Mothers against whatever

Mums have found a new musical menace to campaign against. Mothers Against Noise was formed in response to the sonic threat to kids posed by bands like Wolf Eyes, Whitehouse, Smegma and Lightning Bolt. "Noise Music is an awful form of music that is more unpleasant and psychologically destructive than the worst forms of heavy metal, rap, and punk rock," writes one concerned mummy. "It has no musical structure and spreads a gospel of desensitization, anger, degradation and harm. It is growing in popularity and is a threat to families and children that can't be ignored…"

There is some speculation about the authenticity of the site. Some blogs have suggested that it is a marketing tool for Andrew W.K. But MAN's ignorance about the genre (they don't have Sunn o))) or Sonic Youth on their "Watch List" but do include Slipknot and Radiohead) suggests that the site might be legit.

These right-wing parent pressure groups are bad. But perhaps even worse are their left-wing counterparts.

Mothers Acting Up, for example, is a group dedicated to "mobilizing the gigantic political strength of mothers to ensure the health, education and safety of every child." BabyBloc is a group of "consciencious" young parents who demand the right to take their babies to demonstrations. Then there's the gloriously named Anti-Authoritarian Babysitters' Club.