Censorship Needs a Facelift
...ing the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (Cornell) To follow the Bill of Rights exactly and to the respect that which it is entitled, means no censorship. An author’s piece of literature should be exempt from all forms of censorship. In certain circumstances, a slight form of censorship must be applied to material that can be harmful to a minor. Pornography is an example of this. Pornography is subject matter that can be harmful to children if they are exposed to it. Censorship wants to eliminate it all together, but that is not a solution because of infringement on the first amendment rights. Placing laws on it, like the government has done makes it difficult to gain access to it for a minor. It is not being fully censored so as not to allow it to anyone, but it is made difficult to receive for someone who is not of legal age. Doing this to controversial subject matter may be the alternative to censorship. Limiting sources in which to gain access of controversial material from, may be what is needed to appease all of the activists in the world. Movies and television programs are under the wrath of censors too. Many movies are edited numerous times to remove material that censors find offensive. Why is there a rating system if movie producers have to continuously edit movies to appeal to the censorship board? The rating system was specifically designed to inform people that a video or movie may contain material that is unsuitable for a minor to view, yet they have to censor the movie. It is uncalled for. A movie is an artist’s idea that should be expressed to its fullest extent. It should not be clipped and edited so as not to offend anyone. If a person does not care for the theme of a movie, a character motive, or any other artist ideals in the movie, then they simply should not attend. Television shows are a touchy subject. The are subject to different rules than motion pictures. The Federal Communications Commission, which is “an independent United States government agency, is directly responsible to Congress. The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. (fcc.gov)” What confuses people is that a TV show such as N.Y.P.D. Blue is allowed to say “shit” or “goddamn” and shows semi-nude people on it, yet on other channels and other shows, such language and adult situations are strongly prohibited. What makes one station better than another one? Anti-censorship people could be satisfied to see a show that is allowed to show more adult situations and language on one network, but other networks aren’t allowed to show uncensored episodes and movies. Certain movies and shows may use graphic language to stress the importance of a character’s mood and the way in which they feel a situation should be handled. A&E is a channel that in some circumstances should not be censored at all. “Programs from A&E make exciting and useful additions to middle school, junior high and high school curricula. To find out how, follow the links below -- they lead to resources to help teachers plan classroom discussions and research projects based on A&E's shows.”(AandE.com) Some shows on A&E educate young adults about the risks of sex and how to prevent teenage pregnancy if teens are sexually active. Some of the language used in these informative shows is considered by the FCC to be too vulgar and sexual in content. The fact is that they are, but they need to be. A teenager is more intrigued and will pay more attention if a show uses language of his or her level. Using slang words to relay a message is necessary when dealing with a mind that is accustomed to slang speech. A show considered to have an artistic theme is not as scrutinized by the FCC as other shows may be. An artistic show that depicts a female nude is not considered wrong because she is not posing in a sexual way. She is an artistic representation of an author’s creative mind. A woman posing erotically is an artistic representation of an author’s creative mind. What makes one circumstance be censored differently than another? The FCC needs to set up a system that is more explicit in detail as to what is vulgar and not allowed and what is not vulgar and is allowed. The last subject that I am writing about is censorship of the media (Newspapers and News on TV). The news on the TV is censored too much. There are many critical news stories that should not be censored and need to be showed in their entirety. When there are people in other countries who are being slaughtered, the government should not regulate the news coverage. War is not a pretty sight, and many people do know what goes on during war, but that still should not justify a reason for censorship of the news. People need to see the graphic images, they need to be aware, and they need to be shocked. Non-censorship of news will educate people as...