Censorship from Obscene Material - 1066 Words

Censorship From Obscene Material Today, in the 1990s, citizens in our society are being bombarded with obscene material from every direction. From the hate lyrics of Guns N Roses to the satanic lyrics of Montley Crue and Marilyn Manson to the sexually explicit graphical content of todays movies, the issue is how much society is going to permit and where we, as a society, should we draw the line. The freedom of speech has always been considered a right, but that doesnt mean that you can shout, Fire! in a crowded movie theater. The real question is whether such material is harmful or dangerous to our society. Many people are asking whether or not we should censor offensive material. They believe that some material is too†¦show more content†¦The critics of this point of view think that private-sector censorship will not be enough. They believe that the entertainment industry will not be able to control itself. Private-sector restrictions do not have the authority of the law, therefore they cannot succes sfully draw the line between what can and cannot be said in public. The third and final possible solution is no censorship at all. While many Americans are troubled by what they feel is offensive speech, and feel that it should be restricted by law, advocates of the third solution disagree. They feel that there is more harm in restricting free speech than by the offensive speech itself. In the bill of rights, the first amendment says, Congress shall make no long abridging the freedom of speech. The first amendment was intended to protect the minorities from the tyranny of the majorities. The advocates of this view feel that the minority has a right to express themselves regardless of the opinion of the majority. Free speech matters because it encourages creativity. Without the freedom of speech, America would probably be dull and drab like a communist country such as the former USSR. For example, the comedy of Andrew Dice Clay, considered offensive by some, shouldnt be censor ed from those who find him humorousShow MoreRelatedStudies in Contemporary Literature: Free Speech1622 Words   |  7 Pages Censorship is the suppression of speech or other public communication which may be considered objectable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or inconvenient as determined as determined by the government, media outlet, or other controlling bodies (Wikipedia, 1). This can be done by governments and private organizations or by individuals who engage in self-censorship which is the act of censoring or classifying one’s own work like blog, books, films, or other means of expression, out of theRead MoreThe Debate of Censorship766 Words   |  4 Pagesfar does that freedom extend? Does the right to express yourself include the right to observe the expressions of others? According to pro-censorship view holders, it does not. But to those who feel strongly against censorship, the freedom of information, or the â€Å"right to know,† should be an absolute right granted to the American public. Censoring material is the responsibility of the individual, not the institution itself, and certainly not the job of a separate institution. Also, the definitionRead MoreEssay on censorship846 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"Censorship is the act of suppressing publications, movies, television programs, plays, letters, and so on that are considered to be obscene, blasphemous, or politically unacceptable† (MccGwire 4). Censorship should be enforced because it is needed into today’s society. Censorship needs to be used in media, hate speech, and obscene material. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;To begin with, the media has very negative effect on society as a whole. â€Å"The mass media—movies, television, and recordings—needRead MoreThe Case Of Samuel Roth921 Words   |  4 Pages2. Facts of the Case Samuel Roth was prosecuted for violating a federal statute that made it illegal to send, â€Å"obscene, lewd, lascivious, or filthy,† content in the mail. Roth published the magazine American Aphrodite which had nude photos. David Alberts was prosecuted for publishing photos of naked women. Both men appealed to the Supreme Court and their cases were merged together. 3. Questions of the Case Did the California or Federal Statute violate David Albert and Samuel Roth’s First AmendmentRead More Television Censorship Essay522 Words   |  3 PagesTelevision Censorship Censorship in television is a very debatable topic in today’s media and social realms. Nowadays what is considered appropriate by many may actually be considered explicit or unsuitable by the people in charge. Some may wonder ‘who is deemed so highly that they can decide what is and is not appropriate to watch. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is ‘responsible for administratively enforcing the law that governs what is and is not appropriate. Within this articleRead MoreThe Importance Of Internet Censorship1378 Words   |  6 PagesInternet Censorship The Internet has become a growing source of entertainment and information over the past years. As more and more people become familiar with the Internet, the potential of its contents grows rapidly, at an uncontrollable rate. With something such as the Internet, which contains virtually an infinite amount of space, more is being added than taken away. Therefore with the growing amount of users, the content grows as well. Different people use the Internet for different things withRead MoreThe Censorship Of Radio Censorship1208 Words   |  5 Pagesbecomes threatened through censorship which infringes and hinders artistic expression. Radio stations use censorship to edit explicit music in hopes of preserving adolescent innocence, however; there in no value in radio censorship. The significance of radio censorship is diminished because editing music for radio play is ineffective in blocking the nature of a song, radio stations kill the authenticity of music, and songs lose their integr ity. For example, radio censorship is pointless due to itsRead MoreEssay on America Needs Music Censorship550 Words   |  3 PagesAmerica Needs Music Censorship â€Å"Obscene: so excessive as to be offensive† (http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary). This is the way the Webster dictionary defines obscene. How do you? Some say obscene is vulgar; others say the best way to describe obscene is through disgust. No matter how it is thought of, obscene material is everywhere in society. Television is becoming more liberal, magazines are less edited, and music is more abrasive. At some point, the public must put its foot downRead MoreThe Supreme Court Standard of Obscenity Evolution since 1950 1195 Words   |  5 PagesThere has been a lot of debate on the legal understandings of term obscene and its usage. Constitutionally, the term is used to define certain behaviors or expressions in motion pictures, art or literature. The law tries to look at the effects that obscenity would have on the morals of the people or on the minds of those that see the material. It also considered the effect some publications would have on the hands tha t they might fall in. There has been an evolution of the whole idea over the yearsRead MoreEssay about Censorship943 Words   |  4 Pages Censorship The freedom to read is essential to the democratic way of life. But today, that freedom is under attack. Private groups and public authorities everywhere are working to remove both books and periodicals from sale, to exclude certain books from public schools, to censor and silence magazines and newspapers, and to limit quot;controversialquot; books and periodicals to the general public. The suppression of reading materials is suppression of creative thought. Books and periodicals