Dave Chapelle are fighting now to be able to be truthful in their comedic acts. I am glad the movie is currently available on Netflix.

Taylor Swift changes song lyric in her work “Better Than Revenge” for Taylor’s Version re-record

2024-10-29 00:48:38 UTC

When the original recording of “Better Than Revenge” came out in 2010, it included the line “she’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress”. After rerecording the song to create her “Taylor’s Version” album, she changed the lyrics to “He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches”. This change was made by Swift after many fans called out the original lyrics for “slut shaming” and blaming a woman for a man’s poor choices. In a later interview it was revealed that Swift wanted to remain as “pro-feminist as possible” in her new discography and felt that the change was necessary for a song released in 2024.

Black Eyed Peas “Let’s get It Started” Title Was Originally A Slur

2024-10-29 01:15:43 UTC

Shockingly, when the Black Eyed Peas’ song “Let’s Get It Started” was first released it had the title of “Let’s Get R*******d”. Obviously, this slur is extremely offensive to the disabled community, and sparked controversy upon its release. It wasn’t until the 2004 NBA Playoffs, however, that the song was re-recorded for an advertisement and the new version gained more popularity than the original. Today, the Black Eyed Peas do not promote the original song, and the mishap is largely forgotten by the public.

Taylor Swift "Picture to Burn"

2024-10-29 12:25:03 UTC

In Taylor Swift's 2006 song "Picture to Burn," she originally published the song with the lyrics "That's fine, I'll tell mine you're gay." She was singing about how she was going to tell her friends that he recent ex was gay. She changed this lyric around 2008 to "That's fine, you won't mind if I say" since "gay" was often used as an offensive term.

Rupi Kaur's Menstruation Post

2024-10-29 12:35:29 UTC

In March 2015, Rupi Kaur, famous poet, posted this photo on Instagram talking about women's menstruation. Kaur has always been known as an advocate for women and women's rights. The photo shows Rupi fully clothed, with some blood on her pants, demonstrating her menstruation. Instagram removed the photo twice, claiming it did not follow the Community Guidelines. When she reached out to Instagram, they claimed it was a mistake. It has now been reuploaded on Instagram. Kaur has used this situation as a way to speak up about women's menstrual cycles. She has spoken out about how women should not feel ashamed or embarrassed to have their periods; the topic should not be taboo.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

2024-10-29 12:53:54 UTC

This 1884 novel is often banned in schools for its use of the "N" word and portrayal of African Americans. The main character of the book, Huck, often says the "N" word and contributes to the racist attitudes in the novel. While some critics argue that students should not be exposed to this type of language, others claim that Mark Twain used this language to expose racism and condemn it. According to these people, the main idea is to point out the atrocity of prejudice that occurred during this time. This book continues to be a point of contention for novel critics and teachers everywhere.

The Kite Runner (Miguel Tuberquia)

2024-10-29 16:15:00 UTC

Khaled Hosseini’s book “The Kite Runner” has received several bans and challenges. The book was pulled from the curriculum in Gilbert Arizona; it was challenged in Fishers, Indiana, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. The book was censored because some people believe that it promotes sexual violence and terrorism. They are also against the vulgar language, religious content, and LGBTQIA+ themes.

The Harry Potter Books

hcavender234 — 2024-10-29 16:20:42 UTC

J.K. Rowling’s book series faced censorship and bans in several parts of the world. The negative response to the series was led by various Christian groups and conservative organizations across the world. The magic-based fantasy series was said to be promoting witchcraft, occultism, and un-Christian values. Schools removed the books from their libraries due to fear that children would be led astray. Despite the negative backlash, the book series went on to become one of the most popular series of all time, along with successful movie adaptations.

"This Is America" by Childish Gambino

hcavender234 — 2024-10-29 16:26:42 UTC

Donald Glover’s, also known by his stage name Childish Gambino, 2018 song “This Is America” was censored by various conservative groups and some social media platforms (due to age restrictions). The music video depicted a realistic picture of America, including gun violence, police brutality, and the racial inequality that is embedded in our country. Those who censored the video and song argued that the video was too political and graphic.

Deadpool (2016)

hcavender234 — 2024-10-29 16:55:46 UTC

The 2016 20th Century Fox Film received backlash from various parental advocacy groups across the country. The film was released with an R rating, but parental groups called for a re-rating of the film to NC-17. They argued that the film was too graphic due to extreme language, violence, and sexual content. Although they were unsuccessful in the re-rating, this led some theaters across the US to issue additional content warnings about the film.

Rage Against The Machine-SNL Performance

2024-10-29 19:31:00 UTC

Rage Against The Machine was set to perform two songs on SNL April 13th, 1996. The host of the show was two-time Republican presidential candidate and billionaire, Steve Forbes. RATM decided to make a statement against the host by hanging American Flags upside down on their speakers. Moments before being introduced by Forbes, the SNL producers took down the flags. Enraged by the censorship, RATM performed a REALLY intense version of "Bulls on Parade." After getting off stage, they entered Forbes green room and threw the torn up flag at him. The band was not allowed to perform their second song of the night, the performance wasn't aired, they and they have not been invited back since. Tom Morello, the lead guitarist for RATM, said, "America's expression is inverted when you're free to say anything you want to say until it upsets a corporate sponsor. Finally, this was our way of expressing our opinion about the show's host, Steve Forbes."

The Hand That Feeds-Nine Inch Nails

2024-10-29 19:38:01 UTC

Nine Inch Nails pulled out of the MTV Movie Awards in 2005 after they were banned from using a picture of George W. Bush in their performance. The picture would be used during the song "The Hand That Feeds" which criticized the war in Iraq. When MTV wouldn't change their minds, the band made a statement by not performing.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

2024-10-29 19:49:14 UTC

The book, released in 1932, depicts a world where people are controlled by pleasure rather than pain. Since the books release, the book has been challenged for a multitude of reasons. Political and religious views, sexually explicit material, graphic violence, being inappropriate for certain age groups, and misalignment with family values. The book has been banned in many countries such as Australia and Ireland in 1932 and has since been banned in libraries around the world. Today, Brave New World ranks in the top 100 most challenged book according to the American Library Association's list.

Catcher in the Rye

aprilmattson — 2024-10-30 17:30:45 UTC

The novel "The Catcher in the Rye" has been banned from schools and libraries for many years due to the content. The story covers the span of two days since the main character, Holden Caulfield, was expelled from prep school and checked into a mental institution. Holden Caulfield spends his days obsessed with sex and negatively judges everyone around him. The novel was banned for a variety of reasons, including vulgar language, sexual content, moral issues, excessive violence, communism, and the occult. Many parents worried that the constant swearing and negative thinking of Caulfield in the book would influence their teenagers. Others have called the book racist and blasphemous. School boards, PTA's, and parents were responsible for banning the book from libraries and school studies in the 1960's (the book was published in 1951). A teacher was even fired in 1960 for teaching it to her 11th grade class. The book has been linked to multiple shootings, including the murder of John Lennon and the assassination attempt of President Reagan.

Oompa Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2024-10-30 23:21:43 UTC

When Roald Dahl first wrote his famous work “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” the Oompa Loompas were written as pygmies from “darkest Africa” that Wonka had “rescued” to work in his factory for free. This didn’t sit well with many readers, and the NAACP and other organizations spoke out about the clearly racist depictions within the book. Dahl then changed the Oompa Loompas to the orange people we know today in his second edition, and the movie renditions of the story continued to cement their new image.

Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds - The Beatles

2024-10-31 13:10:40 UTC

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was written primarily by John Lennon, though it carries the names of both Lennon and McCartney as creators. Upon its release, speculation arose that the initial letter of each word in the title hinted at LSD, a psychedelic substance. However, John Lennon refuted such claims, attributing the song's inspiration to Lewis Carroll's book, Alice in Wonderland. Additionally, it was motivated by a drawing Lennon’s son brought home of a classmate named ‘Lucy.’ Even after his clarifications, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) chose to ban the song since it was too close to the drug name. In 2004, Paul McCartney revealed that it was indeed related to LSD, noting that several of their other tracks also referenced various drugs. For instance, he mentioned that “Got to Get You into My Life” pertains to marijuana, and “Day Tripper” relates to hallucinogenic experiences.

Creep by Radiohead

2024-10-31 13:59:40 UTC

In 1992, the BBC prohibited Radiohead's "Creep" because of its grim themes and use of the "f" word. Band member Johnny Greenwood disclosed that the lyrics were inspired by a woman whom Thom Yorke had observed for a few days, who then unexpectedly appeared at a Radiohead concert. Following the censorship, Radiohead recorded a radio-friendly version of "Creep," changing the line “so ‘f’ing special” to “so very special."

1984 - George Orwell

2024-10-31 14:08:46 UTC

While this is not a real-life example of a book itself being "cancelled" (although this book did definitely receive its own share of hate for the topics it brings to light), it discusses many instances of censorship throughout the story. To list a few examples, the central authority in the book created entirely new vocabulary to tighten their grip on censorship. Words like "thoughtcrime" and "doublespeak" with an entirely new "thought police" to make sure people literally weren't even thinking of committing treason. Treason in this setting being defined as essentially anything other than total obedience and acceptance of rules and laws dictated to you. Easily one of the most prolific examples of censorship in media.

Taylor Swift - Reputation

2024-10-31 14:18:30 UTC

Taylor Swift's album Reputation was released as a response to her cancellation in the last half of the 2010's. To sum it up quickly, Taylor Swift has almost always tried to be a positive female role-model who advocates for women's fair and equal treatment in our society. However, in 2016, Kim Kardashian (or maybe Kanye through Kim depending on the source) leaked an edited call of Kanye telling Taylor Swift he wants to release a song with the lyrics "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous," and Taylor gave him the okay. However, the leak was edited and Taylor never heard those lyrics before they were released, but the public didn't know that. This caused a massive uproar from her fans who had seen Taylor stand up for women and call herself a feminist for years while seemingly allowing Kanye to say disgusting things about her. This ultimately caused the cancellation of Taylor Swift that led to her releasing Reputation.

"Strange Fruit"- Billie Holiday

2024-11-02 21:45:33 UTC

Radio Stations and record labels were responsible for censoring this song. The song lyrics are about the racial violence in America. More specifically, the lyrics share a vivid picture of dead African Americans, killed by white mobs, hanging in trees. Radio stations and record labels feared that white audiences would create a backlash, so they censored the piece.

To Kill a Mockingbird

2024-11-02 22:01:58 UTC

School boards and other community groups are behind the censoring of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”. This book, they feared, contained too much offensive language and racial slurs to be in schools.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2024-11-03 18:12:02 UTC

According to the American Libraries Association, there were 327 attempts to restrict or remove Suzanne Collins' series from high schools and libraries around the United States in 2011. The reports varied between insensitivity, offensive language, violence, anti-family, anti-ethic, and the occult/satanic. Though violence is obviously present in the series' premise of children fighting to the death, critics claim that the books are clear in their value of family (the main character volunteering for the Hunger Games to protect her younger sister) and ethic (fighting for freedom under an oppressive government). While the content is clearly dystopian, critics of the attempts to ban the series speculate that the real reason is related to the books' challenge of government authority.

Try That In a Small Town by Jason Aldean

2024-11-03 19:47:26 UTC

After showing Aldean's music video for a few days in July of 2023, Country Music Television (CMT) pulled the music video. Though the network did not provide a reason for taking the music video off of its rotation, there was public outcry against Aldean's song, saying it was a lynching anthem and that Aldean released it in response to his dislike of the nationwide BLM protests. The music video showed clips of protests, people spitting on cops, and people burning the flag with the lyrics:

"Cuss out a cop, spit in his face

Stomp on the flag and light it up

Yeah, ya think you're tough

Well, try that in a small town

See how far ya make it down the road

Around here, we take care of our own

You cross that line, it won't take long

For you to find out, I recommend you don't

Try that in a small town"

Aldean denied the accusations against him, saying that he only meant to create a song to remind small town residents what it's like to give or receive a helping hand. However, CMT (without offering any comment on its motivation for pulling his music video) refrained from showing the music video again.

Bridge to Terabithia (by Katherine Paterson)

2024-11-03 21:32:49 UTC

Bridge to Terabithia was one of the stories that I think shaped my reading and childhood love of fantasy. The book was attempted to be banned by parents and school boards because of the fact that the fantasy element was so heavy and often the two protagonists would use it to escape their daily lives. Parents apparently also believed that it promoted witchcraft, but on the opposite side the book discussed death and religion side by side towards the end of the book. Those who didn't mind the religious aspects didn't appreciate the use of "Lord" as an expression of frustration. It has been in some of the most attempted banned books since its release in the late 1970's.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Dean Martin

2024-11-03 21:40:19 UTC

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a classic Christmas song from the 1950-160's. The song stuck up fresh controversy in the past few years because of the attempt of the main male vocalists lyrics. He urges the woman to stay and people even believe he may allude to have spiked her drink with something. A lot of radio stations were refusing to play the song and many people didn't play it at holiday parties anymore because they didn't want to promote the ideals of letting someone either convince you to stay when you didn't want to or to coerce you.

J. Tobler Censorship of Media

2024-11-04 00:12:03 UTC

When thinking about censorship, there are a couple of things that come mind. First, the episode of "Family Guy" where censorship from the FCC steps into censoring reality by attempting to censor everyday life activities and visuals. I think this was my first encounter with understanding censorship aside from the clean versions of songs and albums that were plaid over the radio and for things like Kids Bop. There are also episodes of Disney Channel shows that have been removed or re-edited to exclude things that were caught by the public after releasing older Disney shows on Disney+ streaming platform. For example, there is an episode of That's so Raven where the 3 friends were in a mutual argument and when slowed down, viewers noticed that Raven used the n-word. Since that discovery the episode has been edited to exclude that moment and makes a quick cut to the ending.

"Imagine"- John Lennon

2024-11-04 01:22:17 UTC

The song, composed by John Lennon of The Beatles, speaks about love and peace. It served as an anthem against the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. However, certain church-affiliated schools banned it due to lyrics such as 'Imagine there's no heaven' and 'or no religion too.' These institutions believed the song's message was inappropriate for children, as they disapproved of a worldview that suggested religion was unnecessary. Yet, the essence of the song critiques how religion can be misused and turned into something harmful, a perspective that educators could have presented rather than imposing an outright ban.

Untitled (Flag 2)

2024-11-04 03:18:13 UTC

Type
1. Physical art
Where it was displayed
1. The University of Kansas
Date censorship happened
1. July 2018
Who was responsible for the censorship?
1. Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer
2. Secretary of State Kris Kobach
On what grounds?
1. They both felt that due to the artwork being on an actual American flag that it was considered a “desecration of an American flag” and thus needed to be removed instantly from the university.

Harry Potter Books

2024-11-04 03:21:41 UTC

Type
1. Books
Where was it censored?
1. Texas
Date censorship happened
1. 2001-2002 school year
Who was responsible for the censorship?
1. Local boards od education
2. Concerned parents
On what grounds?
1. The local school boards were pressured by concerned parents to pull all the Harry Potter books from the schools due to them having “mysticism and paganism”. These parents and local politicians were concerned that these books would influence their children to attempt witchcraft and other pagan beliefs.

NWA’s “F**k tha Police”

2024-11-04 03:25:30 UTC

Type
1. Music
Where was it censored?
1. The USA
Date censorship happened
1. August 1, 1989
Who was responsible for the censorship?
1. The FBI
  1. Specifically Milt Ahlerich
On what grounds?
1. They said that it encouraged violence against police and that it was highly inappropriate. Milt also stated that this was not just his opinion but the opinion of the entire law enforcement community. His involvement/the FBI’s caused a ripple effect and anywhere the group went the local police stations would receive a fax encouraging them to shut down their concerts.

Kanye West "Monster" Video

merisierk — 2024-11-15 01:40:30 UTC

Censored in 2011. Kanye West, Jay-Z, Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj-“Monster” music video was banned by MTV because it was violent and explicit towards women. There were dead women in lingerie hanging from the ceiling as if they had been lynched. There were also dead bodies of women laying around. The video cannot be played on MTV Network.

Eminem's Music

merisierk — 2024-11-15 01:50:00 UTC

Censored in 2001. Eminem’s music was banned from a British University. They could not write about his music in the school newspaper, play his music on campus or sell any of his clothing. His lyrics was said to be very violent, threatening, homophobic and misogynistic.

John Lennon

merisierk — 2024-11-15 02:14:36 UTC

Censored in 1970. John Lennon “Cold Turkey” was banned from radio due the songs explicit lyrics about heroine withdrawals.

Green Day's "American Idiot"

2025-10-24 14:11:33 UTC

1. Type?

Music

2. Where was it censored?

Radio stations in the United States. Several conservative media outlets limited or avoided playing it on the air.

3. Date censorship happened.

Throughout 2004, around that time the song was released.

4. Who was responsible for the censorship?

School boards and administrators, certain radio stations, and conservative media outlets.

5. On what grounds?

The song was written as a critique of the Bush administration and of the war in Iraq. Repeating of the word “idiot” in the chorus made it controversial in schools. Administrators and radio programmers were worried the use of the word would be inappropriate for children and teenagers. Some albums were released in 2004 with words censored.

6. How did the censor work?

I have a memory of a close childhood friend asking my mom to turn the song off when it came on in the car; he explained that his dad told him he was not allowed to listen to that song or Green Day. I remember being baffled by this as a kid, not understanding that my friend’s dad did not want him to listen to that song because of his family’s own political alignment. As I got older and started to develop my own political ideologies, I understood why he wasn’t allowed to listen to it and fell more in love with rock and roll.

Grand Theft Auto

2025-10-24 14:14:12 UTC

1. Type?

Video game series

2. Where was it censored?

Australia, Thailand, Germany, and parts of the United States. Different versions of some games have been created to remove certain content to get around bans or censorship; similarly to how artists remove profanity to get their music on the radio.

3. Date censorship happened.

Multiple releases have been banned or censored over time. Notable bans include:

· GTA III (2001) – Australia refused to classify a rating on the game, ultimately banning it from sales.

· GTA: Vice City (2002) – Banned in Thailand due to violence, drug use, sexual content, and cultural concerns.

· GTA: San Andreas (2005) – Certain features were removed to allow the game to be sold in the United States.

4. Who was responsible for the censorship?

Government rating boards, national regulators, and sometimes certain retail chains simply refused to sell the games due to the controversy.

5. On What Grounds?

Extreme violence, sexual content, drug use, and criminal behavior. In GTA San Andreas, sexually explicit content was blocked by developers but removed by a video game modder when the game moved to windows platforms, causing even more controversy.

6. How did the censor work?

I remember sitting in a doctor’s office and my mom reading an article from a magazine talking out loud about how violent the video game was. The article mentioned how violence in video games leads to violence in real life and she stated she would never let me play a game like that, which led me to want to play it.

I think because of the controversy surrounding how violent it was, news outlets and media drove fear into parents to make them outraged and react or implore them to be extra protective over their kid’s video games. I think censorship systems employed similar techniques to censor Grand Theft Auto games as they did when banning Harry Potter books, targeting perceived violence or themes related to the occult and satanism.

Frazier- Offensive Art

2025-11-03 03:42:26 UTC

W.A.P.- Cardi B. feat. Megan thee Stallion

Who was responsible for the censorship?

Cardi B’s music producers were responsible for censoring the explicit version of her song so that it could be played on the radio. This type of censorship is called self-censorship. This is used to prevent total censorship of song by radio shows, and other public media.

On what grounds did they censor the work?

This song was censored due to its profanity and sexually explicit lyrics.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Who was responsible for the censorship?

At least 20 school districts removed this book from their list of books approved for students to read due to parent complaints and petitions by public organizations. Places it was censored include Fairfax (VA), Massapequa (NY), Montgomery County (TX), Merton (WI), Arlington Heights (IL), Commack (NY), Portage (IN), West Bend (WI), Wyoming (OH), Roanoke (VA), Clarkstown (NY), and Grandview Heights (OH) to name a few.

On what grounds did they censor the work?

This book was censored largely because of the use profanity, description of drug abuse, sexual explicit nature, and LGBTQIA+ content.