Censorship and Social Harmony
Censorship has been defined as ‘the removal of material that is deemed or judged offensive to any sector of the population.’ Many have wondered, “Just how beneficial is censorship to man, when is it enough and does it help?” It is my view however; that there is no clear answer to that question, for censorship has its fair balance of advantages and disadvantages.
One advantage that most people can agree on is that censorship protects the young, the innocent and the vulnerable. It is built on the premise that we don’t always know what is good for us, we don’t always discern and as a result we don’t always know what should be removed. For example, many movies on television are censored. However, a research study performed by the Concordia University of the United States, found that there are over one thousand images of violence on primetime television per week! People don’t realize the effects of this, it’s desensitizing, there is increased violence and the inability to differentiate reality from fantasy. It pollutes their mind and they eventually emulate what they see. One example that can prove this, is an incident that occurred in the year 1996 in England. Two-year-old Jamie Bulger was kidnapped by two ten year olds outside a shopping mall. They dragged him two miles on a train railway and beat and mutilated his head continuously. Upon investigation, they said that they had viewed “Child’s Play II” over one hundred times and were emulating parts of the movie. This shows the influence of television and the need to protect these minds.
However, while this is a valid reason for censorship, I do believe that it goes against freedom of choice. People should be able to choose what they want to view and make their own judgments. When it comes to the young and the innocent, parents should be the primary censors. Which is why I believe that the lack of censorship in “Child’s Play II” should not be considered fully responsible for the unfortunate and gruesome incident
One advantage that most people can agree on is that censorship protects the young, the innocent and the vulnerable. It is built on the premise that we don’t always know what is good for us, we don’t always discern and as a result we don’t always know what should be removed. For example, many movies on television are censored. However, a research study performed by the Concordia University of the United States, found that there are over one thousand images of violence on primetime television per week! People don’t realize the effects of this, it’s desensitizing, there is increased violence and the inability to differentiate reality from fantasy. It pollutes their mind and they eventually emulate what they see. One example that can prove this, is an incident that occurred in the year 1996 in England. Two-year-old Jamie Bulger was kidnapped by two ten year olds outside a shopping mall. They dragged him two miles on a train railway and beat and mutilated his head continuously. Upon investigation, they said that they had viewed “Child’s Play II” over one hundred times and were emulating parts of the movie. This shows the influence of television and the need to protect these minds.
However, while this is a valid reason for censorship, I do believe that it goes against freedom of choice. People should be able to choose what they want to view and make their own judgments. When it comes to the young and the innocent, parents should be the primary censors. Which is why I believe that the lack of censorship in “Child’s Play II” should not be considered fully responsible for the unfortunate and gruesome incident