Censorship Essay -- essays research papers fc

CensorshipThe freedom to read is essential to the democratic way of life. just now today, thatfreedom is under attack. Private groups and public authorities everywhere areworking to remove both accommodates and periodicals from sale, to exclude certain booksfrom public naturalises, to censor and privacy magazines and newspapers, and tolimit "controversial" books and periodicals to the general public. Thesuppression of reading materials is suppression of creative thought. Books andperiodicals are not the only ones being suppressed by pressures to the politicaland friendly systems. They are also being brought against the educational system,films, radio, television, and against the graphic and theatre arts. However orwhenever these attacks occur, they usually fall at least one of the followingcategories faithWar & Peace (Violence)Sociology & RaceLanguageDrugsSexInappropriate Adolescent BehaviourWhat is Obscenity? Clearly something hard to talk some constructively.&q uotObscenity" is difficult to discuss honestly. After all, what makes a thingobscene? It is Something too vague perhaps to be defined. Its an elusive termwe use, but cant explain. contrasting people often see things differently. Somesee obscenity in nude pictures, statues, paintings, etc. While others find lessobscenity in these things. all(a) the same, "obscene" isnt the same as "wrong" or"bad". Clearly obscenity is not identical with evil. It only covers a singlesegment of it. further what is that segment? A look at the words "obscenity" and"pornography" suggests that it is a segment that didnt worry people very muchtill comparatively recently.Though censorship was known in english law quite early on, it wasnt forobscenity but for heresy and sedition."Undue" exploitation of sex" is what deplorable law in Canada prohibits. This is how criminal law defines obscenity.But it is rather vague. It doesnt differentiate between &quo tordinary obscenity"and "hard-core pornography." The first denoting the ordinary run of "girliemagazines and the jiffy denoting pictures , literature and so on that deal withrape, sadism, masochism, bestiality, necrophilia and other perversions. Peopletend to object far more to "hard-core pornography." Another distinctionregrettably overlo... ...m that mainly frowns upon the violence againstwomen. There should indeed be access to most types of literature, but in varyingdegrees of freedom, determined not by censorship, but by controlled access.Parents are trying to protect their children from the harsh realities of life,but are they really helping, or hindering?BibliographyThe Censorship Iceberg The results of a survey of challenges in school andpublic libraries. By Dr. David Jenkins. School Libraries in Canada. Fall, 1985.v.6 n.1 p19-22Sanitized textbooks reflect a pious paradise that never was. By June Callwood.The Globe and Mail. March 18, 1987. pA2-A3Suf fer the midget children. By Janet Collins. Books in Canada. October 1991.v.20 n.7 p25-27Court bans humanist books from Alabama public schools. By Robin Toner. TheGlobe and Mail. March 5, 1987. pA10Censorship in the childrens library. By Rupert Colley. The Junior Bookshelf.June 1990. v.54 n.3 p121-123Censorship News. take a hop 1985. n20Limits of criminal law - obscenity a test case. By The Law Reform Commissionworking paper no. 10. p7-9Censorship stopping the book banners. By the book and periodical developmentcouncil. August 1988. p1-17