Censorship is never justified. Do you agree?

Censorship is the use of the authorized means to restrict speech. Censoring things may be a good way not to let certain information reach the general public as government may have things or information that they do not want to be revealed. By censoring Information, they can prevent it from happening.

However, the extent to which censorship should be implemented is a controversial issue. Right and wrong is subjective, without looking from the other point of view; one may not understand the implication of the particular action or speech, hence, attempt to censor it. We will not be able to determine what is justifiable or not as it lies in a grey region, and are a result of different perspectives and concerns.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/whodecides/definitions.html

The need to allow voices to be heard has led to a variety of versions regarding just a single issue. These may all seem reasonable or even factual, but the analysis done and personal viewpoints may not do right to everyone involved, thus the need of censorship. Although some do bring light to the vast community, some are just plain propaganda game or even bad lies that do not benefit anyone.

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1378676,00.html

These personal opinions are often lies or grumbles that are packaged into seemingly true information, and taken in as facts. Although freedom of speech is granted in some Western countries, it is often misused, and some may twist certain facts to achieve their goal. To prevent “demerit” material from reaching the population, the government will normally try to prejudge the materials involved. With failure to counter the argument, censors then blocks it before it gets disseminated to the public.

To this group of people, censorship is a need to make the world a better place, as things that “should not” be around, are not. It is a filter system to chuck away the impurities, flaws or unnecessary arguments that divide people and cause disharmony.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/16523/the_effect_of_censorship_in_howard.html

On the other hand, to the opposition of censorship, it is merely another method for the officials to cover up for themselves. The so-called discretion actually serves as a tool to block out information to be released to the public, so that the government may do whatever it wants, and not let the population know.

Some may argue that censorship is the society’s lack of confidence in itself, as mentioned by Potter Stewart. This is even more so, if the censored material is a controversial one, as it proves that there is something more to it, and the censors do not want others to find out. They do not realize that the action of censorship actually does act as a small publicity. As the saying goes, “forbidden fruit taste the sweetest”, so the more they do not want to let the other know about it, the more they will want to find out and they will try other alternatives to do so.

That proves the point that censorship gives the opportunity to block out the ideologies, but they fail to nip the bud of it. There may be undergrounds means of reaching the public which the censor do not know of, or cannot control. For one, there is piracy, which many tried to fight, but ended up In vain. So in order to prevent people from obtaining the materials, we should adopt a much sensible way of banning them, and cutting off the supply, rather than curbing the distribution.

In order to have a justified censorship, responsibility is much needed. As long as the Earth stays round, we will not be able to get everyone in the society to plays their part by adhering to the rules and regulations, hence, the need of censorship. Though it is so, the degree to which we do so, or the extent it covers, can never be justifiable, and pleasing to everyone.

Seeing may not be believing anymore, in this reality. We have to decide for ourselves what is right and what id wrong, instead of the usual sponge like absorbing of information. Censorship is merely another method of present information to you, and the final judgment is still on yourself.

http://www.quotegarden.com/censorship.html

Impacts of media and how it has affected society

There is much controversy regarding the presence of the new media, and its impacts on the society. These are most relevant to today’s teenagers, as they are very much affected by the things that media teaches. In this blog entry, I will attempt to explore 2 ways in which teenagers are negatively affected, namely teenage violence, body image; as well as 2 ways that they are helped. They are family concepts and benefits of education.

At the teenage years, where they possess the most amounts of time and energy to involve themselves with things going on around them, teenagers are exposed to a wide variety of media. Of which many are instilling the negative mindsets to them, causing them to have actions that they might regret in the future. This is probably because teenagers are generally more open-minded, as they have not collated enough life experiences to distinguish right from wrong. To them as long as something is commonly done by the majority, it must be right. They rarely consider the consequences of their actions.

In fact, the irony here is that, the theory on teenagers being violent is frequently suggested by media like newspaper and magazines. To make it more plainly, this is in itself, a form of controlling mindsets, making people believe that teenagers are violent. They have well-packaged that it into such a fact that, many will not think twice before nodding in agreement. More often then not, when I described the present day teenagers in the above paragraph, you were also accepting the data, as these ideologies are too neatly publicized, to an extend that seems factual. But according to statistics, teenage violence in Canada is actually dropping.

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/special_initiatives/toolkit/stereotypes/youth_stereotypes_news.cfm


Media has indeed caused much trouble. The way people perceive slimness, and beauty. Size zero models have haunted millions of minds for men and women alike. Women idolize these figures, and try means and ways to achieve what they think the society wants. Ranging from traditional methods like starving themselves, to the high end sliming technology. You name it and there is bound to be people who have tried it. What is worse is that they do it on the expanse of their health, and often, resulting in unnecessary deaths. The perception of beauty has already been corrupted. Curves are out, and adequately flat seems to be more appealing. And the more these ideas are promoted, the more number of innocent lives gets destroyed. Although many girls achieve their much desired weight, many of them end up sacrificing their precious lives as well.

http://thin-enough.blogspot.com/

http://www.media-awareness.ca/blog/index.cfm?catID=7

Recently on Channel 8, the nine o’clock show that is broadcasted, touches on issues like family and relationship. Basically, it is using the drama serials as a means of reaching out to the young adults of marriageable ages. By portraying the actresses’ and actors’ lifestyles, they are actually trying to get Singaporeans to realize the importance of marriages. Along with the show, also come tips on maintaining relationships, and even method to hook up the opposite gender.

By instilling positive notes on family, they are perhaps trying to boost the marriage percentages, and create more babies. In this way, the media is actually aiding the development of the society, as the population might be maintained or even growing healthily.

http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts.shtml
On the same note, media can also promote children to think, as suggested by the website below. This medium enables them to be independent learners, as they are able to do self studying like this. As a stereotype set by media as well, education is a good way to cultivate more civilized people, and as this motion is continued, more people will stand to gain. The beneficiaries are not just the people who read, but the entire community, as a better breed of people will lead to a more cohesive and understanding society.

http://www.mediafamily.org/mediawisecolumns/raising_readers_reading_aloud.shtml

Does Media corrupts our society?

Does media corrupts our society?

Media, is a form by which information reaches us, be it entertainment, news or performances. Corruption would mean to me that something is altered from its original state, and often, seen in a bad light. Society is basically the whole community that we belong in, where each of an individual come together to form.

As media evolved over the years, it has turned from a means of transmitting information to an extent that it has the ability to alter mindsets of people. The influence of media, be it positive or negative, has reached a stage whereby people actually follow the stereotype set by it. Media becomes a platform for which we discern right from wrong and it plays a vital role in shaping our values.

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/index.cfm
The above website showcases the problems of stereotyping. It will handicap people’s ability to see differences in a group, as they are all lumped together under one category. This will also make it appear that certain perceptions are actually true. In the long run, it perpetuates social prejudice and escalates the problem of inequality. Providing specific examples, it examines the way media portray people. For one, there is stereotyping of gender, determining the ways male and female should behave. However, besides gender, there is a much bigger concern, as values of human beings are being threatened, as increasingly, violence has evolved to become part and parcel of our lives.
http://stmarys.ca/~evanderveen/wvdv/crime_media/crime_media_theories.htm

From this website, we learn the impacts of media. Point 7 states that postmodern cultural criminology has taken place, as there are enactment of crime and violence as pleasure or spectacle. This may seem to be an innocent act, purely for recreational activities, but the implications of this action is pretty drastic. This indicates that the people are satisfying their hunger to see injury, fighting scenes, and all sorts blood-thirsty situations.

The increased violence of people today is a huge problem. Instead of trying to deter people away from it, media is actually promoting it, by having wrestling shown on television, even during hours when children have access to it. Being young minds that may not have matured, kids fail to realize that the wrestlers have a technique to make it bloody, use relatively harmless. They assume that it is all true, and start a whole lot of problem in the society, by injuring their peers.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2001/may01/may21/2_tues/news6tuesday.html

All this is not without prove, as the above site analyses the impact of media on the future leaders of the society. There is a study carried out, and “it establishes a link between frequent wrestling viewing and various forms of violent acts and drug abuse,” as quoted from the article. The media has been giving the perception of norm, and produces mindsets of people. To these youths, since the media is also broadcasting wrestling, then it must be right.

As explained above, the media will form the stereotype and set the norm for people to follow. In the process, some who failed to recognize the power of media will unknowingly subdue to it. As media appears to be positive, they do not suspect that media has an impact on the way people perceive and distinguish right from wrong.

But of course, media is not all that bad. It is a medium by which information reaches people, as we learn about the latest happenings around the world through televisions and internet access etc. Media actually poses as a critical role in disseminating information. With proper regulations, and censorship, we can enhance its reputation, and eliminate those negative consequences as a result of undesirable programmes that are aired.

By looking at these illustrations, we realize that media has indeed impacted our society in a negative manner, corrupting it. Values have been altered, and mindsets changed, even the way we perceive issues and happenings seem to take on a different light. However, there are some good too, as we are offered a different perception in things. But still, whether or not we allow these things to set in out minds largely depends on our maturity and our willingness to accept the information.