Most Common Examples Of Censorship example essay topic

The 1st Amendment clearly states that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the exercise of abridging the freedom of speech or the right of the people to peaceably to assemble. Throughout my brief existence I've witnessed and personally experienced the influential power of speech, whether utilized for good or evil. Yet this universal force, that if place in the wrong hands, has more destructive intensity then all the world's nuclear arsenal together. It is my belief that all men have the right to free speech, yet it is also my belief that this right may only be applied for the rectitude and betterment of our nation. Therefore, through limited censorship and proper limitations America can regulate (to a certain extent) against unlawful gestures, obscene comments, aggressive anti-government groups, pan handling, harmful press, etc. Censorship has many times tried to suppress ideas rather than refute them with better ones.

All too often, we try to completely wipe out ideas that we dislike, believing that if some dangerous idea is wiped out, it will be gone forever. But if we do this, all to soon the idea will be once more born. And if there is no memory of the dangers of it, people, then the cycle begins all over again. The way to fight an idea that is wrong, one that offends people, is not to suppress it and try to make it go away., but to shine the light of truth upon it, and show people it is wrong. We must remember our mistakes, or we will repeat them. In my perspective one cannot erase the past merely because it does not fit the present.

The most common examples of censorship occur in most schools and public libraries, that is the censorship of books. Mainly, these examples involve children's literature. Political groups attempt to remove books from library shelves because those books utilize mischievous words, do not have happy endings... , or even because they have to many rainbows. Have you ever heard anyone say, "That work had better be banned because I might read it and it might be very damaging to me?" I hope people realize that banning the truth, as well as fiction, is proof that ignorance is dangerous to freedom. Though to allow a child, more so an adult (who has more resources), to read a book possessing recipes and a How To, step-by-step program, instructing the building of a bomb, is to ignite the fuse yourself and let the outcome be your demise. By regulating and properly limiting the power of freedom of the word, the U.S. and other democratic nations are able to keep peace and quarantine many opposing evils within those nations.

I stand on the equator of this thread thin topic, too much censorship will result in patriot outcries and rebellions; the effects of too little censorship have already been observed in Hitler's rise to power. In my opinion there is no way to change one's beliefs or ideas, even if forced upon. As John Morley once said, "you have not converted a man because you have silenced him". (I began this paper in optimistic hopes that I could provide a solution to a widespread dilemma. Though, half way through my paper I acquired writers block and so began to review articles and read up on this topic.

After researching I realized that no one man can provide a solution to which all can agree upon. My original design for this paper was to solve a problem, though my efforts led me to take a different direction. I hope you will take this into consideration, I feel it would be a shame to let this paper go unnoticed. ).