Though out history artist have rejected any forms of censorship. Governments have had to enforce censorship laws for the sake of public safety. As well, as to maintain control of society and to uphold the moral and ethical values that the populous demands. Whether you are for or against censorship in art, it serves a useful purpose in moderation, but it can be taken to extremes. Whether it’s a fascist government or a extremist religious organization it is easy for a controversial law to be twisted in order to grab and maintain absolute power over the masses. We as a people need structure and laws but we need our freedom to express ourselves. Lean one way or the other too far and society can potentially fall apart.
The Effect Censorship has on Art
Censorship has a long history when it comes to art. Artists have always viewed censorship as a hindrance stiffening their creativity and as a means for control that can be asserted over that which should not be controlled. The Government on the other hand has viewed censorship as an unavoidable evil to protect the public and maintain order and morality. Whether you are for or against censorship in art, it serves a useful purpose in moderation, but it can be taken to extremes.
As an Artist trying to express your individual vision, you would not want someone telling you how to or not to go about doing that. It would be easy to sympathize with their feelings of resentment for the loss of creative freedom. The true artist creates for him or herself first, and then hopes that their vision is shared and accepted by the public. An artist must eat, therefore making a living as an artist is a bonus. A lot of artist bend their vision to what they think will capture the public’s eye...
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...rs are continuously trying to lobby our elected officials to one side or the other.
In conclusion, censorship is a necessary part of our society. However, we must never forget that the freedom of speech and expression are rights we all enjoy and is part of what makes our country great. If we rely on government imposed censorship or religious values to dictate how much censorship is needed to protect us. Then we may lose these rights and not even know it happened until it is too late.
Works Cited
Counter-Reformation. (1987). In In The Encyclopaedia of the Renaissance. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/mheren/counter_reformation
Mitgang, H. (1993, February 27). When the Arts Were in Nazi Hands. New York Times (Late Edition (east Coast)), p. 1.11. Retrieved August 8, 2010, from ProQuest National Newspapers Expanded. (Document ID: 965723161).
Censorship is a concept with several different meanings. To each individual censorship has its own meaning. Is it a violation of our rights or is it a protection for our well being? Censorship in the generic sense refers to the suppression of information, ideas, or opinions. It occurs in all forms of communication from technological media to print media. Each society, culture, or individual's belief is violated by the codes of censorship that our society instills.
Freedom of speech and expression is one of the most important rights that we have in this country. Our forefathers knew this and acknowledged this in our great constitution which protects our rights as citizens in America. Censorship is a complete contradiction to this concept that has helped make America the greatest country in the world. If we do not stand up for our rights for free speech, someday it may be taken away all together. Everyday there are people out there trying to ban and censor things from Americans, things that as an American you have the right to view. Censorship must be stopped at all costs.
Censorship has been around since the development of music. Throughout history pro-censorship groups, retailers, schools, parents, and legislators have found ways to censor music. (History of music censorship) Many artists have been sued because parents thought the music influenced their children to form certain acts. (Censorship in Music) We know of music censorship mainly because of the development of rock and roll during the 1950's. By 1980's censorship reached new dimensions. In 1992, the Erotic Bill law passed the "adult only" label on certain recordings. While people stand for music censorship, American Civil Rights Union fight to make them understand that musicians have First Amendment rights.
The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" (First Amendment Oct. 20, 2013). But "the First Amendment does not protect all speech from government censorship, and it does not prevent private non-government entities from censoring. Years of US Supreme Court decisions have identified exceptions to the general rule that the governments in the United States cannot censor" (Censorship Copyright © 2002). American citizen's right of freedom of speech should be held in the highest integrity and any kind of censorship of free speech should not be allowed because it take away those rights. However, censorship has been going on for centuries.
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.
To understand censorship, you have to start at the beginning. Censorship, no matter the definition, is when people who have power, wish to limit the knowledge of what we are receiving, or what we are expressing. We have not always had the rights we had now. Benjamin Franklins brother and employer, was actually arrested and lost his printing license for expressing criticism in his newspaper about politics. Censorship was going strong in the Revolutionary era, when British Loyalists tarred and feathered people who spoke against Britain. Even back then, we lived in a country where our own opinions, if deemed wrong by the powerful, were quickly put to an end.
Censorship is a burden that will forever hang on the coat tails of every great musical artist. The question of censorship will remain much the same as it has all through the centuries, unanswered. An opinion on censorship will always be up for grabs to anyone willing to take a stand. It is important to take a stand, and save music from losing its meaning or respect it deserves through censorship.
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 should be something that people and businesses choose to do on their own, for their own reasons. The media should never be allowed to censor anything, because it is their job to provide information, not hide it. Businesses should decide whether or not to apply censorship as a business model, based on what they believe that the customers want, not based on any law that one thing or another should never be seen or There cannot be too much free speech, the more the better. Everyone everywhere should always have the right to say whatever they want. People should also be allowed to argue with people whose opinions the dislike.
Censorship has been used by governments and influential groups throughout history as a tool for political and economic gain since ancient times. The Romans thought censorship was necessary to shape the morals of society to match up with government ideals. During the 1500's the Catholic Church banned certain texts that conflicted with the established religion from being read. In these times the idea of censorship was viewed differently that it is today. With powerful organizations limiting information it was often impossible for an average person to obtain literature or hear ideas that vary from state ideals, they probably didn't even know that their information was being censored. We live in a different age today, information is more readily available and censorship is often looked at as a negative practice that limits freedoms. That said, it still exists today and can be viewed as an obstacle to true democracy.
Tackling censorship is much more important than it appears to be at the surface; taking 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 has always altered the lives of many people, whether they know it or not. People are constantly exposed to the censored version of entertainment.
Since the foundation of the United States after a harsh split from Britain, almost 200 years later, an issue that could claim the founding grounds for the country is now being challenged by educators, high-ranking officials, and other countries. Though it is being challenged, many libertarians, democrats, and free-speech thinkers hold the claim that censorship violates our so-called unalienable rights, as it has been proven throughout many court cases. Censorship in the United States is detrimental because it has drastically and negatively altered many significant events. Censorship allows governments more control of society than they already have, slowly progressing governments utilizing censorship to a dictatorship. Often times, this censorship can lead to immense rebellions.
Kieran, M. (2008, January 28). Art, censorship and morality. Open Learn, the Open University. Retrieved January 5, 2014 from http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/philosophy/art-censorship-and-morality
Hence, censorship is essential in society to eliminate discrimination on basis of race and gender, protect children, maintain stability and restore what censor sees as lost moral values. Censorship occurs when expressive materials like books, magazines, movies, videos, music or works of art are restricted to particular audiences based on their age or other characteristics. http://www.ala.org/oif/intellectualfreedeomandcensorship.html) Censorship is not a recent development. It wasn’t imposed properly or there weren’t strict regulations before.
“Censorship is when a work of art expressing an idea which does not fall under current convention is seized, cut up, withdrawn, impounded, ignored, maligned, or otherwise made inaccessible to its audience.”