Speech On Censorship Of Speech

Censorship cases often bring about debates over students’ first amendment rights. Students’ first amendment rights are important to preserve so that students can not be excluded from meaningful works or literature. It is understandable for the government to design educational plans as a way to get its voice into classrooms, but “the truth-promoting function of the First Amendment provides no reason, however, to question the right of students to explore a variety of ideas and perspectives, and to form and express ideas of their own” (Brown, 1994, p. 30). Schools already place a restriction on religious material or material addressing current political controversy (Brown, 1994).

According to "The Constitution of the United States," Amendment 1. The First Amendment says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” As Americans, we have prided ourselves about our nation for having the Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, and Assembly. However the First Amendment, the freedom in which we have pride for has been diminished through excessive liberalism in the educational system. Extreme liberalism, is something that lately has been being used in favor of someone or something.

In the pursuit of education, students strive to learn and develop their understanding of the world that surrounds them. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of the school administration to provide the means to that end. Yet, there is a polarized divide among schools and their interpretation of freedom of speech. This occurrence is experienced primarily at the university level but can be seen at all levels of education. At the epicenter of this dispute is the notion of censorship, specifically whether or not it is feasible to restrict what can and cannot be said by faculty and students alike. Advocates of freedom of speech assert that censorship violates our First Amendment right, a liberty that is inalienable. Proponents also argue that

Computers, televisions, and radio are all ways that we can access information, but how much of this information is accurate? Censorship happens all over the world and can range from blocking websites or articles, arresting newscasters and journalists, to killing/ murdering them for writing things that their government deemed unacceptable. It takes away people’s freedoms and rights. It also being used as a means to control people and keep them misinformed. There are some valid reasons for censorship such as parental controls, and withholding information during an ongoing investigation but the misuses of censorship outweigh most, if not all of the beneficial reasons. Therefore, censorship is an abuse of power that should not go unchecked.

Censoring is not only in college classrooms, but in high school classrooms as well. It impedes on a student’s ability to develop and learn, hinders their ability to prepare for the modern-day world. Although cliché, and very sadly so, it is very apparent that today there is almost nothing that can be said that offends nobody. Thick skins have been replaced with fragile minds, and college students do not even know the extent of the first amendment. However, these same students believe they have the right to interpret the amendment their own way, and some believe they have the right to become the judiciary system if the speech doesn’t appeal to them.

What would life be like without censorship? Though there might be upsides to it, such as more freedom of speech, it could also cause some problems. Not only would we be exposing children to many horrors of the world, we also would be doing nothing to prevent offensive and oppressive content in the media. Therefore, some censorship is necessary for all people; however, in most cases, we should be allowed access to most information in society.

Citizens of the United States are privileged to the freedom of speech under the First Amendment, but the constitutional limits of the freedom of speech have been questioned on multiple occasions. Citizens of the United States have called upon the Supreme Court numerous times to interpret the meaning of the First Amendment, and the court has censored some forms of speech such as obscene speech --which has been prohibited--and indecent or pornographic speech--which has been regulated (Barrett, 1999). Public and private properties, institutions, and businesses started censoring and placing limitations on hate speech in 1980 (Roleff, p.64). Hate speech is defined as speech that attacks a person or a group on the basis of attributes such as gender, ethnic origin, religion, race, disability, or sexual orientation (Barrett, 1999). “ In law, hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because it may incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected individual or group, or because it disparages or intimidates a protected individual or group” (Barnes and Ephross, 1994). Several debates have lingered over if certain restrictions on hate speech violate the First Amendment (Simmons, 2012). Hate speech should be regulated and censored by the federal government; however, these regulations and policies will limit an individual 's freedom of speech.

American society identifies itself as a society where freedom and equal opportunity for learning and expressing new ideas are abundant and unthwarted. The free speech principle, or the principle that all speech and ideas should be able to move freely without being impeded on by government or an institution, is a principle American society has taken many steps to solidify and safeguard. Despite our best efforts, differentiating ideas and free speech continue to be segregated in favor of popular opinion especially in higher education. Often times, students along with public speakers and professors are silenced on campus because of conflict with the public’s sentiment. This obstruction of the basic American value of free speech in higher education comes with a detrimental cost to liberal education and the free flow of ideas.

According to Hate Speech, they defined it as speech that is intended to insult, offend, or intimidate a person because of some trait such as race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability (Hate Speech, n.d.). Hate speech can

Freedom of Speech means that we all have the freedom to say whatever we want and expressed our opinions freely. I think Freedom Of Speech is becoming more limited in America because in “Censored America” people will act upon if they have a different opinion or they feel offended. They will do anything such as protest or use violence if they think they have different opinion. Words can hurt some people and certain words can be offensive to others. But we should still increased limits on freedom of speech because I think we have the right to say whatever we want but it is still our responsibility choosing words carefully where no one will get hurt by the words. We should try not to abuse our right and we should be allowed to say whatever we want

Censorship may be protection from inappropriate materials, but it also limits free speech. For the limitation of free speech, it is reasonable why people are emphatically against censorship. It is understood that there is a need to filter some of the materials released in today’s society, but too much is being done by people who have no right meddling with everyone’s rights. Civilization has always been plagued by a never ending battle being fought over what is deemed right and wrong. In today’s culture, censorship oppresses everything in the media. From movies and music to television and even news stories, most of the content viewed today has been filtered one way or another. Restrictions have been in place since early societies have been

Censorship has became a controversial topic during recent years due to people's perception of concepts such as sex, violence, and hate speech. Many people and governments want things such as those to be erased from media and art to prevent them within our society. Others however, feel that children and others should be exposed to aspects such as these and that restricting the use of them in the arts would be a violation of their 1st amendment. Both sides have strong, deeply rooted views based in law, morals, or religious belief. Both sides also, however, have points that seem slightly extreme. For years the government and people of the United States and many other countries have worked to “shield” our population from violence, sexuality, and

As always, there are those individuals that oppose the power to censor. There are members of society that believe in the freedom to speak publicly and to publish. This is a basic belief in the freedom of expression and is to be protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. On the eve of the bicentennial of the Bill of Rights, the first wave of a nationwide survey, comprising more than 1500 citizens was conducted. Through this survey it was found that American rate free speech as their second most precious First Amendment right and regard a free press highly in the abstract. Although there are strong cases made for and against censorship, the rising trend calling for censorship can threaten our basic rights to free expression and the right to be informed. At the center of the debate is the First Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees our right to read, speak, write, and communicate freely. The government at the state or federal level cannot

In modern society, the issue of free speech vs. censorship often comes up. It is a hot topic among those interested in social issues, and represents two well meaning but very different arguments. The argument for freedom of speech says that communication and connectivity promotes progress, while the argument for censorship says that silence and isolation promotes security.

We are blessed to live in a country that has many rights, the most important is the freedom of speech which provides an umbrella of protection over our remaining rights; however, all of our rights are under attack beginning with the First Amendment which is under constant assault by censorship.