The Debate About Censorship - 1495 Words

The Debate about Censorship Censorship, the control of the information and ideas circulated within a society, has been a characteristic of dictatorships throughout history. In the 20th Century, censorship was achieved through the examination of books, plays, films, television and radio programs, news reports, and other forms of communication for the purpose of altering or suppressing ideas found to be objectionable or offensive. There have been assorted justifications for censorship, with some censors targeting material deemed to be indecent or obscene. Because of this, ideas have been suppressed under the disguise of protecting three basic social institutions: the family, the church, and the state. In Ray Bradbury’s book, Farenheit 451,†¦show more content†¦After a U.S. District Court in Maryland first ruled the book was protected under the First Amendment, the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed this ruling because Paladin provided its assistance to the murder with both the knowledge and the intent that the book would immediately be used by criminals in the solicitation, planning and commission of murder. Second, in the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and nine followers were found guilty of violating a law that makes planning to wage war against the government a crime. Federal prosecutors argued that exhortations to his followers amounted to directing a violent conspiracy. In 1999, the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said, the Bill of Rights does not protect an individual who uses a public speech to commit crimes. The court ruled that the First Amendment did not protect Rahman because his speech was not simply the expression of ideas. Instead it was used to instruct, solicit or persuade others to commit crimes and violence. Now, to change sides and show some viewpoint for the argument against censorship, there are a few main topics that are discussed when this topic of censorship is brought up: restricts Amendment Rights, not objective and bias. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag’s society has abandonedShow MoreRelatedMusic Censorship1016 Words   |  5 PagesKevin Ung Professor Vazquez English 101 October 9, 2007 Music Censorship I enjoy and love music very much. I feel that music artists should have the right to freely express their work and I feel that I should argue about the censorship attacks on these artists. I’m tired of listening to a good song on the radio with some of the words censored. It ruins the song and I can’t stand it. Some people think that rap is a bad influence and causes the young to behave badly. But I think all this censoringRead More The Censorship Debate795 Words   |  4 Pages The Censorship Debate nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Do words such as nigger, bitch, or ass offend you?nbsp; The answer may seem clear cut, but our nation has been struggling with the issue of censorship almost since its conception.nbsp; To many, the aforementioned words are a part of their everyday vocabulary; to others, they are vulgar and unacceptable.nbsp; The issue of censorship is much more than just words.nbsp; There have been huge controversies over the negative ideas andRead MoreThe Censorship of Pornography1581 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Censorship of Pornography: Censorship is vital and takes place on a daily basis in the modern society even in nations that state their respect and maintenance of the freedom of speech. For instance, there are several regulations that restrict broadcasters in the kind of programmes to be transmitted as specific times of the day. The other ways with which censorship happens every day is through the laws that forbid people from expressing themselves publicly toward particular political or ethnicRead MoreInternet Censorship Essay886 Words   |  4 PagesInternet Censorship Presently, it seems that the Internet is playing a very important role in everyones daily life. This multipurpose network has many different functions useful for everyday work and entertainment. Due to the freedom of the Internet various debates and protests have come to disagree with its open form of communication. Because of the misuse of the internet many people believe that there should be some kind of internet censorship, while others are against internet censorshipRead MoreFeminism and Pornography: Differing Views1221 Words   |  5 PagesThe pornography debate has been an issue within the feminist movement that has been pushed to the periphery in recent times. It is not as widely seen on the main stage of the feminist agenda and this may be because of a division in feminist thought with regards to pornography. Generally speaking, there are â€Å"pro-sex† feminists who believe that women have the right to do what they wish with their bodies and there are â€Å"pro-ce nsorship† feminists who believe pornography is inherently degrading and violentRead MoreEssay on Censorship is Not the Answer983 Words   |  4 PagesCensorship is Not the Answer Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press. - First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution This is true liberty when free born men, having to advise the public, may speak free. -Euripides, Fifth Century B.C. There is room for all of us - and our divergent view - under the First Amendment. - Spiro Agnew ... They have expelled Huck from their library as trash and suitable only for the slums. That will sell 25,000Read MoreMedia Censorship1427 Words   |  6 PagesApril 30, 2011 Media Censorship in the United States Censorship has existed for longer than we could ever imagine. One of the first acts of state sponsored censorship occurred in 399 B.C. when Socrates, was executed for the â€Å"supposed common good of the people† (Guarding Public Morality, 2010, p.1). Socrates was a teacher and a philosopher in ancient Greece. His teaching methods were controversial for the time, and he was charged with corrupting the youth and drawing them away from the GreekRead MoreMusic Censorship1092 Words   |  5 Pagesthe government for a redress of grievances, censorship in America still exists in a big way. Music censorship is the term used to describe the act of editing, altering, or preventing the listener from hearing the music as the artist created it in order to either deny certain information or to act as a moral gatekeeper of potentially harmful material (http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~barndollar/courses/spring98/students/fabfive/index.html). The Censorship of music in the United Stated is do cumented asRead MoreThe Invention Of The World Wide Web1674 Words   |  7 PagesEver since the creation of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989, there have been many questions that have arisen about the invention and the effects of it. From people trying to figure out how to use it and connect it from one place to another, to wondering if it were safe, there have always and will continue to be questions about the great creation. As time has passed and the web has gotten more sophisticated, more questions are constantly brought up wondering how safe the internet is forRead MoreInternet Censorship Essay example968 Words   |  4 Pagesof dangers and harms for the users (especially for children). In Australia, the idea of ‘internet censorship’ began since 2003 by the Australia’s prominent think tank when researched about online habit of Australian teenagers and the dangers related to internet. This essay will discuss about the advantages and disadvantage s of internet censorship plan in Australia. The Australian internet censorship plan has some advantages. First of all, it protects children out of trouble with the daily life,