Is Censorship Necessary?
Brandon Hewett
Every day there are thousands of people who say a thousand different things. They express their freedom as an American citizen in public, on television, and on the internet freely without a care in the world. Even with the knowledge that they have the right to freedom of speech many people every day are subject to censorship. Many people are forced to bite their tongues because what they say is not approved by everybody and this is what leads to many different arguments. Censorship should not be enforced as strictly as it is today; it should be taken less seriously when it comes to television and the internet. We should all have the right to say what we want and not have our thoughts and feelings covered up from the world. All of this can lead to the argument that has been going on for a very long time now which is, is censorship necessary?
Many Americans come in touch with censorship on almost a daily basis, whether it is on television or on the internet (debate). Images are blurred out, words are bleeped and certain scenes in television and movies can be cut out. Now in most cases these things are censored in order to protect viewers who may find it offensive, but at other times higher authorities censor any negative comments that come up that involve anything that could bring them undesirable publicity. Nowadays when it comes to television it seems that most programs have something belligerent in them; whether its profanity, drugs, or even sex you can find these at almost any time on television. Even with censors you can still see and hear these things on certain programs. Let’s be honest, we all can tell what the bleeped words on certain television shows are so you would think that they would not bother censoring them in the first place. One of the reasons that are usually given for this is to keep children from learning bad words and seeing things that should be exposed to them at a young age. This is where parents should step in and monitor their children, censored or not, they should keep a close eye on things. One option that many parents choose to go with in today’s time is parental control on television. They can have locks placed on certain channels in order to keep their children from viewing inappropriate content. It seems that nowadays even with censored programs most people can still tell what is going on, even younger children, so why are the censors there?
One thing about censorship that some people fail to realize is that it hides certain details about various things. This can mainly be found if you watch a news story and they cover something shocking or horrible that has happened (media). When someone watches the news they expect to hear everything about something that is currently taking place or that has already happened, but in many cases the news team hides certain images and video. In most cases they do this because certain government officials want them to hide the content in order to protect the viewers. Sounds like they care, but when the viewer’s find out many of them are outraged that not only the news team are hiding important facts, but also the government takes part in it. Personally I would want to know every little detail about something going on because hiding some of the details is dishonest. If somebody did not want to hear about certain content then they have the choice not to listen which reinstates the fact that censorship is over used.
As an American citizen we have the right to freedom of speech but censorship completely violates it. It is understandable that some people say things that go too far but even the slightest negative comment is taken to offense (philosophy). The government takes some comments too seriously and they censor many of the thoughts that people express. They step it up even more whenever a comment about the government is anywhere near the negative side. Censorship suppresses our freedom to express ourselves which is in clear violation of our rights, but even with that in mind it is still allowed and regulated frequently (debate). If you felt very strong about something and you wanted to express your mind and feelings towards it how would you feel if someone told you that you couldn’t? Censorship, let alone anything should not be able keep anyone from expressing themselves just because every one doesn’t agree with it. According to a few number of authors who have covered censorship they state that “Withholding of information only leads to ignorance in the society,” and “Censorship has been misused in the past.” (Buzzle.) It’s a well-known fact that censorship was misused in the past but it still is today in every way possible whether it involves keeping a person’s feelings quiet or editing something on television.
There are many options for the people who support censorship that they can utilize to keep things out of their lives that they do not want to see that would not require heavy censorship. Think about parents who want to keep their children from seeing things on television that is not appropriate for them to see. There are certain parental blocks that can be set up by a local cable company that allows parents to lock certain channels from access and even add a security code to ensure that no minor gains access to the content. Does this seem pretty simple compared to widespread editing of television? It’s all about choice and taking control of the things that allow in your life whether it is family friendly or not. Instead of ruining the fun and entertainment for everyone, how about leaving it to the people who do not want anything too colorful in their lives to take control and keep it away from themselves.
Anyone who has thoughts or feelings about certain things should have the complete right to speak or write about them freely. This is what was written in the Constitution and what helped shape the freedom of not just an average citizen but the entire country (media). Why does censorship have to be necessary to protect us if we have the choice to not view or listen to something? There are too many restrictions on things we have the right to in today’s time and this will probably stick around for quite a while no matter how over used it is. Censorship isn’t necessary to the extent where someone cannot speak or write about a certain thing at all without consequence. It really should be taken less seriously in order to give everyone a more rule free way of thinking and expressing themselves.
Brandon Hewett
Every day there are thousands of people who say a thousand different things. They express their freedom as an American citizen in public, on television, and on the internet freely without a care in the world. Even with the knowledge that they have the right to freedom of speech many people every day are subject to censorship. Many people are forced to bite their tongues because what they say is not approved by everybody and this is what leads to many different arguments. Censorship should not be enforced as strictly as it is today; it should be taken less seriously when it comes to television and the internet. We should all have the right to say what we want and not have our thoughts and feelings covered up from the world. All of this can lead to the argument that has been going on for a very long time now which is, is censorship necessary?
Many Americans come in touch with censorship on almost a daily basis, whether it is on television or on the internet (debate). Images are blurred out, words are bleeped and certain scenes in television and movies can be cut out. Now in most cases these things are censored in order to protect viewers who may find it offensive, but at other times higher authorities censor any negative comments that come up that involve anything that could bring them undesirable publicity. Nowadays when it comes to television it seems that most programs have something belligerent in them; whether its profanity, drugs, or even sex you can find these at almost any time on television. Even with censors you can still see and hear these things on certain programs. Let’s be honest, we all can tell what the bleeped words on certain television shows are so you would think that they would not bother censoring them in the first place. One of the reasons that are usually given for this is to keep children from learning bad words and seeing things that should be exposed to them at a young age. This is where parents should step in and monitor their children, censored or not, they should keep a close eye on things. One option that many parents choose to go with in today’s time is parental control on television. They can have locks placed on certain channels in order to keep their children from viewing inappropriate content. It seems that nowadays even with censored programs most people can still tell what is going on, even younger children, so why are the censors there?
One thing about censorship that some people fail to realize is that it hides certain details about various things. This can mainly be found if you watch a news story and they cover something shocking or horrible that has happened (media). When someone watches the news they expect to hear everything about something that is currently taking place or that has already happened, but in many cases the news team hides certain images and video. In most cases they do this because certain government officials want them to hide the content in order to protect the viewers. Sounds like they care, but when the viewer’s find out many of them are outraged that not only the news team are hiding important facts, but also the government takes part in it. Personally I would want to know every little detail about something going on because hiding some of the details is dishonest. If somebody did not want to hear about certain content then they have the choice not to listen which reinstates the fact that censorship is over used.
As an American citizen we have the right to freedom of speech but censorship completely violates it. It is understandable that some people say things that go too far but even the slightest negative comment is taken to offense (philosophy). The government takes some comments too seriously and they censor many of the thoughts that people express. They step it up even more whenever a comment about the government is anywhere near the negative side. Censorship suppresses our freedom to express ourselves which is in clear violation of our rights, but even with that in mind it is still allowed and regulated frequently (debate). If you felt very strong about something and you wanted to express your mind and feelings towards it how would you feel if someone told you that you couldn’t? Censorship, let alone anything should not be able keep anyone from expressing themselves just because every one doesn’t agree with it. According to a few number of authors who have covered censorship they state that “Withholding of information only leads to ignorance in the society,” and “Censorship has been misused in the past.” (Buzzle.) It’s a well-known fact that censorship was misused in the past but it still is today in every way possible whether it involves keeping a person’s feelings quiet or editing something on television.
There are many options for the people who support censorship that they can utilize to keep things out of their lives that they do not want to see that would not require heavy censorship. Think about parents who want to keep their children from seeing things on television that is not appropriate for them to see. There are certain parental blocks that can be set up by a local cable company that allows parents to lock certain channels from access and even add a security code to ensure that no minor gains access to the content. Does this seem pretty simple compared to widespread editing of television? It’s all about choice and taking control of the things that allow in your life whether it is family friendly or not. Instead of ruining the fun and entertainment for everyone, how about leaving it to the people who do not want anything too colorful in their lives to take control and keep it away from themselves.
Anyone who has thoughts or feelings about certain things should have the complete right to speak or write about them freely. This is what was written in the Constitution and what helped shape the freedom of not just an average citizen but the entire country (media). Why does censorship have to be necessary to protect us if we have the choice to not view or listen to something? There are too many restrictions on things we have the right to in today’s time and this will probably stick around for quite a while no matter how over used it is. Censorship isn’t necessary to the extent where someone cannot speak or write about a certain thing at all without consequence. It really should be taken less seriously in order to give everyone a more rule free way of thinking and expressing themselves.
Works Cited
"American Civil Liberties Union." American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. "By the People, For the People." Philosophy Now. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. "Media." About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. "The Premier Online Debate Website | Debate.org." The Premier Online Debate Website | Debate.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. www.buzzle.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. |