Censorship has in one form or the other prevailed in society over centuries. A this-is-right-and-this-is-wrong standpoint by any one particular body only serves to create feelings of unrest and consternation in one party or the other and hence should not be advocated. The ambiguity of what can or cannot be viewed only lends itself to such controversy. It is for each individual to decide for himself/herself, what content is appropriate and what is not, and in the case of a minor it is the responsibility of the concerned guardian or parent.
That the reduction in portrayal of violence in the media will somehow decrease crime rate is an argument that is flawed from the word 'that'. The causes of violence go beyond portrayals of anger and might in the media, and those are the ones that need to be researched and dealt with. An argument based on such a basis is comparable to claiming that it is the printing industry that is responsible for child abuse, that the banks are being robbed because Mr. Bachan does it in some movie, or that children have started smoking because they've heard that Mr. Khan does so.
Allowing censorship by a governing body would mean handing over a tool to certain sects of society that would not hesitate to use this to further their own propaganda, which is NOT unheard of in today's world. For example, a dictatorial regime could use such policing to suppress the spread of politically sensitive content and the rise of resistance. Or a theocratic government, as we have seen in the case of Europe, could use and has used such means to oppress the masses, thwart invention and the hinder the quest for knowledge. Governments have been known to and accused of using censorship to falsify scientific research, school- textbook material, amongst other things to abet its own interests.
Also, in the world of the world wide web it is absolutely farcical to think it is possible to try and control what content is available, what can be viewed and by whom. The problem is only compounded by the fact that the technology is only emerging and is hence more vulnerable.
Censorship not only curbs the right to freedom of expression but also prevents open debate about sensitive social and religious issues like homosexuality, prostitution, etc. An intellectually stimulating discussion of such like matter is of prime importance in not only creating awareness but also in impeding the creation and spread of fanatical sentiments.
Promotion of sensible and realistic censorship at home is a more pragmatic proposition. Yes, young minds are impressionable- but it would be fallacious to think that one could control somehow a child's perception by just removing a few scenes from a movie or beeping the bad words. It could be just an ordinary bus ride that could teach him about chain snatching, absolutely atrocious language and sexual abuse- what do you, stop him from taking the bus? Parental guidance is the need of the hour. The concerned bodies can be brought in to bring about regulation of timing of shows, after a survey and a generalization of the TV-time that children are allowed- this being the extent to which these bodies are allowed to exert power.
To conclude, it is absolutely imperative that a child/ person be aware of what is happening in and around the world he lives in and later has to face. This will facilitate the individual in equipping himself/herself to not only thrive but also prosper by making informed decisions that are based on a thorough understanding and analysis of consequences of what has happened and issues that are being created by what is happening today. Disallowing particular things in one region of the world is not going to stop people from just migrating to a place where these things are not illegal. Only prevention of the availability of "improper" content in public media does not in any way reduce the chances of a person being exposed to them, and in these cases caught unawares.
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Sentences you've GOT to use at least once in your lifetime
1. It was neither the lack of acuity nor that of acumen that actuated her drop into an abyss of academic abasement and her climb to the acme of acerbity ever seen in a lady.
2. The hirsute hoary filled with hubris of his hortatory talent failed to see how humdrum his homilies actually were.
You really haven't said anything new. While I agree with your essay, you're only repeating obvious arguments against censorship. A different or more nuanced take on the subject would have been more interesting. When you disagree with the idea of censorship, I think you need to try as hard as you can to justify the opposite stance - that is, justify censorship - to yourself.
Is censorship always bad? Does censorship - the kind you are attacking here - ever help society? Can it? An examination of these questions would have been better than a total dismissal of censorship.
@Koze: Thanks. I get what you're saying, maybe with another topic I can do that.
It's just that I wrote this with a particular pattern in mind, the kind that I needed for what I was writing for.
At least you still visit this page in blogger space!
SG.
what a coincidence! i just handed in my 7500-word dissertation on the lines of the same topic! i was doing banned books, focusing on the motivation and methodology of a ban, banned books in india, and banned children's books.
and to relax myself, i log onto your website and see the same thing! there are forces at work.
I think censorship should be practised only in three situations:
1) where national security is compromised, again defining national security should not be on the whims of the regulators.
2) where undue panic may be caused (like in the case of 26/11)
3) where there is extreme violence/sexuality depicted (or at least a disclaimer before the content)
May be this is not the kind of censorship you were discussing in your essay. Besides this perhaps, I disapprove of any form of censorship.
Why the intense vocabulary in the closing sentences? Preparing for some exam again?
I'm really impressed by your expression on the issue. You know, I'm a student and my task is to speak about censorship, if you don't mind, I'd love to share some of your ideas, because they are brilliant! (my native language is Russian, so I'm just learning English, and it would be great if to learn such perfect expressions which you've managed to create)