Media Censorship Essay, Research Paper

censoring & # 8221 ; Censorship & # 8221 ; ” The vocal [ Cop Killer ] is fiction, non fact. At no point did I travel out and state & # 8217 ; Let & # 8217 ; s do it. & # 8217 ; I am singing in the first individual as a character who is fed up with policebrutality. I ain & # 8217 ; t ne’er killed no bull. I felt like it a batch of times. But I ne’er did & # 8221 ; -Rapper Ice-T, National Review, July 20, 1992. Statements such as that has started an on traveling argument about censoring in thetelevision and music industry. What precisely is censoring? Some feel censoring is aviolation of the first amendment right. Others say censoring is a must in the violent, opprobrious universe we call & # 8220 ; society & # 8221 ; . Who has the right to ban? Who doesn & # 8217 ; t? What needsto be censored, and what doesn & # 8217 ; t? The fact of the affair is that their are the pro & # 8217 ; s andcon & # 8217 ; s in the music and amusement industry about censoring. Since its innovation earlier this century, telecasting has become the most popularformat for amusement. We can be entertained, informed, and inspired by plans onTV. In fact, Americans love Television so much that we likely watch far excessively much of it. TVstations are going less restrictive about content in their plans. More force, profanity, and nakedness than of all time earlier now graces our Television screens every dark. Clearly, there are things that kids should non be seeing on Television. The new V-chip legislationpassed be Congress requires all Television industries to put in an electronic device that allowsparents to put the tolerance degrees for force, profanity, and nakedness. However, arechildren & # 8217 ; s sing wonts the duty of the authorities or the parents? There are several statements that can be made on censoring on Television. One forexample, what the pro & # 8217 ; s for censoring? What are the con & # 8217 ; s? The are a batch of good pointsand bad points about censoring on Television. A good point that can be made is that there are alot of force and profanity on the & # 8220 ; tube & # 8221 ; . This can be clearly stopped by the new V-chiplegislation merely passed. But would the V-chip automatic censor block out such violentdramas a & # 8220 ; Schindler & # 8217 ; s List, & # 8221 ; & # 8220 ; Root. & # 8221 ; or & # 8220 ; Gone With the Wind? & # 8221 ; Would manufacturers do atelevision mini-series about the bloody Civil War, which really probably would be blocked astoo violent, or base on balls on such a undertaking for fright of censoring? Another good point to

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r certain TV shows is the theme of the show or movie. For example, “The Simpson”and Married…With Children” encourage children to disrespect their parents. But forfamilies that watch TV together and discuss the good, bad and the ugly don’t need notstinking v-chip. The lines of communication are open, and children are taught what isacceptable and what is not. By relying on a transistor to do their parenting for them, manyadults will fall even more out of touch with their children, who will spend more time tryingto get around technology to watch shows they’re not supposed to watch. Those are just afew minor points about censorship in TV, but the same points can be made about thecensorship in music as well. To many, music is the language of the soul. In the past, the musician’s right tocontrol his work was not in question. This has begun to change in recent years, however,as the lyrics to popular music have become more explicit. Is a rap group portraying reallife in the ghetto, or a heavy-metal band singing about suicide, protected as artisticexpression? Or do these songs really influence society, becoming a cause of violence andhate instead of merely an expression of them? Is government censorship of offensive and violent lyrics a way to improve society,or simply controlling who offend the wrong people. Many artist claim they are just usingthe freedom of speech amendment and singing and writing about whatever they please.But to others, the real intentions of the would-be music censors is to impose on allAmericans the tastes and values of political power brokers who don’t connect withexperiences and concerns of the young and alienated. According to the “would-be”censors free speech does not include the right to yell “fire!” in a crowded theater. Mostlyrics go a lot further than that. The artist need to acknowledge that there are obviouslysome correlation between the negative and violent messages that are being put out inmany tapes and the violence that exists out there in the real world, is a major reason touphold censorship,People can go on and on why music and TV should be censored and why is shouldnot. This is an debate that will go well into the 21st century. But the real question is willthe music get more explicit and TV get more and more violent. Only the test of time willfind out.