Dear Editor,
It is regrettable to see that one of your readers has made a serious accusation that songs containing foul languages are exerting an adverse influence on society. He has unfortunately overlooked that freedom of speech and expression is one of the core values of the Hong Kong society.
According to the Basic Law, all Hong Kong people are entitled to the right to freedom of speech and expression. In other words, we should not be prosecuted or threatened for expressing our ideas in any means, as long as we say nothing that is unlawful. The lyrics of songs containing foul language virtually contain no messages that would constitute to a breach of the Hong Kong laws or the songwriters would have already been arrested. Hence, why should we deter people from using swear words in songs?
Swear words, like the “non-swear words”, are vocabulary of our treasured language and they help us communicate ideas more effectively and fully. Although swear words may not be considered as proper or decent in many people’s mind, they can add colours or a special flavour to the language all because of the unique associations that they can evoke. Therefore, the use of foul language should be not condemned, even if it may not be culturally acceptable to some people.
Songs, as a form of art, are often created in response to phenomena in society and the inclusion of foul language can aptly reflect the dark and negative sides of our world. For instance, in the last thirty years or so, people in the United States considered “rapping” as an immoral type of music, because the rappers use foul language, or include sexual and violent scenes in their songs. However, why has this immoral type of music gained popularity in recent years, instead of slipping into a trench in the course of history? This is because the raps are the means through which the songwriters condemn the injustice in society: discrimination against black people, the lack of education opportunities, and, perhaps more importantly, the pent-up anger of these people. Using foul language in songs enables the rappers to communicate their thoughts using everyday language, and therefore to express their true feelings towards the unfair world. In light of this, why can’t a different form of expression be allowed? Why is criticizing social injustice a bad influence?
Certainly, the hatred among people in Hong Kong may not be as strong as those in the United States, but undeniably, some of our people do use foul language in their everyday speech, which is the same as using foul language in songs to express thoughts. The question is, why do the songs have a ‘so-called’ undesirable effect on society, but not our everyday speech? There are radio programmes and films that contain even more foul language. People in Hong Kong understand that the songs are simply an art of expression. Therefore, venting one’s feelings using foul language will not lead to any moral degradation in our society.
Some people, without doubt, worry that Hong Kong’s youth will imitate the singers. However, we have to understand that swear words in songs, like graffiti, symbolize a new form of culture among Hong Kong people, and anyone should have the freedom to express their thoughts in any language and any means if they do not violate rules in Hong Kong. We should not therefore senselessly regard foul language as the root cause of any bad elements in Hong Kong. We have to accept this: this is simply something deviating from the norm.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Wong