Understanding both sides of the censorship debate

A restriction or a protection, or a bit of both?

INTRODUCTION

Censorship is, more often than not, viewed in a negative light in the current era. It is usually taken to be an act supported by people who are small-minded, defensive and enemies of freedom of expression. Even then, it is commonly accepted that this form of oppression is sometimes a necessary evil for maintaining social decorum. It is prevalent in nearly all countries in some form or the other, even though the degree of its prevalence may vary. It generally focuses on banning displays of violence, drug abuse, indecent exposure and language from public view.

This controversial act has been a part of our society for hundreds of years. Plato, for instance, was in favor of it. Censorship has evolved with the evolution of forms of expression. From being used mostly to ‘moderate’ content in newspapers and books, it is now actively used to regulate content on social media and in the entertainment industry.

There are two sides to the censorship coin, positive and negative, and these will be discussed in detail.

ADVANTAGES OF CENSORSHIP

Reduces hate speech

It has often been observed that some people use their right to speech to suppress the same right of other groups or individuals. Women and minorities had to struggle for centuries to gain equal rights, a struggle that can be attributed to the power of hate speech. It is often disguised as promoting religious freedom, patriotism and so on, but this does not change the fact that it is hate speech.

Through censorship, this hate speech can be restricted and curbed. Consequently, equality and peace are promoted.

Protects minors from unhealthy content

There are a lot of sources through which children in today’s society might be exposed to indecent content. Even with the introduction of parental filters and kid-friendly apps, a lot of content might slip through. With the aid of censorship, this content is regulated and its percentage is vastly reduced.

Therefore, censorship reduces these potential threats that a child might have been exposed to because of their lack of experience and foresight.

Reduces conflicts in society

There is no dearth of offensive content on the internet. Something or the other has the potential to offend everyone. Through censorship, access to this kind of problematic content cannot be wholly eliminated because that would lead to an elimination of almost everything we see online.

Instead, through censorship, access to that information is restricted that could adversely affect the larger community by affecting our cultures and our homes.

Provides security to country

Since censorship limits the type of information that the general masses receive from day to day, it helps protect government and businesses. In its absence, confidential files might have been made available to the public by a mere request. Also, there would be no proprietary information.

Therefore, by restricting particular types of information from free flow into society, the safety of these institutions is increased.

Protects rights of creators

It is common knowledge that artists, innovators and inventors benefit greatly from copyright laws. Copyright laws are themselves a form of censorship, as is any other legal construct like patents which gives an individual or a group exclusive rights and access to particular information, while restricting the same for others. These rights are also known as “creation rights” possessed by the original creator or creators.

These rights, along with laws like prevention of plagiarism and IP theft, are vital to the economy. In their absence, there is no protection of creator’s rights, and work by creators can be stolen and copied by people who have the resources to generate the same output at lower costs.

Therefore, especially for small businesses to stay in the economy, it is essential that censorship is maintained in the society.

Restricts circulation of false information

Certain censorship laws prohibit businesses from lying about the services and products provided by them. For example, advertisements cannot be misleading, and must be a direct depiction of the products or services portrayed. In case any company fails to conform to these rules, they can be levied with fines and penalties.

This is how censorship laws protect consumers — by making sure that businesses remain honest and consumers are not falsely lulled into buying deceptive products or services.

Improves knowledge

It is human tendency to believe what we see, especially when we are looking at information online. Through censorship, information that has the potential to create panic in the masses, as decided by the government and law enforcement, is removed. This decreases the spread of vicious rumors and misinformation, while promoting mindfulness and awareness amongst the public.

Limits identity theft

In this age of the internet, crimes like identity theft have become extremely common. Private information of hundreds of millions of people is exposed, while 15 million reports of identity theft surface each year. This is because the internet has a large array of easily accessible information, which often falls into the wrong hands. Consequently, a lot of people are becoming victims of identity theft.

Children are an easy target for such crimes because of their clean profiles and lack of need for a lot of verifications during any application process. Therefore, censorship provides us with much needed protection against such cyber crimes by keeping in check prospective criminals.

Enables rating of content

One of the biggest benefits of censorship is its creation of the ratings system. Entertainment products like movies, songs and video games are rated as per their suitability for different age groups. U, UA, PG-13 are some examples of ratings.

DISADVANTAGES OF CENSORSHIP

Represses minority

The majority gets to decide what is construed as offensive and what is not. The minority which holds different opinions has no choice but to conform to the norms set by the majority. An example of this is in art, where certain depictions which are considered offensive by the majority and are therefore censored on moral grounds are merely a way of expression for the artist who had no intentions whatsoever to offend anyone through their art.

Distorts narrative

It is believed that censorship allows people to make a certain narrative in the society which they label as the truth. For example, depictions of violence are often banned in video games, books or movies. The justification given for this is that they may cause unstable people to become violent and act out. But if restrictions like this spread, nothing would escape from being censored. For example, the serial killer Ted Bundy collected cheerleading magazines. But this fact alone is not sufficient for such magazines to be banned.

Discourages career opportunities

Since there is an authority whose approval is necessary for any sort of information to be shared publicly, a barrier is created. This means that every business idea, product idea or even food idea needs to be approved by an authoritative figure. Given our social construct, those with wealth and influence have an easier time getting around this framework than those without it.

Reduces general intelligence

Since what information the public is exposed to is under strict observation by an authority, the said authority has in mind specific aims for the outcomes this information produces. Therefore, the public is prevented from seeing the whole truth of a given matter. Even a suggestion that a particular source of information is unreliable by an authoritative figure is a form of censorship.

Restricts freedom of expression

This is perhaps the biggest drawback of censorship. In a world of democracy in which freedom and rights are deemed as the most important haves and have nots, censorship hinders perhaps the most important right — the right to freedom of expression. Because of censorship, individuals and groups are not free to express publicly through any media whatever they feel like, because it may be deemed indecent or inflammatory and they may be sentenced to prison or fined because of it.

Deflects responsibility of consumption

Censorship also shifts the responsibility of consumption in society. Because the government is responsible for the information that is publicly available, the general mass has no accountability for their actions. Therefore, only the people in charge control what standards of ethics and morality prevail in the society. They have the power to tell the masses what is right, what is wrong and even what to think. This is how censorship trunks people into mere commodities.

CONCLUSION

Censorship should not be misunderstood as an absolute restriction to viewing particular materials. Instead, it emphasizes on the private and personal nature of such materials and condemns their public endorsement.

In an era of globalization and democracy, popular culture is of utmost importance because of the enormous influence it exerts over the masses. So if censorship plays a role in molding our collective ideas about good and bad, right and wrong, so that there is a semblance of normalcy and peace in the society, it is not all bad. Censoring what is considered odd, in such cases, is not necessarily an act of suppression, but a genuine effort at ensuring harmony in the society.