Censorship is a Personal Decision Essay

Censorship is defined by Caso as the suppression of speech or any other public communication which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive politically incorrect as determined by the government or any other control body (3). Censorship may be justified from the conservative view whereby the free speech can be maltreated where it undermines the customary principles and communal solidity as withheld by a particular community.

The Framers of the Constitution guaranteed freedom of speech and expression to the citizens of the United States with the First Amendment, which

In the first amendment it states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion of prohibiting the free exercise there of; or abridging 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." The first amendment of the United States Constitution promises the right to freedom of religion and the freedom of expression from the government. Freedom of expression is made up of the rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly and to petition the government. The most common right of freedom of expression is the right of freedom of speech.

The First Amendment in the United States Constitution states ?Congress shall make no law?abridging the freedom of speech, or the press?? According to the Framers, the freedom to express individual views is vital to a free government and from their personal experience the freedom to write and

value in the work of choice. Seldom is the teacher or librarian alone in thinking

However, the first amendment is what protects the right to freedom of expression. The first amendment

The Columbia Encyclopedia defines censorship as the "official prohibition or restriction of any type of expression believed to threaten the political, social, or moral order". It is necessarily broad definition. 'Any type of expression' in fact, covers just about everything from clothing to print to movements and even to simply being. George Bernard Shaw described assassination as an "extreme form of censorship". It is now omnipresent in society and has been as long as society has existed. If one were to consider the course of an idea (and it is essentially ideas that are being censored) as its natural evolution, censorship takes this evolutionary course and disrupts and changes it, often until it is no longer the same

known as the World Wide Web is today's largest portion of the Internet as well

Censorship is synonymous to control, restriction, suppression and even editing. Now in the modern age when the world is rapidly shifting towards global equality and a democratic state of mind, it would seem that there is no place for these terms let alone these notions. However, when we often debate over certain policies and issues, we consider the “greater good” behind an action and thus set it in motion. Same is the mindset which governs the debate of the issue of censorship. In order to establish a society which is built upon mutual respect and tolerance for others, censorship plays a vital role in spinning the delicate fabric which separates different beliefs, norms and mindsets. In order to create a collective conscience and form common

The freedom to read is essential to the democratic way of life. But today, that

The movie industry became a big hit in America after 1910. These movies were silent movies so therefore; we didn’t have the problem with vulgar language. The first spoken movie was in 1927, called The Jazz Singer. At that time, the movie industry was so worried about keeping his or her audience happy and didn’t want to offend anyone. That we didn’t have the problems that we have today. In 1922, William H. Hays founded the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. This organization, which later became the Motion Picture Association of America, established a code to make sure that all movies produced in America followed certain moral standards. Foul language, nudity, the use of words that had sexual overtones to

Families all over America spend evening’s together watching t.v. This seems to be one of America’s favorite pastimes. But with all the violence that is involved with television programs the question arises on weither or not network television should be censored. It seems unlogical for theses censoring to take place. Network television should not be censored because of our freedom of speech rights, more violence is on cable, and it is the parent’s responsibility to monitor what children are viewing not the networks.

“Congress shall make no law…prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right to petition the government for a redress of government.”(Ravitch, 118) As stated in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, the people of this nation have the right to exercise their beliefs out loud, or in writing. With this in mind, does the government have the right to undermine the foundation of our nation, and censor what we read, watch, and listen to? Many people think not, but there are those who believe that censorship is better for the people.

Imagine a society without censorship, where everyone knows each other’s secrets, it would be lethal for society. What would happen if people knew one’s weaknesses?. There is evil that needs to be censored. Censorship is necessary in our society for many different reasons. It protects nations, prevents conflict in society, it protects the morals/privacy of people, and it is also helpful for children.

Why does anyone care if our society is aggressive? Does the kid who decides to fire a gun into his school do so because he watched Natural Born Killers? Is violence in our communities really causing anyone any abnormal amount of heartache? To the victims, and the families and friends of the victims, surely it does. Perhaps there are still some individuals who care just for the sake of caring, not because they are grieving a loss. But what does it all mean, and what is causing it? Some will point fingers at their televisions and movie theatres and assert that they are to blame. Not being one in the habit of pointing fingers and making absurd accusations, I will explain the free will of man and his inalienable