Censorship is Stupid
Censorship is Stupid Since it Flies in the Face of the Constitution.
Censorship is stupid since it flies in the face of the constitution.
Censorship is defined as the suppression of anything that may be deemed as objectionable.
Many of the greatest inventions and thoughts in the world came about due to intense discussion and in some cases controversy; in many instances the unpopular end of the argument often brought people to violence.
Many governments have often tried to suppress the unpopular or objectionable thought in order to maintain peace.
Where problems tend to arise is when the government has trouble figuring out where to stop their censorship efforts.
One day it is a book; the next music; soon enough language unfavorable to the ruling authority will be censored as well.
Allowed to run wild, censorship will soon keep some the brightest minds from ever being discovered due to fear of being punished for being different .
There is no better way to put it then- Censorship is stupid!
Unknown to many, censorship was actually legal for much of the nation’s history within state and local government borders.
Unless expressly forbidden in the state or local governments’ constitution, anything could be censored by the authorities.
It was not until many of the decisions laid down by the Warren Court that the first amendment was applied to the states and local municipalities.
While restrictions were put in place to keep the government from censoring, they always seemed to find a way.
McCarthyism was an era in which anti-government thoughts and actions were heavily censored by the federal government.
While intending on protecting the nation, the actions and laws during that period of time proved that censorship is stupid by punishing people innocent of any real crime.
Sesame Street Censored
New York Times Co. V. United States
New York Times Co. v. United States is a perfect example of why censorship is stupid.
Although censorship of the media was nothing new during war time, efforts were really stepped up by the government during the Vietnam War.
Efforts were reportedly made in order to present the war in a positive way in the media, regardless if the truth was conveyed or colored.
Before the New York Times was to publish the Pentagon Papers, the federal government threatened to charge the paper with treason under the Espionage Act of 1917.
Luckily, the Supreme Court was not stupid and the newspaper won the case.
Reporters Without Borders
Even though censorship is stupid it does manage to provide jobs for some people; at least those that compile the worldwide press freedom index.
The United States currently sits at number 36. The nations ranked as having the most censor free press are Iceland, Luxembourg, and Norway.