Essay, Research Paper: Pros And Cons Of Censorship

The freedom of speech and expression is perceived by many as the single mostimportant and necessary amendment to the Constitution of the United States. One s true,creative nature can never fully be satisfied without his or her own room to freely operate. This great gift is handed to us, as a people, on a silver platter; then, just like that, it istaken away. Boundaries are set, and rules are made. One must be creative, yet, at thesame time, one cannot infringe on the rights of others. To many, censorship is the lockand key which binds creativity. However, censorship may be the only true way to protectour thoughts and mannerisms, so that we may filter out all that is necessary for the purelycreative process. Without censorship, one may never know what they are capable of. Sooften does a person use their surroundings, whatever has been offered to them throughouttheir life, as an excuse for a style of expression that they may deem creative, and the restof society deems inappropriate. Excuses are made in order to hide mediocre attempts at expression. Manymusicians feel that by explaining how rough it was growing up for them, it justifies thecrude and inappropriate lyrics in their songs. Although music is an incredible form ofexpression, these people make no attempt whatsoever in trying to convey their trials andtribulations in a more civil manner. Even more perplexing is the number of albumsnowadays that are covered with the Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics sticker. It is anunforunate day when no one can go out and buy their favorite album because they need aparent with them. Many of those who oppose censorship say that it bans productivity in its purestform. Many will also agree that a child is quite impressionable at an early age. Althoughmany children will not go run out and shoot two or three people just because a song lyrictells them to, there are numbers who will. These same critics who oppose censorship willalso say that it is the parent s duty to keep their children in line. Yet, many can also agree

















 







that there are a number of unfit parents out there. And, in respect for parents, it must besaid that not all parents can spend every hour of every day with their children. Theirchildren will be exposed to certain material if not for censorship. It is foolish to think thatany one person could so completely keep their children away from the evils of society fortheir entire life. Yet, one must slowly ease their child into the ways of the world byconveying the truth in a manner they can understand. By hearing occurrances of daily street life, the meanings will almost definitely be misconstrued. An artist knows when his work is worth displaying to the rest of the world. Abusinessman knows when his work will gain him appraisal and wealth. The worth of apiece of art and the reactions given by society are two extremely different things. Amusician who cares about what he is producing in the studio will make sure that his pieceis expressing one hundred and ten percent of him. A musician who does not care knowsthat by throwing explicit lyrics into every other sentence, he has an almost guaranteed hit. Explicit lyrics are not so upsetting as the motivations behind them are. To swear for thesake of swearing is not an expression of art in its weakest form. Rather, it is an expressionof the hungry, practically ruthless business world out there, feeding off of the wants ofsociety. Censorship is a sore subject for many artists who feel that their work is notappreciated, due to its explicit content. Yet, a true artist can deal with an audience thatmay be unwilling to listen to or see him. He can deal with the fact that there will be thosewho criticize him for not conforming to society s rigorous and unsatisfying forms ofexpression. He knows that his art is not meant to be shown to those who are blinded byjealousy and envy. He understands that his forms of expression are not suitable for theyoung, impressionable minds. In short, the true artist is not the one who cannot deal withcensorship; it is the pseudo-artist, the one focused on wealth and placement. He knows ofonly how much explicit content is worth in today s society.