In Defense Of Censorship Essay, Research Paper

In a world in which acts of heinous violence, murder, or crude and shocking behavior seem to be a normal occurrence, it may lead one to wonder what has put society onto this slippery slope. How did this type of behavior come to be so acceptable and in some cases glorifiable? A careful study of society may lead to multi media as being the main cause in this changing of ideals. The modern world has become desensitized to the acts shown on television, movies, video games or printed in news papers and magazines. Censorship must be employed if morals and decency are to be preserved.

One of the culprits of criminal behavior is T.V. violence. Violent programs may have a negative influence on those individuals who are already violence-prone, or children who are living through vulnerable periods of their development. Adult violent offenders tend to have shown certain personality features as children, “one being they tended to have viewed violence on television” (Congressional Digest). Furthermore, the amounts of violence on television continues to grow. A typical child watched eight thousand murders and one hundred thousand acts of violence before finishing elementary school. When displayed this often, how can people not become desensitized to criminal acts? By allowing this type of material to be openly exposed to the public we are endangering safety and society?s values. Without control of what material is delivered to the masses, we cannot expect people to have a proper sense of right and wrong as they will constantly see the horrific things that happen in the false reality of the media and become immune to feelings of disgust toward such atrocious deeds. Controlling what is viewed on television is the responsibility of the government in order to decrease violence in the real world.

More evidence that shows censorship may be positive is explained when we examine what drives delinquent activity. To see this we must take a look at what is inside the mind of a criminal. Eighty-one percent of criminals rate pornography as their highest sexual interest. This means that a clear majority of criminals like pornography and find it highly interesting. Most other people probably rank other human beings as their highest sexual interest. Further evidence of the relation between pornography and crime is seen when an adult bookstore is closed; the crime rate in the surrounding areas falls significantly. With this we see that censorship is a helpful idea for America. Taking away pornography from criminals may allow their minds to focus on other things and could prove to be an important tool in the reform of hardened criminals.

Another issue that deserves addressing is the lack of censorship in public facilities. Librarians have often complained about the lack of control they have over what the patrons view on the computers in the library. Websites featuring pictures of lewd sexual acts are often left to be displayed on the screens for library workers and other patrons to find who do not want to see this kind of material. Some patrons are often children, these being the people who should be protected most from this type of exposure. This type of atmosphere also leads to increased sexual harassment. People unwilling to view things such as pornography should not have to be subjected to this matter in order to do their job or use a public computer. Clearly, censorship in this type of situation would be of a great benefit to society.

When these points are taken into account we can see that censorship is a necessity in society today. It will allow our children a better chance to develop in a healthy way. Without crime being pushed onto society everyday, deviant thoughts might not be so deeply set into impressionable individuals. In addition, people would not have to worry if they are going to view something that will disturb them when they want to use a public service such as a computer at a library. Censorship is not taking away the rights of citizens, it is protecting the rights of people who do not wish to be exposed to certain things. It is also a great tool in preserving morals and social order. Violence in things such as movies and pornography are obvious to encourage criminal, or immoral behavior. Restricting such materials to certain times and places may keep them being viewed as taboo, and not allow them to become the norms of society. When these grounds are considered, we can see that censorship is a beneficial tool and must be applied in order to keep society at a safe, respectable, and just level.

Works Cited

?Complaint Against the Minneapolis Public Library.?

Tech Law Journal 2 May. 2000.

?Censorship? Congressional Digest 10 August. 1998.

http://www.congestionaldigest.com

?Talking points: On-line censorship, pornography, and gun control.?

LP News March. 1996. http://www.lp.org/lpn/9603-talking.html