All forms of mass media (television, movies, books) exert a great influence over youth today.

Should censorship be applied to them?

Show more replies (1 hidden)

irena2411 Oct 16, 2008

These days, as mass media becomes more and more a part of the modern day youth, these youths
tend to get influenced by it. The question then arises, whether it is for the better to apply
censorship to all forms of mass media.
On the one hand, I think that censorship should be applied to all forms of mass media. This will
be a way to help the generations to come, and if it is executed perfectly and effectively, it will
save the innocence of many youths and prevent horrible things from happening, which I shall
elaborate upon in my next point.

kirakav Oct 16, 2008

Mass media nowadays has a major effect on modern day youth. It may be of greater influence
than we realise. What we all wonder is whether censorship should be applied to particular or even
all forms of mass media.

I believe that for the sake of the young generation, there should be censorship in certain forms of
mass media such as in the public cinema theatres. Movies played should be censored of their
vulgarity and crudeness. However, in order to make this censorship fair to mature viewers,
DVD's made of the movie should be sold either censored or uncensored, in order to make it
possible for elder viewers to watch the unrated version in the privacy of their own homes with
whomever they chose.

JuliansRitomvs Oct 16, 2008

After looking at various sources to look up more on this issue, I fail to see how censorship can be
justified to prevent sensitive material from reaching teens nowadays.

As young people approach puberty, we tend to feel the need to explore curiosities further - no
matter what we access or how we do it just because we need to know. We also feel the need to
find out as our own friends have known it too - on purpose, or from other consenting adults such
as video store owners or bloggers. It is not just a matter of peer pressure - everyone has a certain
degree of free will, and whether you feel the need to push oneself to find out is completely out of
the control of censorships to try and do so.
Even more so, it is VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE to try and make an effective filter for any
sensitive material. Sexual innuendos are always around as the majority public will always find
material mentioning taboos such as sexuality and machismo funny. Advertising uses sexually
attractive models to prove their product's worthiness, and many authors feel the need to mention
sensitive material in their novels to arouse further thinking or allow young people to connect with
their writing.

Basing censorship due to religious or cultural differences also do not work at all. Western
societies nowadays are seen as very liberal and their journalists enjoying much freedom of the
press - in reality, it was Western sensibilities that led to their colonies to adopt Western-style
values and morals, and journalists are arrested everyday for publishing sensitive issues seen as
"negative" and "demoralising" to the government or the nation. You can also find a surprising
amount of backlash to a nation's attempts at censoring anything - for example Indonesia recently
passed a bill BANNING PORNOGRAPHY and all related material, and in a nation of over 250
million Muslims, many artists, scholars and tourist organisations believed that this bill was too
general and would therefore block access to related articles such as sexual education or even nude
Balinese statues! Where do we - the youth of today come in all of this? I don't even think we have
much to say nowadays, as we are still being treated as illiterate children.

uzi-wuzi Oct 16, 2008

In our generation, mass media can uphold a great force of influence upon those who follow it.
Media can contain content that are not suitable for viewers of a certain age, for example, the late
night shows on certain adult channels or even the raw violence which are present in some films.
The level of censorship can vary according to the country in which the media is shown in. In
regards to Malaysia, a country with Islam as the main religion, the Malaysian government allows
a very limited level of media. For example, films that contain the slightest of violence or sexual
interaction will be edited so that the audience doesn't endure the guilt of viewing a slightly sinful
scene. During this argumentative essay, i shall present a legitimate argument for why I think
censorship should not be applied.

I think that the censorship should not be enforced to some forms of media. The media which
require a form of specific payment. For example, if you buy a ticket from the cinema, you would
not expect the film to be edited in any way, especially if there is a really interesting scene.
Thinking about it logically, film producers are paid a hefty sum of money to make the film as
perfect as possible, and with the amateur film editing which Malaysia provides, it certainly
effects the affect of the scene. This does not apply apply only for films, but for all products which
the public pay a demand for.

AidanByck Oct 16, 2008

As a modern day, contemporary youth myself, I believe that censorship should not be induced
towards the forms of mass media. I say this not because I would very much like to enjoy the
privileges, but to expand, brighten my horizons on certain topics.

Just because censorship would be induced now, will censorship ever be able to stop a person
from wanting to find out, to really see whats going on? Everyone will find out, be disgusted,
accept and move on eventually, so why delay the explicit material of life?

For those who are agnostic or religious, ask yourself why God (whoever or whatever your god
may be) put these sources of explicit content in the world if it were to be isolated from the world?

I personally feel that people, underage or not, should be allowed to explore whatever content they
like. This action would allow them to become what they ARE becoming - not what someone else
wants them to become. Those who are curious will prod the subject, and those who aren't will
generally leave it alone.

Humans, no matter how guided and boring their lives will be, will always shape themselves,
becoming whatever they originally wanted.

hash Oct 16, 2008

This is a matter, which I believe has gotten out of our hands. Media today can be, and is being
accessed by people living in the farthest corners of the world. A single newspaper in every day
life exploits nearly every event worth looking into. The Internet on the other hand gives you
detailed information about literally anything your mind can possibly come across. Such
information has a big impact on our forthcoming generations; it changes their thinking and more
importantly their actions. It leads them to do things or try things they wouldnt have otherwise.
This may seem very vague but what I am trying to get across is that delicate minds are
manipulated through media allowing them to make decisions that they might regret in the future,
or might not leave them a future at all. Censoring, or rather being more careful about what media
says to them I feel would help but one can only control so much. We have already gone to deep
to pull back now and try to reduce the influence of media. To what levels can you apply
censorship anyway? Focusing on the bigger picture, such an attempt would simply fail and even
provoke the youth to find out more about it. So I would say censorship would not be a very good
idea, instead let it be. Thank you, no questions please.

razqin Oct 17, 2008

Media affects people world wide. Not only that, media today is too judgmental. People have
argued around the world about censorship on media. I personally think that censorship is not the
right solution. People should be able to share their emotions without any limits. It is your own
personal choice if you want to view it. For example in the internet there are many, as we can say,
explicit content. They are on their own websites. This does not show up at all the pages you go
to. You have a choice to go to it or not. So people say, we need to censor these explicit things.
Well i say, if you do not like it don't go towards the places you know have these things. For the
music, some artists/bands like to express themselves with explicit lyrics. You don't have to listen
to them if you dislike it. Instead, you should just stay away from it and ignore it as much as
possible. Once again you have a choice. So let the media express its very own self and get on
with your life. If you are interested in these things, it is always there for you.

yasmindisney Oct 17, 2008

Censorship of the media is the subject of heated discussion in countries throughout the world and
can be defined as the regulation and control of information and ideas that circulated amongst
people in a society. It refers to the examination of electronic and print media for the purposes of
altering and/or suppressing parts of the media thought to be inappropriate and/or offensive, with
the implication that it is necessary in order to protect the sensitivities of the viewing public. There
can be no denying that youth, particularly in this day and age, have greater freedom of access to
all forms of media, be it print, television/movies and the internet. The question then arises about
whether teenagers today should be subject to censorship, government-applied or otherwise.

These days, all teenagers have to do is walk into a store to purchase an adult magazine. Although
most movies, especially in Malaysia, are classified according to a Government censorship board,
teenagers are not usually prohibited from entering cinemas with an 18 and above rating.
Subscribers to certain channels are provided with no filters and teenagers turning on the
television are exposed to any number of unsuitable programs, particularly on late night shows.
Perhaps the most dangerous culprit of all is the internet, which provides unlimited access to a
wide range of violent and pornographic material, at virtually no price.

Xian_93 Oct 17, 2008

Censorship should not be applied to mass media. Censorship is effectively destroying freedom of
expression, which is a fundamental of democracy. If you remove one pillar of Democracy, you
will remove another, and another, until all that you have left is a shell, that has little in common
with what was Democracy. In place you will find a Totalitarian State. Although there is no 'true'
Democracy, there are systems where it is the closest thing to Democracy in its purest form. Take
the Middle East for an example. Just pick a country, any country, what about Saudi Arabia? On
paper Saudi Arabia is a democratic nation, but how much freedom does the average citizen have?
It has an incredible ammount of censorship, and people who do not conform to government ideals
are 'dealt with.' This is a perfect example of how if one element is absent, others will certainly be
too. If you look at the Saudi youth, it is shocking how violent and anti-west the pupils are. In the
censored life of a Saudi youth everything is censored, and movies often have up to an hour cut
out that is deemed 'inappropiate.' In the school textbooks, hate is preached against Jews and the
West, homosexuality is labeled as a terrible sin, and many people are listed as Zionist swine. In
this example censorship results in people being blind to reality and thus becoming violent and
predjudiced individuals.

Ruvimbo Oct 17, 2008

I strongly disagree because at the end of the day it all comes down to making the right choice.
What we as youth watch on T.V, book etc should not be our way of making decisions because
what we see on T.V is not reality it's all an act. That's why there is a saying that goes "The
gabadge that you take in, is what you take out" and of which as a person who has intelligence
should know better than to live their life based on non realistic graphical images. For example
Pornography, it's a way of showing that it's ok to sleep around and use your body as an object
however this is incorrect because our bodies are a temple that we should protect from such
degrading behaviour.

Yes some people do it because they are lonely or they just don't care but at some point one should
realise that listening, reading or watching things that are degrading is diminishing to people
because there are many disadvantages of using your body as an object STI, STD's and the most
common HIV/AIDS. At the end of the day depends on what we choose to watch as youth
whether it's beneficial or non beneficial it's a choice to make at our own expense. So censoring
things will not change anything because there will always be other sourses that can be used to
watch,read or listen to such things.

At the same time it's also the parents job to monitor what their children do specially the youth of
today we are exposed to a lot of technology that is easy to access Pornography and as parents
they should continue trying to educate their children about whats real and whats not. Like I said
before it all come down to being a choice our parents may educate us but it's whether we want to
listen or not.

gamuchirai Oct 19, 2008

All forms of mass media(television,movies,books) exert a great influence over youth today.
Should censorship be applied to them? This is the question many people ponder upon. Taking
into account that the mass media has been identified as being highly influencial in the lives of the
youth today,is it not evident that limits have to be laid down so that the minds of maturing young
adults are not mislead and reared to the wrong conclusion.

There are many factors that lead to the youth being left suspended by threads of desperation in
their search for truth but are only left in clouds of unanswered questions.They find themselves on
a bridge of dynamic change,crossing from chidhood to adulthood. It could be because of religion
for instance that prohibites the youth to inquire more about sex,drugs or even alchol that now are
obstcles needed to be tackled in thier lives.Culture is also among the many reasons why the youth
can also find themselve unble to get answers from the questions lingering in their minds.

It is at this point many turn to mass media for 'education'. Unfortunetly it is in these very
magazines,the television and books that many because they either fail to interprete or are plainly
mislead that the youth become lost and make ill decisions. I believe that it is not only important
tha we make it our aim that the youth are not suffocated with misdirected information,but it is
highly vital and necessary that there be censorship be implimented on certain items the media
shows to the vulnerable youths' of today.

raisa92 Oct 19, 2008

Censorship of the media has been a very debatable topic for an extremely long time. I have to
agree that censorship should be applied to the media, to a certain extent. Some television
programmes contain an immense amount of sex and violence which can lead to 'copy-cat
behaviour'. A good example is of children who dress up as their favourite superheroes and
attempt to 'fly' off buildings. Sadly they end up severely injured. With youth, violence and
gangsterism can become a common interest between peers.

Media Censorship

Today there is much controversy over whether there should or shouldn't be censorship of the media.
Censorship should not be imposed on citizens by the government or other agencies; adults have a right
to view or listen to what they choose. Additionally, if children's media is censored, parents are the ones
to monitor and regulate it. Parents should monitor children's viewing of television and also what they
hear on the radio, CD's, and tapes.

Censorship includes the examination and blocking of books, periodicals, plays, films, television and radio
programs, news reports, and other communication media that is shown to, or available, to the public.
Media censorship is sometimes put into place because content is immoral or obscene, heretical or
blasphemous, seditious or treasonable, or injurious to the national security. It is supposedly is used for
the protection of the family, the church, and the state. Additionally some religious groups, opposed to
the violence shown in different types of media, say censorship works. However, still more that believe in
civil rights believe that it is an unnecessary violation of the right to freedom of speech for all humans.

Censorship of the media for children is necessary, but should not be handled by government or other
groups. Instead it should be directed and controlled by parents with or without children. Censorship for
children is necessary because the average American view's 100,000 acts of violence on TV before
reaching the age of thirteen. Many of the violent acts are presented news stations which are stations
parents or adults watch to find out information about weather, and road conditions, or anything that can
help with daily life. If the government were to bring censorship to these stations adults would not see
the news reports in their area or around the world. For this to be avoided, the government must leave
censorship to parents.

DISCUSS THE IMPORTANT OF CENSORSHIP IN MEDIA

What is censorship? Censorship can be defined as a control over an ideas or information circulated
among people. Censorship in media is to examine the information on the media in order to suppress or
delete anything that considered objectionable. Some common ways in which censorship is enforced are
bleeping the words, blocking of images and so on. Censorship of media is practicing all over the countries
of the world as it is important.

Firstly, media censorship prevents children from violence, sex and pornography. Children at their young
age like to mimic whatever they see and they do not know how to differentiate between right and
wrong. When they constantly exposed to the violence contents in the television programs or the abusive
and obscene language, children will follow it and tend to be aggressive or easily get into juvenile
delinquency. It is because children are frequently exposed to the media such as television and internet.
With the help of censorship, those negative information will be deleted and the exposed of children
toward negative things will be decreases. Thus, children can be protected from negative value and
immoral action.

Besides, censorship in media is necessary to prevent conflict happen between different races and
religious especially in Malaysia which has many people with different skin colour. Censorship will plays
its role in considering the topic that is sensitive like movie tell about racism or a talk that attack some
other religion. Censor will filter all the content that will affect the harmonic between the societies before
spread it out.

Furthermore, censorship in media can ensure the security of the nation. For instance, Wiki Leaks on the
internet that leak out a lot of scandal of politician and those rich or with power. It is also included the
critic among nation. These have created a big trouble and chaos on the society. Actually, that
information on Wiki Leaks has...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Internet Censorship

Censorship of the Internet and the Tyranny of Our Government "To curtail free expression strikes
twice at intellectual freedom, for whoever deprives another of the right to state unpopular views
also deprives others of the right to listen to those views," said Oliver Wendell Holmes,
Jr(Censorship and the U.S. Government 1). I completely agree with Mr. Holmes, and when the
question of censoring the Internet arises, I cringe. Governing the Internet dominates many
debates, censorship leading the fight. The Internet is the largest and most accessible form of mass
media available today. It allows anyone with a few simple tools to consume, and produce,
information and ideas to hundreds of people at a practically non-existent cost. Numerous factors
indicate censorship of this force is not possible, and not the government's place. It should be left
up to the users to decide what is broadcast. Most importantly, censorship of the Internet impairs
the expression of ideas and infringes against the First Amendment of the Constitution. First of all,
censoring the Internet as a whole is not possible, so why even try? Cyberspace is the most
decentralized form of communication today making policing the Internet a virtually futile task.
Unlike television or radio, the Internet consists of thousands of individual computers and
networks, with thousands of speakers, information providers and information users, and no
centralized distribution point (ACLU vs. Reno Brief 1). No guards watch to see who goes where
and if that place is appropriate. The Internet has grown to be a global network. Just because one
country deems something inappropriate does not mean that another will comply with the decision
and follow the ruling. If posting pictures of bestiality was banned in China, for example, someone
in Switzerland could post those pictures and the Chinese would have access to every single bit of
data. Another example, t...

censorship

This essay aims to explore the necessities of censorship and the roles it plays in society. It will
start by defining the term censorship and an introduction to what is and has been censored
through different periods of history. Finally, this essay will explore if there is a need for
censorship in society with a focus on undesirable material and its effects on children and why.
The word censor is defined as to examine and expurgate. The word is derived from the Latin
census, and refers to the count of the citizens and an evaluation of their property for taxation
purposes in ancient Rome. It is also defined as the administration and control of the information
and ideas that are circulated among the people within the general public. In modern times,
censorship refers to the inspection of books, periodicals, plays, films, television and radio
programs, news reports, and other communication media for the purpose of changing, altering or
suppressing parts thought to be objectionable or offensive. The objectionable material may be
considered immoral or obscene, heretical or blasphemous, subversive or rebellious, or damaging
to the national security. Thus, the rationale for censorship is that it is necessary for the protection
of three basic social institutions: the family, the church, and the state. One of the first known
examples of censorship existed in ancient Greece, despite its notoriety for its open-minded
approach to lifestyle in general (orgies were common and beloved by both the rich and poor). In
Athens, where democracy first grew, Socrates opted to sacrifice his life rather than accept the
censorship of his teachings in 399 BC. Charged with the worship of new divinities of his own and
not acknowledging the gods the city did and with the corruption of the youth he taught, Socrates
defended free discussion as a supreme public service. He was thus the first person to formulate a
philosophy of intellectual freedom. Speeding up through history, another example of censorship
is the works of Shakespeare (1564-1616). Despite being probably the most famous writer in
history, his plays have been censored more often than those of any other English language author
except Chaucer. The bard was first bowdlerized by Queen Elizabeth I who cut the passage in
"Richard II" in which the king is overthrown. Censorship in music is also common. John Lennon
was fell victim several times during...
Mass Media

Mass media is one of the major agents of socialization. In this essay I will analyze the social
influence of mass media; the methods of media manipulation of information; and the
consequences of corporate ownership of media. There is a huge social influence in mass media.
Society influences what we are shown by mass media. For example, there are certain norms in
society, mass media usually only puts out things that are accepted by these norms. Also since
money is the most important thing to mass media they will only put out things that they know
society would want to buy. Since mass media is one of the best ways to reach an enormous
amount of people, mass media is often manipulated to benefit people in high ranking positions, or
to make people in society conform. Two ways mass media can be manipulated is through
censorship and propaganda. By censoring certain things it stops people from learning or knowing
about certain events. For example, after 9/11 there have been numerous publication that have
been censored for their anti-American content However, the main reason these publications are
censored are censored is because many of them are criticizing the U.S. government. They also
inform us about things our government fears that if we read we wont trust what they say or
support them. Propaganda is another way in which mass media is manipulated. Through
propaganda we are only shown one side of the story. Propaganda is often used by the government
to persuade people into changing their views on certain things. For example when 9/11 happened
all we heard from mass media was how horrible the Iraqis were and how we needed to go to war
in order to stop terrorism. However, we barely heard about how we sold the weapons to Iraq that
they used against us or how we used to support Iraq. By showing us only one side of the story
many people were manipulated into thinking that war was the answer