Is Censorship American Essay, Research Paper
Is Censorship American?
Nothing is more un-American than violating the
Constitution. So how does it happen everyday in our country
without even a blurb in the newspaper? Freedom of speech
and freedom of the press were granted to United States
citizens when the Bill of Rights was amended to the
Constitution in 1791. By adding this to our constitution,
it makes it illegal to restrict Americans from voicing their
opinions. Yet these rights are hindered and completely
revoked constantly in our country. With terms like radio
edit and edited for television becoming part of our daily
vocabulary, Americans seem to neglect the injustice they
stand for. Even before Americans right to freedom of
speech was established with the Bill of Rights it was
already upheld in our colonial courts with important cases
like that of John Petter Zenger.
The case of John Petter Zenger vs. Governor, William
Cosby established freedom of speech in America before the
United States of America was even established. In 1743,
prior to the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791,
John Petter Zenger was charged with seditious libel for his
publication of the New-York Weekly Journal. Zenger had
created the Journal a year earlier to voice opposition to
the policies of the newly-appointed royal colonial Governor
William Cosby. After eight months in prison, Zenger went to
trial under the defense of Andrew Hamilton. Zenger was
released and all charges were dropped setting the precedent
for cases of freedom of speech in America. This was a
monumental decision in the history of the United States.
Although the Bill of Rights established many of the freedoms
that our country is based on, it was not the end of
Americans fight against censorship.
Americans are being put on trial every day for
exercising their right to freedom of speech, whether it is a
trial held in the court room or the more common media trial.
Many times these disputes are over song lyrics. Court cases
like that of Ozzy Osbourne s song Suicide Solution shows
that after 200 years American s still aren t quite
the meaning of free speech. It seems the most prevalent
reason for quarrel over this issue resides in the censors
mindset. Instead of trying to relate to the artist in
question, they only see the few words or statements that
make them uncomfortable. Other cases are not taken to
court, but given what some call a media trial. Trial is
definitely not the best word to describe the swift judgment
that has occurred with such modern rock songs as Nirvana s
Rape Me and Everclear s Heroin Girl. Both of these
songs were written in opposition of the topics they discuss,
but the artists intent was deemed evil by the title alone.
Democracy seems to mean that it is much easier to take
someone to court than it is to try to relate to them, or
even understand what they are trying to say.
When we take away the right to express our views about
controversial or uncomfortable topics we are not making them
any better. Sweeping dirt under the rug is not cleaning, it
is merely lying to yourself to save actual work. In the
same way, quieting bands or songs that are potentially
offensive does not make the problems expressed disappear,
only their voice. By bringing up issues such as premarital
sex, drugs, homosexuality, or violence we are not promoting
them. We are merely creating a forum in which to discuss
and further understand them. Topics such as racism and more
recently gay rights have been helped tremendously by
television. The programs that accomplished this were not
monumental or blatant about confronting these topics. They
simply included ideas or type s of people that we may not
run into in our daily life.
By taking away the people s voice, you take away their
power. Democracy is based on power of the people, and
assumes that the participating citizens are informed and
conscience of their surroundings. Unfortunately, in the
American definition of democracy neither one of these is
true. Americans are conscience only of the filtered reality
that is fed to us day after day from birth to death. If you
take a step back you might start to wonder what you ve been
missing.
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