Public Media Censorship

Many conservative groups make the argument that the books that have been banned have material that is inappropriate, immoral or contradicting the beliefs they have ingrained in their children and/or their society. Book-banning cases usually concern the protection of children and their innocence, but all that is happening is sheltering parents trying to avoid an awkward confrontation with their child about uncomfortable matters. It is not only selfish, but also harmful to the overall education of their children. The touchy subjects of banned books contain issues that are part of everyday life, and for a group to attempt to censor this subject from younger society is almost absurd; these issues are not monstrous and the censorship of them not only shows prejudice but lack of respect. Others would say that it is the government’s duty to regulate these books. It is the exact

The banning of books has always been a way for small minded people to ensure that the ideas or beliefs that oppose their own are kept secret, silent, hidden from the eyes of those who wish to consider these ideas for themselves. This practice is an affront to our ideas as a nation, which revolve closely around the ideas of individual freedoms, along with being an unfair system which forces the ideas of one person onto those around them. It also keeps people from being exposed to ideas

The biggest problem school libraries seem to face is where to draw the line on book content. But school libraries must understand that allowing book banning, they are taking away the opportunity for all students to read , instead of letting the parents decide what their child should be reading. Finlo Rohrer, BBC News Washington, explains that “In the US more and more parents are pressing schools to withdraw books with bad language or sexual content.” Parents that are uncomfortable with books in school libraries have made the effort to completely remove them from the library altogether. But when parents press to remove books that they might find unacceptable, they are actually deciding for the rest of the students as well. Mike Rose argues that “One disturbing aspect if censorship is its power to deny students in one class or an entire school system the right to read particular texts” (Agee, 61). Parents have every right to watch what their child reads and

Parents who support the banning of books in public and school libraries bring up points that some of the more mature themes in books such as drugs, violence, and racism are too much for middle and high schoolers, and even young children if these books are found at the public library. But, what these adults seemingly fail to realize is that their children, at one point or another in their lives, they are going to be exposed to it. If anything, reading about them in a book with the opportunity to understand it is 1000 times better than experiencing it first hand later in life for the first time. And to address the issue about young children finding books with such themes, there are many ways, all simple, to fix this. Some more simple way such as labelling the spine with an “M” sticker for books that contain mature themes is a great way to distinguish between books. One could also just put these books into a section for teenagers so that small children can not get to them.

There is a book out there that talks about a topic that you do not agree with. While you may find the book offensive, others may find it inspiring or a reflection of their life. These varying points of view are what often lead to people calling for a ban of a certain book in a school or public library. This brings to light a topic that impacts all of us in one way or another, censorship in the form of book bans. This leads to a topic that can be the center of debate for many, whether or not we should allow the censorship of books, or other forms of media, in our libraries. And by censoring books, we are referring to taking them off of the shelves. Of course, many people have strong opinions on this. Coincidentally, I also have an opinion. My opinion is that we should not censor books, while making you understand why the idea of censorship in our school and public libraries goes against the fundamental values and freedoms that we hold dearly as citizens of the United States.

Books serve a good purpose. “If you really want people not to read a certain book, banning will do the opposite” said Top 10 Reasons Banning Books is a Bad Idea. There are people who believe that books should be banned. But there is another side saying that banning books is wrong. We have something called a First Amendment. No person or group should decide what should or should not be read. These books have a feature called “diverse content” There is no need to argue about this topic.

All it takes to challenge a book is for a parent or other citizens to file a complain against a teacher, library, school, or bookseller, for that reason many teachers and librarians choose to remove the books from the curriculum or shelves before an issue is brought up (Pitner). The fear of a lawsuit keeps many people from expressing their belief that banning books is unnecessary (Kennedy, Banned Children’s Books).

The history of the world has undoubtedly been dominated by an endless struggle for power. However, after a brief glimpse into the pages of history it should not take long to realize that the trick to maintaining power lies in the control of information. Even the most fearsome military generals of the past acknowledge the power of the mind and ideas over lethal force. Former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin once said “… [Ideas] are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, then why should we let them have ideas.” Stalin’s quote personifies the main concept of this literature review which will be discussing the history of government censorship and its effects that are

The media could be determined a tremendous and powerful weapon. If used properly, it can provide society with great benefits, but if used in negative ways, it can destroy. In a modern world where information can spread as fast as wildfires, a reason to monitor or limit types of media appear rational, but along with that, irrational cases still exist. This argument has circled in the United States for a while and a decision needs to be made. Parents and citizens around the United States think concerningly about what our eyes witness on the news, in stores, on billboards, etc. When the government determines what appears in the media, it not only belittles citizens, but it denies the First Amendment, which states the basic rights of an American. Censorship of the media, as displayed in 1984, clearly exhibits the violation of the First Amendment, rightfully given to the citizens of the United States, by the founding fathers of this country.

Censorship has been around for millions of years. Although censorship is still practised in some countries today, almost anyone would agree that censorship is never the right answer; as we have seen in the past, it has seldomly ever works out. Which is why it is so concerning that schools are starting to allow censorship in classrooms. As a result of this, the world is seeing an alarming amount of young millennials who are fresh into the workforce, expecting to always be catered to. More and more millennials are not being properly prepared for the real world due to censorship in schools; schools have been giving in and catering to students by allowing the censoring of books and microaggressions in the classroom, as a result the students are being taught that the world will cater to everyone, which is very inaccurate.

Because violating rights is seen as unconstitutional, “true book banning is rare” in democratic countries such as our own (Bily 11). For example, in the United States “the last time the federal government prohibited a book from being imported or sold in the country was 1963” (Bily 11). The government clearly does not consider book banning as the solution to all the worlds problems and does not endorse the overuse of book banning in today’s society. So why are concerned parents and school administrators choosing to do something their government only views as a last resort? Banning books is a violation of authors’ freedom of speech. It is so much so that the American Library Association (ALA) “Office for Intellectual Freedom promotes awareness of challenges to library materials and celebrates freedom of speech during Banned Book Week,” which is usually “observed during the last week of September” (Banned Books Week…). Authors have the right to voice their opinions, and banning a book is crossing a line of violation, even if their opinions are not agreed upon by the general population. “Proponents for book banning say that certain subjects are inappropriate for certain-aged readers who are not emotionally or mentally mature enough to understand the books contents” (Yung). But book banning violates the freedom of choice for those children and those whose parents believe that they are mature enough. In fact, “the ALA promotes

Anyone should be able to pick up a book on a topic they are curious about; this will help them learn and expand their mind! When banning books, people feel like they are being cut off from learning. Diversity and knowledge are very important, especially for a growing mind. When people push for books to be censored on topics like culture, history, racism, and all sorts of other important things to know, what are they really saying? In the end, they are just being judgmental and pushing for people to be clueless of the past. Learning from the past is a very important fundamental of every single person. Learning what bad things have happened and why will push people to be open minded and think more about their

If it is uncomfortable to read and discuss, so be it. Most things that matter deeply are.” -USA Today. Today Censorship also affects more than the children though. It really affects everyone equally. It allows the government to have too much control over what we learn and know. What if we lived in a dystopian society. For example, if you’ve ever seen the movie or read the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, the city kept everyone from learning about the world’s past and why they have to obey their rules and only their rules and do whatever job they assign them. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label controversial views. Most people believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. Another touchy topic about they types of censorship we have is open religion. We have the Freedom of Religion. But many schools don’t allow religious practices, teachings, or even how they dress. What’s wrong with anyone expressing their religion and how they think of God peacefully and freely? America is

Media has become a powerful source of knowledge, and a great breakthrough in human history. Who can regret that media is a daily need in our lives. Media has the ability and control to adjust to all levels of knowledge in people. Media helps us to escape from our daily lives and our problems in times of stress. Thou Media as proved to be beneficial by educating, entertaining and informing us, it has also have its downfall, to cause many bad influences to the younger audience. Media has influenced us to conduct bad behavior, breed violence among teens and fear to the public, thus causing a lot of negative conflicts among ourselves. Television, Music, Internet, and more, are just some of the media exposure that needs to be censored and

The parameters of the term censorship have been changed and manipulated very much over the years. Television and movie ratings have become more lenient against violence and indiscretion because these things are now seen as entertainment. Is this appropriate for our youth? Should children be exposed to these images so early on? How does censorship in the media affect adolescents? Children are the future of our society and need to have some understanding of real world occurrences. Ultimately, censorship can only be determined by the parents. The media cannot filter every bit of controversial images. What rights does the media have in this situation? How are their First Amendment rights applied here? As an aspiring political science