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The freedom to Censorship Censorship The freedom to read is essential to the democratic way of life (Censorship News 1996). Today our freedom is under attack. Private groups such as mothers and public authorities everywhere are working to remove both books and periodicals from sale, to exclude certain books from public schools, to censor and silence magazines and newspapers, and to limit controversial books from the general public. The suppression of reading materials is suppression of creative thoughts. Books are not the only one that is being suppressed by pressure to the political and social systems. They are also being brought against the educational system, radios, internet, television and against the Theater arts.
However or whenever these attacks occur, they usually fall at least in one of these categories. Language Sex Drugs Society and Race Inappropriate Adolescent Behavior What is Obscenity? Clearly something hard to discuss. Obscenity is difficult to discuss honestly. Point being, what makes a thing obscene?
is it something too vague to be defined. Its an elusive term we use, but cant explain. Different people often see things differently. Some see obscenity in nude pictures, statues, paintings, etc.
While others find less obscenity in those things. All the same, obscene isnt the same as wrong or bad. Clearly obscenity is not identical with evil. It only covers a single segment of it. But what is that segment?
A look at the words obscenity and pornography suggest that it is that its a segment that didnt worry people very much until recently. Though censorship was known in the English law quite early, it wasnt for obscenity but for heresy and sedition. David Jenkins, Undue exploitation of sex is what criminal law in Canada prohibits (p 21). That is how criminal law defines obscenity. It doesnt differentiate between ordinary obscenity and hard-core pornography.
Written by the Law reform, the first denoting the ordinary girlie and guy magazines, Literature and so on that deals with rape, bestiality, and so on People tend far more to hard-core pornography (Collins p 25). Another distinction unfortunately overlooked by our criminal law is the distinction between isolated instances of obscenity and the products of vast commercial enterprise. There has been an increasing trend towards childrens literature that reflects a more realistic approach of the life both fiction and non-fiction, with subjects that include sex, homosexuality, divorce, child abuse, drugs, violence, etc. And they are these realistic books that have people outraged. In school libraries, the most frequent complains come from parents who dont have nothing better to do about the schools selections. And in the public libraries, parents were the ones again the single greatest source of challenges to materials.
The world is filled with obscene things. And it would seem that those parents are just trying to protect their children from outside world. But does it really help? These days, the average elementary school student knows many things (Collins p 27).
They are influence by a wide range of sources, from television, Internet and other forms of media, their environment at home and school, their personality and their backgrounds. Why they read does not necessarily mean that they will follow. Literature is a valued source of knowledge for these children, and should not be held back. So rather than applying full censorship, it should be made an age-related censorship, even though I dont believe in censorship but think that there should be a limit for pre adolescent children.
Many of the complaints that were issued were of the immaturity of the readers. And younger children should be prevented from browsing material intended for an older age group. Controversial materials should held in reserve stock, available on request, or under section for teacher who can decide for themselves whether the material is suitable or not (Collins p 31). Our world is not perfect. We are a world filed with violence, sex, racism, etc. Certain literature like hard-core pornography should be censored to the general public.
These types of explicit sex and literature truly have no meaning. They degrade the human race by increasing physical, mental and sexual abuse against women, animals, and sometimes against men. The inhuman treatment should not be shown to prevent other potential people from experimenting these acts. Ordinary obscenity should be censored closely, but with an objective view. They may also cause an increase in the violence against women, so they must be reduced and kept out of reach of the immature readers. To make a tree grow correctly, you must start caring from the beginning.
You must not block its nutrients, water, nor sunlight, but allow it to move around a bit (Jenkins p 29). We have a governing social system that mainly frowns upon the violence against women and Children. There should indeed be access to most types of literature, but in varying degrees to freedom, determined not by censorship, but by controlled access. Parents are trying to protect their children from the harsh realities of life, but are they really helping, or hindering. BIBLIOGRAPHY Dr. Jenkins David: The Censorship Iceberg The result of challenges: n school and public libraries 1996.
p 19 - 34 Comptoms Interactive Encyclopedia copyright @ 1996 Collins Janet: Suffer the little children October 1995. p 20 - 33 Censorship News. Spring 1992. n 20 Censorship: stopping the book banners.
By the book and Periodical Development council. August 1993. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia copyright 1993
Free research essays on topics related to: violence against women, criminal law, public libraries, hard core pornography, protect their children
Research essay sample on Hard Core Pornography Violence Against Women
