Censorship an argument for censorship of media on violence against women - Research Paper Example

Censorship – an argument for censorship of media on violence against women Outline: Society in general has been patriarchal in nature even in advanced societies. The power of the media through traditional and more recent inputs like the television and internet only has added to this attitude of male superiority and the belief that women are inferior to men. While liberalists argue that censorship is an infringement against freedom of expression, the paper takes a stand that unrestricted depiction of violence against women will only fuel the patriarchal superiority of men in a particular society. Hence a certain level of restriction, even if it is an apparent infringement of freedom of expression is deemed necessary. Introduction: Gender equality is a term that one often hears nowadays. The concept has been around for decades, even though its practical relevance even in modern societies is circumspect. Women’s rights group have, over the years, made great strides in empowering women in various activities of human endeavor. Jobs and tasks, once the exclusive prerogative of men are now being opened up to the ‘fairer sex’ as well. This can be seen as a big change when women were not even allowed the right to vote in a democratic setting. While these are welcome changes, women are still seen to be inferior in a patriarchal society in most parts of the world. Seen as physically weaker, women are often subject to violence in the domestic and social environment in general. The all powerful media, which could include the newspapers, movies, television, magazines, and the internet show actual and fictitious scenes or descriptions regarding this aspect. The paper argues that there should be an element of censorship in the media regarding the depiction of violence against women. While liberalists may argue that censorship is an infringement of freedom of expression, a patriarchal society could be influenced by the media, thinking that ‘male superiority’ is a right rather than infringement. Both the pros and cons of the concept of censorship will be discussed before arriving at a conclusion. Patriarchy and the media: Sheila Jeffrey argues that that women resort to embodiment of their bodies, not out of choice or right, but due to the male dominance that exists in a patriarchal culture. This embodiment is inflicted on almost every part of the body. Women wear lipstick, curl their eyelashes, do all sorts of things with their hear like dyeing, curling, straightening etc, eyes are shadowed or lined, use high heel or ill fitting shoes, resort to body piercing and even cosmetic surgery and silicon implantation, all in the name of beauty. The author argues that most of these practices are not only physically and mentally harmful, but also degrading to women. These practices are encouraged by the fashion industry, the art world and even women’s and girlie magazines. Moreover, writing against them results mainly in resentment and opposition even from the so called feminists. Jeffrey says that “Beauty and Misogyny could well fit into precisely those feminist writings which are criticized because I am arguing here that ideologies of beauty and fashion such as those circulated through popular culture do subordinate women, however passionately those women may adhere to then and cut up their bodies in response” (Jeffreys, 15). Violence against women: The above argument was given just to show the element of male superiority and female inferiority in today’s societies. Violence against women is not just passion, but an act of dominance (Riley). The author argues that the aspect is much deeper than pure censorship of media portraying violence against women. The lack of choice in a male dominated society makes women more vulnerable to violence in various forms (Berry. 13). Other arguments over the power of the media to influence males to be influenced by media are also available. The basic argument is that there is no “simple, direct and casual relationship between the media and their audience” (Strinati,188). The author goes on to argue that media does not represent both genders uniformly. In other words, the views of the male and female are not presented in a balanced manner. Thirdly, there is no uniformity of views among members of both genders. While males in general focus on patriarchy and superiority of the stronger gender, females are focused on proving their equality. Unless there is a uniform focus or focus regarding representation of women in the media, the whole exercise or intent of censorship of portrayal of violence will be wasted. Pros and cons of censorship: A review of literature shows that there are several advantages and disadvantages in imposing censorship in any form in the media. Two primary aspects of moral obligation (rather than rights of freedom of expression) are presented here. The first is that censorship prevents immoral activities being exposed to children and teenagers (Dale, 149). The author argues that effective censorship can even help a society to rid itself of its negative tendencies towards the more helpless group in a society which in this paper concerns women. While the parameters provided in the article covers a wide range of issues, like promoting terrorism, and influencing public opinion in general, the basic premise is that the media has the power to influence minds irrespective of age. Hence depiction of violence against women, like any other verbal or visual depiction could send a wrong or incorrect message. In other words, the media has the power to influence the morality of a society. Advocates against censorship argue that free flow of ideas in necessary in a democratic society. Only secretive and dictatorial societies favor censorship for the fear that their power may be eroded by the influence of free media. The basic argument in these instances is the concept of freedom of expression. The general impression that one gets is that women are susceptible to male domination. According to author Karen Boyle, such depictions de-humanize the female into subordination. This in turn creates a feeling of male superiority due to the power of the diverse types of media (as mentioned above). This in turn will only contribute to violence against women. According to Gunter, depiction of violence against women created a situation of a distorted view of women in a male dominated society. The basic premise, here again is the concept of patriarchy and male dominance. According to the book, ‘Sourcebook on violence against women’, societies in general accept violence against women as a natural right of male superiority. The media, in other words, is a contributory (whether willing or not) in adding fuel to the fire to the patriarchal tendencies of the society. Mark Cohen, in his book, ‘Censorship in Canadian culture’ takes a more specific stand against the visual media. He argues that the visual media has a more powerful (but passive) influence on the male. While there may not be many who enjoy reading, the influence of visual media like television and the internet is more pervasive. Here again, according to the argument provided in this paper, any depiction of violence against women only reinforces the wrong impression that violence against women is acceptable in the society. The media representation of such acts even suggests the wrong and distorted impression that women enjoy being subordinated by males. Personal opinions: An unbiased view regarding the depiction of violence against women in the media has been attempted in this paper. It is felt that the concept of freedom of expression does not justify depiction of violence against women in the media. In other words, until a family oriented society that portrays the value of contribution of women is established, a certain level of censorship is essential. Conclusion: An argument for censorship of violence being depicted in diverse media had been reviewed in this paper. The concept of censorship is seen as a delicate issue, especially in democratic societies. The anti-censorship or liberal views promote freedom of expression. But there is a limit as to what uncontrolled censorship can do harm to a particular society. In politics and business, the media influences public opinion as to what is right and wrong. But depiction of violence against women seems to convey a negative attitude towards women. There is no doubt that the world is still in the clutches of a patriarchal mentality. Any society has its own advantages, challenges and problems regarding this factor. It is essential that the society should take these factors into consideration. Men and women have been created to form a cooperative or collaborate in developing a harmonious environment of survival and growth. Any act or attitude which depicts superiority to commit violence against a physically weaker section (women) will only be detrimental to the development of the society. As can be seen from the above observations, the media, as a powerful entity in the society, should play a part in helping develop a harmonious relationship between the two genders. But uncensored depiction of violence will only be a negative factor in this instance. The public at large is often ignorant about the humanistic aspects of the man-woman relationship. Only censorship of depiction of violence in the media (especially against women) will help in overcoming this male superiority attitude.   References Berry, Bonny. The power of looks: social stratification of physical appearance. Ashgate Publsihing, 2008. 13. Print Dale, Jacquette . Journalistic Ethics: Moral Responsibility In The Media. Pearson, 2007. Print Jeffreys, Shiela. Beauty and misogyny: harmful cultural practices in the west. Routledge, 2005. Print. Riley, Maria. "WOMEN: Enough is Enough! Why Sexual Violence in the Media." Centre for Media Literacy. N.p., 2011. Web. 13 Jun 2011. http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/women-enough-enough-why-sexual-violence-media Strinatist, Dominic. An introduction to theories of popular culture. Routledge, 2003. Print. Read More