What Happened To Our Rights?
Censorship in America today has gotten way out of hand. There always seems to be some holier than thou group speaking out as if they were representing the majority of Americans. These groups want to censor just about anything and everything we do. When it comes to watching television, reading a book or magazine, listening to music, or buying products, people should be able to make these decisions for themselves. Where do we draw the line with censorship? After all we are Americans and we do have rights. Although censorship is needed with issues concerning children, majority of censorship is an infringement of our rights because what one person may find offensive and obscene does not necessarily represent all people and adults should have the right to make their own choices.
The word censorship probably would not exist today if all people agreed upon all things. This however is not possible for we are all unique individuals and have our own likes and dislikes. For instance, a person who enjoys pornographic material has the right to read or view this material if he or she enjoys this type of material. On the other hand people who feel pornographic material is obscene or offensive and do not care to partake in it do not have to view or read this type of material. This material is not being forced upon anyone. Why take away something a person enjoys if it is not hurting anyone else? What people do in the privacy of their own home is their own business. Who’s to say what a person likes or enjoys is wrong because another person does not agree. Playboy and Penthouse magazines are read and enjoyed by many Americans today; however, many people find these magazines offensive and obscene and others find these magazines to be an excellent source of reading for sexual entertainment. Years ago people tried to ban this type of magazine, now these magazines are in great demand and are available on shelves all around the world. The big question is who is right and who is wrong? Neither, because people have their own opinions, likes, and dislikes. After all this is America and we the people have rights as stated in the first amendment of the constitution.
Adults should have the freedom to make their own choices in their everyday life. Whether the person’s choices are good or bad is irrelevant.
Censorship, as defined in the dictionary, is, in the case of a book, to take out things thought to be objectionable. Censorship is far more than that. This mere word prohibits us from all things
Americans hate the word censorship. It puts fire into the eyes of any self proclaimed, speaker of the people. but is censorship that bad, or that wrong? Censorship is an enormous part of the stability of society. One of the many types of censorship takes place on the airwaves. Comedians, George Carlin, Howard Stern, and Mncow Muller had an enormous effect on the ideals of censorship in this era, trying to prove that the FCC had no right to censor radio airwaves. They questioned why words we all hear at home cannot be spoken on the radio if listeners are given a proper warning. However, there is no need for young children to be exposed to such lude material and the American people must be more reasonable about morals and stop worrying about our “First Amendment” rights.
Deciding on who makes the rules for censorship is tricky though. Should the power be in the people or in the government? Censorship should be permitted in limited cases… only a local government - preferably a school district - should be in charge with decisions to censor” (Wilson 6). While censorship is needed, people such as parents should decide how much or how little their child is censored such as what movies they watch or what internet sites they can go on. In Fahrenheit 451, the government controls all. As Bradbury notes in his work, “And then the government, seeing how advantageous it was to have people reading about only passionate lips and the fist in stomach, circled the situation with your fire-eaters” (Bradbury 85). With censorship, the government could go too far, which is why it is a good idea to let every state or county create their own rules and guidelines for censorship. As kids get older, censorship should be slightly let up.They should be old enough to make their own decisions. Wilson states,“Much of the debate over censorship revolves around protection children… School district trustees much balance their responsibility to ensure everyone is granted access to the best education… however, some materials are inappropriate for small children” (Wilson 6). Censorship should be used to protect children. Not just from websites, but websites with people that could harm them on it. Yet there comes an age
“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.
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.
Teachers suspended, radio and television personalities fired, authors disinvited to speaking events, all because their words, opinions or shows did not agree with what a handful of people consider appropriate. One would think these types of situations regarding censorship happened decades ago, not in a time now, where people pride themselves on having an open-mind and the ability of forward thinking. However, censorship still prevails in America today, and not only censorship of pornography or violence on television, but it seeps into our textbooks and classrooms too, all in the name of protecting the children.
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.
People think they can tell you what you can and can't do! People think we should not step out of a certain boundaries. that we all need to walk in a straight line. They say don't stray from your path. This is not 1915 anymore this is 2015 we have developed over time. Nowadays almost everyone cusses. people wear clothes our grandparents would be ashamed of. They go out in go to clubs and dance inappropriate, women sell there bodys.people are diffrent they are not shy, It's a new world so why censor things.
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.
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.
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 affects our society in many different ways, it affects the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the books we read, and many other aspects of our everyday lives. Even though many might argue that censorship doesn't really have a place in a society that emphases freedom of speech and the freedom to express oneself, but censorship is an essential and needed part of our growing society, it's needed in the television industry, the Internet, and the music industry. Censorship helps to make our world a better place because it creates a better environment for us to live in.