Censorship serves a simple, practical role: it veils what is not meant to be heard or seen from the public. In some extreme cases, it results in human rights abuses through the limitation of free speech. The most famous case of censorship in ancient times was in 399 BCE during the time of Socrates. He was sentenced to death for spreading information that violated the political and moral codes of Athens. Political censorship from the past has progressed to be, in a way, even more intense in the present, but its circumstances also less extreme, for death is less often a consequence for disobedience.
Censorship was seen as necessary by the authorities to prevent changes to the government and to avoid revolts. The elites shaped society and regular citizens were molds of clay in the hands of the government. Political censorship suppressed the public by concealing and even sometimes falsifying information that people would receive from the media. Politics and the media are linked together, as Udo Ulfkotte’s 2014 confession showed. Ulfkotte and his colleagues were forced to create propaganda against Russia by the German and American governments. He was “supported” by the CIA and was named an honorable citizen because he was pro-American. His house was searched six times and went through three house attacks by the government. Ulfkotte’s case is an unusual example of censorship in which not only did the government limit what could be said, it went so far as to dictate what should be said by its citizens.
Censorship has been emphasized in politics, but currently in the U.S., it is used most often for restricting explicit scenes and language from getting in the mass media. The press and news networks were, and sometimes still are controlled by the government. As was mentioned before, the government and the media are connected, thus the shift from political censorship to media censorship is not a surprise. Now, censorship is everywhere, and it influences gender expectations. It’s in TV, in movies, YouTube, music, and even our daily experiences.
Double standards have been created because of censorship. Violence is shown throughout the media, but parts of women’s bodies that are said to be inappropriate and obscene are censored out in movies, TV, or in the news. The scene of a topless woman automatically brings the rating of a movie up, for instance to R or NC-17, whereas when men are shown doing something that is said to be inappropriate for women, such as having sex or masturbating, that movie could be rated as PG-13 or even as low as PG, according to Petra Collins in 2013. Thus, it seems that movies or other works of media censor women’s actions more than men’s actions, which creates double standards.
The disturbing imbalance in what we do and do not censor is further shown in coverage of domestic violence, such as Rihanna’s abuse by Chris Brown. This was widely covered by news outlets and her injured face spread out all over the news. The unfair prohibition on female nudity in visual media is enforced as real abuse victims are disrespected by the media and violence against women and in general is more leniently censored. This shows that American society fears sexuality far more than violence. Although this discrepancy is frustrating, censorship may still be useful in terms of concealing explicit language and information, and thus there are clashing viewpoints of censorship continue among the public today.
Limited censorship is still necessary to maintain the lifestyle we have today, to a certain extent. Although it irks some young individuals, it conceals harmful material that could be offensive or traumatizing. The censoring of foul language and age restrictions on movies seem futile in preserving a stable environment for adolescents in this postmodern era, but as mentioned before, it still masks harmful material. For example, movies that are rated R are restricted to individuals under the age of 17. If a five-year-old were to watch an R rated movie with sexual content and violence, then it could influence their innocence in childhood. It is necessary to conceal certain information for moral standards. Various adults now who have witnessed death at a young age carry mental disorders. Individuals who have lost their parents may experience depression, guilt, and fear when they were young. Children could feel that their beloved left because they were “naughty,” or fear that death would be upon them too. Watching someone die leaves countless traumas, especially for younger people. However, extreme political censorship, for example, alters truth and justice.
Censorship is simple, yet difficult to define, because it should, in a way be abolished but still used for moral purposes. If the extreme political censorship, or the unfair censorship of women’s bodies and actions goes on to the future, then I as an individual fear the outcome. Injustice would remain in the world. If women are shamed for doing what men are not censored for, then there will never be gender equality. If the government continues to control the media, then the viewpoints of people will remain biased and false. However, if the censoring of violence or other harmful information is shown to the public, it could be damaging. Censorship brings both injustice and protection today in this postmodern world.