Abstract
Censorship is a means by which families and governments can filter exactly what the user is able to access. Some argue that censorship is necessary given all the questionable content in the world while others believe that censorship is a violation of free speech and expression. There are some that even feel as if “the powers that be” use censorship as a means of controlling the world. We will explore from different aspects what censorship is, how we are affected by it, and who is fighting for freedom of speech and artistic expression. CENSORSHIP
There are many views on the topic of censorship. Arguments are made every day on whether or not censorship is something that is needed in the world or if it is just something that is used by figures of authority to stifle the voice of the people. Arguments can also be made that a world without censorship would create a world where the media that we see and listen to every day such as TV, movies, and radio can be poisonous to us. Freedom of expression is a right that should not be ignored, but there is still an obligation to stay within limits of moral standards. There are a lot of things we can do in the world but does that give us the right to do them if they can be influential in a negative way to the next person? Whose responsibility is it to filter the information that we consume if we feel that censorship is wrong? If we are implementing censorship and it is stifling someone’s freedom of expression, are we really honoring someone’s right to express themselves? All of these questions can be raised in a debate surrounding censorship as a whole. Why, if we are to have freedom of speech and expression, does censorship exist? This question of why censorship exists could be answered in a lot of ways, on many different levels depending on whom you ask this question. Generally, censorship is in place to keep common decency in place and to filter information that is considered