censorship of violence
Why does anyone care if our society is aggressive? Does the kid who decides to fire a gun into his school do so because he watched Natural Born Killers? Is violence in our communities really causing anyone any abnormal amount of heartache? To the victims, and the families and friends of the victims, surely it does. Perhaps there are still some individuals who care just for the sake of caring, not because they are grieving a loss. But what does it all mean, and what is causing it? Some will point fingers at their televisions and movie theatres and assert that they are to blame. Not being one in the habit of pointing fingers and making absurd accusations, I will explain the free will of man and his inalienable rights to free speech. To censor television and motion pictures because of one faction's set of morals is earily similar to book burning. Censorship of media messages is an explicit violation of our constitutionally protected right to expression, and as such, should not be looked to as a solution for modern-day violence in society. The First Amendment states; "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." (Jefferson, US Constitution). We are an enlightened population well-versed i
The programs in between the commercials we watch are no more controlling despite the fact that the commercial's sole duty is to convince and manipulate. We analyze the messages we receive, and decide what is worth retaining and what is worth disposing of. It is one's personal responsibility to be accountable for what images and themes they accept. Our society celebrates diversity and is a sampling of numerous cultures and modes of thinking. They are not yet able to make educated, aware decisions concerning what they view. In looking at current outbreaks of new types of violence, and blaming them on media messages, we overlook violence's historic omnipresence. In his lifetime he had one painting sell and was ridiculed by his peers insistently. We all have the right and ability to express ourselves, and to analyze the messages we receive. Since the dawn of time, man has instinctively acted out in violence for food and self-preservation. New ideas and thoughts propagate improvement. The duty of protecting our children and selves from messages we find undesirable now falls upon us. Censorship of violence in the media falls upon the viewers; if you don't like what you see, turn off the television. We have the right to express ourselves openly in many outlets.
Common topics in this essay:
Island Nations,
United Handicapper,
Night Censorship,
Ford Explorer,
Freedom Speech,
Born Killers,
Paternalistic Moralism,
Morality Generals,
William Shakespeare,
,
media messages,
violence society,
freedom expression,
motion pictures,
violence media,
constitutionally protected,
protected expression looked,
personal responsibility,
role government,
solution modern-day,
expression looked solution,
pictures television,
constitutionally protected expression,
messages explicit violation,
explicit violation constitutionally,
|