The argument against media censorship has been going on for years, even decades. It is still a hotbed issue for some. Should something that offends some be banned for everyone? Should forms of media be censored, and if so, how is it done fairly and equally? Arguments will be presented as well as some as some deeper issues as well.
The biggest issue in censorship currently is video games. Violence and content is the major issue and dispute about video games. Games are currently rated EC (Early Childhood) to AO (Adults Only). (ESRB) The basic argument was that the ratings system should enable parents to make good rental and purchasing decisions. With this system, parents can check the front and back of the game box and see the rating and what content makes this game get the rating it has. However, parents are just too busy to check into what their kids are watching or playing, most simply don’t have the time or resources to keep up with what their kids could be viewing on the television, or to monitor what video games they may be playing at home. Most parents, grandparents, family, etc., have no idea what to look for a box and just end up getting any title their child asks for. Moreover video games present a large problem with the potential for violence or sexual references contained within them which makes the need for censorship even more of a necessity. This argument is especially directed to single parents who have work and may not have a lot of time to spend monitoring what their children are playing. However, single parents may not do not have the time or resources to know what exactly their children are playing or what type of content is in the games.
It seems somewhat easier to monitor television viewing...
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...mply because not all religions celebrate Christmas.
Another major form of censorship is book censorship. There have been several notable
The main argument against censorship is to keep children from watching or playing something that may be inappropriate for their age. That is understandable, but where would this lead be if censorship was allowed, if no violence or offensive material was allowed in the media. Television shows such as Nip/Tuck, Saturday Night Live, Desperate Housewives and many more would have to be removed from television all together. There would be no more video games other than types such as Dora the Explorer, Barbie, and Mickey Mouse. Totally censoring major forms of media is ridiculous, since strides have been made to control access and viewing of these same forms of media.
“Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it” were the famous words of Mark Twain. Since early times censorship has had a critical role in history. Many individuals do not understand the true meaning of censorship because they were either brought up to see it as something different or they misinterpret it from how history looks at it. It has been misconstrued by history to be seen as a negative but in reality it is meant to be positive.
The people who question censorship and the use of censorship are known as the people who are against or anti-censorship. People who are anti-censorship believes that nothing should be hidden, and that everything should be open to the public. Gavin Mcinnes is a 45-year-old (2016) who is a writer, an actor, and comedian. Gavin Mcinnes had written an article which was taken down because it “has been reported by the community as hateful or abusive content” (Brown 1). The people who read Mcinnes article didn’t have to read or continue reading it when they became displeased with Mcinnes’s view. Those people did not have to read it if they did not like it. “The publication can choose what to publish… no matter how much outrage that content provokes”
On the other hand, there might b reasons as to why the government censors most of its news. One of these reasons might be because of “national security”. If the government were to release more than enough information, we might be threatened by people who take advantage of the situation.
Many Americans love films, the meanings behind those films and the impact some films have on people’s lives. Ever since films were created there have been people and organizations that have tried to censor and block what the public can and cannot see. Even to this day there are certain things that if put on film because of censorship, would never make it to the public. This is very sad. Film is one of this country’s great expressive outlets. Many filmmakers and the people who enjoy what these filmmakers put out are effected by the horrible concept of censorship. When a film is put out to the public it is first reviewed by a movie rating board who then assigns the film a rating to tell people what age groups the film is suitable for and what the film contains. Movie selection for minors should solely be the responsibility of that child’s parent, not some critic that watches films and then makes decisions for other people about who can watch it and who can’t. People just need to start to understand the real meaning of free speech and expression in this country. Too many people are taking it for granted. People who are for the censorship of films may argue that it’s for the good of our children, shielding them from violence and sex, and not exposing them to something that they claim may be mentally harm...
Every time we look at a program either a newsletter or hear a talk show enclosing political, social or something affecting a certain group of elite people we see censorship issues, as these programs often are banned for many reasons such as: any partner or channel or media owner, someone with influence, threats, etc. That's why most of the time we see in the media the opinions of those who have more influence and power.
Censorship influences our lives in a wide range of ways, it influences the music we listen to, the films we watch, the books we read, and numerous different parts of our lives. There has been open argumentation throughout the years whether censorship is influential and worth the contention between various points of views which pops up the question of should movies be censored? The answer of many people would be no. However, many standpoints diverge given that censorship improves our reality in the light of the making people more courteous.
Censorship has been a big part of the world’s history and especially America’s history. One of the most quoted amendments to the United States constitution is the first amendment; “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...” This amendment guaranteeing free speech, press, and religion is still heavily debated and contested today. Censorship, as a challenge to free speech and press has been allowed many times and has been heavily debated itself. Many people censor for many different reasons and in many different forms. Censorship itself is not always a bad thing and has in some cases been used for protection of the general population.
Without the history of Censorship, what type of things would children be watching? Without the unique methods of Censorship, what kinds of films would be being released into the public? Throughout this essay I will be explaining the steps taken to achieve the level of Censorship, that we have now.
The subject of censorship is a very controversial one, especially the banning of books. Many people believe they must protect themselves and others from the "evils" of many classic books and works of art because they can be deemed "indecent" in one way or another. Many believe that this is absurd and censorship in its current form is a violation of our First Amendment right to free speech. Personally, I align myself with the latter, however I do feel there are occasions where censorship is justifiable.
Censorship is the practice of concealing parts of a book, movie, show, or any other form of media. Media can be censored in many ways; one of these is to block out the offensive sections of the content. This is generally done when the content of said media is not considered overall offensive or inappropriate but has derogatory and/or blasphemous language. Another way Media can be censored is to have it banned completely. For a book to be banned, it must first be challenged. According the American Library Association, a challenge “is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.” The question over censorship has been debated for years: Should we be allowed to ban Medias we deem unfit and/or inappropriate from our children?
... censoring books, music, and television. Although parents may argue that these all need to be censored for the sake of their children, they are missing the fact that they have already been exposed to these types of things before. Even though books are being banned because they are controversial it is only depriving children of valuable lessons. Books also provide the youth with different ideas and can help them realize that variation in ideas is important. Censorship and music have often been debated as well, but music is everywhere censored and uncensored, so chances are children are going to hear songs that are “inappropriate.” Lasty, television is something that is censored all the time, when parents should decide what is censored and what is not censored. In conclusion, censorship is something that is becoming the topic of parents and children all over America.
Censorship according to the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press can be defined as, “To remove anything offensive from books, films, etc., or to remove parts considered unsuitable from private letters, especially ones sent during war or from a prison”(Cambridge Dictionary). Censorship in the news and in the media takes many forms in todays fast paced world. Even with the slightly leak in information or even misleading information could cause todays world to be turned on its head and can cause people to interpret the issue in many ways which could have numerous implications. This is why such information is filtered by some governments around the world before it is aired or printed. There are countless arguments as to why or why not information should be censored as each individual is entitled to their own opinion. Censorship impacts people ability to choose freely as it is controls ideas and thoughts and thus influences their freedom of expression or their to express their views on issues, ideologies or even practice their faith.
Every human possesses some guaranteed basic freedoms and rights, whether it is the freedom of speech, or the freedom to express themselves. However, the government seems to be increasingly determined to limit these freedoms using censorship to confine these rights that we usually take for granted. The most important facet of media in general is that it allows people to express themselves freely. In fact, this freedom of expression that music allows us is one of the primary reasons why it exists. Sadly, many of the current artists have forgotten that, but nonetheless, censorship seems to always be there to limit the expression of those who choose to place deeper messages in their songs. Tackling censorship is much more important than it appears to be at the surface; to take down censorship would help preserve the expression of thought. It would help preserve the right to listen to the unaltered forms of everything. Most importantly, it would help preserve the rapidly weakening basic right of speech.
Censorship is an important and essential part of television. Without the presence of censorship television would be unsuitable for our younger viewers because censorship helps to filter out the appearances of nudity, real life violence, the use of profanity and other obscene gestures during the youth viewing hours. However, during the prime time viewing hours it?s a different story. The method the television stations use is a mere waste of time and money because a little symbol in the corner of the screen is not going to prevent a child from watching the program. The only way this method can work is if the parents/guardian is there to change the channel but let?s be realistic, how many parents/guardians actuarially have the time to monitor everything there children watch. So most children do end up viewing these programs anyway, and whether we like it o...
As new technologies evolve and become a part of our daily lives, so do television shows and what people are allowed to view on a regular basis. Censorship, a word that seems to be causing quite some controversy over certain people may not be such a bad idea. As America has seen, a countless amount of people have been known to complain about censorship on television. Although this seems to be a problem to some, maybe the real question to be asked is, is there enough censorship of television? Many families agree that certain rated R movies should not be shown to young children and only certain shows