Censorship

Essay by nikko1627University, Bachelor'sA+, October 2004

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"Censorship"

"The song [Cop Killer] is fiction, not fact. At no point did I go out and say 'Let's do it.' I am singing in the first person as a character who is fed up with police brutality. I ain't never killed no cop. I felt like it a lot of times. But I never did"

-Rapper Ice-T, National Review, July 20, 1992.

Statements such as that have started an on going debate about censorship in the television and music industry. What exactly is censorship? Some feel censorship is a violation of the first amendment right. Others say censorship is a must in the violent, abusive world we call "society". Who has the right to censor? Who doesn't? What needs to be censored, and what doesn't? The fact of the matter is that there are the pros and cons in the music and entertainment industry about censorship. Since its invention earlier this century, television has become the most popular format for entertainment.

We can be entertained, informed, and inspired by programs on TV. In fact, Americans love TV so much that we probably watch far too much of it. TV stations are becoming less restrictive about content in their programs. More violence, profanity, and nudity than ever before now grace our TV screens every night. Clearly, there are things that children should not be seeing on TV. The new V-chip legislation passed by Congress requires all TV manufactures to install an electronic device that allows parents to set the tolerance levels for violence, profanity, and nudity. However, are children's viewing habits the responsibility of the government or the parents? There are several arguments that can be made on censorship on TV. One for example, what are the pros for censorship? What are the cons? There are a lot...