My OperaCensorship
Saturday, January 1, 2011 3:40:34 AM
Regardless of your personal views on the morality of cursing, nudity, or anything that people try to keep off television or out of print, Christian or Atheist, there's something fundamentally wrong with too much censorship. Regardless of views on profanity or vulgarity, I almost never agree with the censorship of the FCC, and I'll tell you why.
If you are Christian (or most any other religion) then look at it this way. God gave man a free will for a reason. Temptation to do whatever you consider "wrong" will never go away, trying to get it off TV will likely accomplish very little.
Christian or not, America was founded on freedom of speech. Granted, some might argue this law has become a little more complicated with the advent of new forms of media (beyond written, spoken, and printed word), but in my opinion, even after the Internet and TV and radio and so on, the rule is just as simple. Just like with the printing presses of the day when the first amendment was written, the content of the productions of a company were up to them. Unless there was hate speech, what they said couldn't be censored. Many books didn't have profanity, but they probably could have gotten away with any profanity they had in that day. It's no different now.
For the Government to come in, look at networks and tell them what they can and cannot broadcast, that's wrong. Freedom of speech extends into all mediums, including TV.
"But I think that saying the f-word is wrong!" "I think it's wrong and I don't think my kids should be hearing it!" Profanity has been around for a long time. You children are going to encounter it, and anything they can encounter on TV they will inevitably encounter somewhere else, on the playground or with their friends. It's the parent's responsibility to talk to their kids about what they think is right and wrong, and they're gonna make bad choices sometimes, they're kids. But you just gotta raise them right and hope they grow out into a mature adult and learn to decide between right and wrong.
If something on TV is offensive, then just don't watch it, it's as simple as that. There are so many networks that air only family-friendly programming and so many public access stations with PBS programming, your options aren't as limited as you may be lead to believe.
For example: I saw on a message board a whole group of mothers try to get iCarly off the air because they used the word "boob" a couple times. They said they let their toddler watch it and were "appalled" Nick would let them air that. But here's the problem with that, iCarly (at the time) was being aired under "TeenNick" and is still even now primarily marketed to only preteens and teenagers. If you're letting your toddler watch "TeenNick" then that's your error, and the show doesn't deserve to be taken off the air over that. Second, if you are really offended, talk to your kid about not saying certain words, and don't watch that show again. Simple as that. No reason to start the petitions.
The whole world can't cater to those with children, and trying to make them takes away fundamental rights. Learn to raise your kids and get over it.
The same goes for banned books. People ban books over language and sexual subject matter all the time. But if you're really offended by it, then just don't read it. Should the books be assigned for school projects? Maybe, maybe not. But as far as the simple printing of the book goes, really, just don't read it, let the people who don't disagree with it's content read it, and get over it.
If you are Christian (or most any other religion) then look at it this way. God gave man a free will for a reason. Temptation to do whatever you consider "wrong" will never go away, trying to get it off TV will likely accomplish very little.
Christian or not, America was founded on freedom of speech. Granted, some might argue this law has become a little more complicated with the advent of new forms of media (beyond written, spoken, and printed word), but in my opinion, even after the Internet and TV and radio and so on, the rule is just as simple. Just like with the printing presses of the day when the first amendment was written, the content of the productions of a company were up to them. Unless there was hate speech, what they said couldn't be censored. Many books didn't have profanity, but they probably could have gotten away with any profanity they had in that day. It's no different now.
For the Government to come in, look at networks and tell them what they can and cannot broadcast, that's wrong. Freedom of speech extends into all mediums, including TV.
"But I think that saying the f-word is wrong!" "I think it's wrong and I don't think my kids should be hearing it!" Profanity has been around for a long time. You children are going to encounter it, and anything they can encounter on TV they will inevitably encounter somewhere else, on the playground or with their friends. It's the parent's responsibility to talk to their kids about what they think is right and wrong, and they're gonna make bad choices sometimes, they're kids. But you just gotta raise them right and hope they grow out into a mature adult and learn to decide between right and wrong.
If something on TV is offensive, then just don't watch it, it's as simple as that. There are so many networks that air only family-friendly programming and so many public access stations with PBS programming, your options aren't as limited as you may be lead to believe.
For example: I saw on a message board a whole group of mothers try to get iCarly off the air because they used the word "boob" a couple times. They said they let their toddler watch it and were "appalled" Nick would let them air that. But here's the problem with that, iCarly (at the time) was being aired under "TeenNick" and is still even now primarily marketed to only preteens and teenagers. If you're letting your toddler watch "TeenNick" then that's your error, and the show doesn't deserve to be taken off the air over that. Second, if you are really offended, talk to your kid about not saying certain words, and don't watch that show again. Simple as that. No reason to start the petitions.
The whole world can't cater to those with children, and trying to make them takes away fundamental rights. Learn to raise your kids and get over it.
The same goes for banned books. People ban books over language and sexual subject matter all the time. But if you're really offended by it, then just don't read it. Should the books be assigned for school projects? Maybe, maybe not. But as far as the simple printing of the book goes, really, just don't read it, let the people who don't disagree with it's content read it, and get over it.
