Considering Censorship - Essay Example

The debate has gone on for as long as I can remember. Who should do the censoring? Are they credible enough to be able to know what to censor and what not to censor? How do we know that they are the right people to do it? What categories do they have to knoe what should be censored and what should pass through the censorship board unedited? Should censorship even be done to limit adults’ freedom of choice? These are but a few of the questions that have plagued the ensorship debate all over the world.

But what really is censorship? This paper aims to consider the topic and arrive at a personal definition of the term through the study of various sources on censorship. The world is composed of people in power who tend to exert their will and opinion on various aspects that they think concerns them. Whether they be parents, politicians or organized entities, they believe that they have the right to dictate to an individual or group of individuals what to do and what not to do. This, I believe is the root of censorship.

Although I must clarify that by the term ‘individuals’ I am refering to adults who can already decide for themselves; thus, excluding children who still needs guidance in order for them to grow up to be able to make decisions for themselves. Because I believe that the origin of censorship lies in the power that these people have and the right they think they have in limiting a person or community’s choices, it is then logical to assume that whatever content is out there—whether they be as pristine as church music or as pure as a film about the life of a saint—censorship would still exist.

This is because people in power will always find something to criticize and someone whom they think they need to protect. Also, the world is inherently political. Thus, there would always be someone who would incorporate censorship in his or her political agenda. A very good example of this is the Age of Enlightenment wherein the