The Power of Censorship

In the texts, 1984, by George Orwell, and Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the concepts of totalitarianism and censorship are addressed in various ways. Both texts are of dystopian fiction, set in post-nuclear war nations, although they are somewhat of a different nature. The concepts of totalitarianism and censorship are explored throughout the texts by addressing the issue of ‘knowledge is power’, the use and abuse of technology and the desensitising of society. Although these are mentioned in both 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, they are different in the way they are approached by each totalitarian government, as the government in 1984 is much more severe in the way each of these issues are dealt with in the text.

When George Orwell writes his dystopian novel ‘1984’ in 1949, he is extremely disturbed with the state of the world after witnessing the methods of the Soviet Union and other fascist regimes during World War Two. During this period, the Soviet Union famously burned books and controlled all media outlets in an attempt to assert dominance over the people of the USSR. In response to his emotional disquiet over these issues, Orwell writes a warning to the world of what he fears would come to pass should totalitarian governments continue to grow in power. In ‘1984’, Orwell writes of the government destroying all media that conflicts with the current political ideology, ‘thought-police’ arresting anybody who shows even the slightest signs of thinking

Once slavery had been abolished the tension between people who were white and people who were black never really seemed to vanish. But as I started to watch the news I never realized how much hatred and cruelty there was between people who are pale and others who have much darker skin. This problem continued to grow and with the borders of censorship weakened then I realized that this issue needs to be taken care of. Growing up in a city that does not have to deal with a large issue like this makes it difficult to have an opinion on the subject in the beginning. When I was first introduced to racism as a subject I never realized how much harm it caused people today but now that I have been enlightened racism is something that I am against.

Censorship has existed since the early ages, dating back to the pre-common era. One of the earliest records of censorship can be found in the Office of the Censor, founded in 443 B.C. to help the Roman council oversee “public morality”.

Modern society faces many controversial issues that previous generations could not have possibly imagined. These issues seem to evolve with the culture and recur in new form as each generation moves on in time. For example, censorship is an issue that generations have struggled to resolve since the dawn of media and the publication of documents. Today, censorship is an important part of our world because of its ability to let parents block out or allow certain material to reach their children, its controversial stand on the freedom of press and freedom of speech rights of human beings, and its demonstration of who or what has the power at hand to control what enters the public media.

What would life be like without censorship? Though there might be upsides to it, such as more freedom of speech, it could also cause some problems. Not only would we be exposing children to many horrors of the world, we also would be doing nothing to prevent offensive and oppressive content in the media. Therefore, some censorship is necessary for all people; however, in most cases, we should be allowed access to most information in society.

The Internet has incurred a tremendous amount of growth and opportunity for the country as well as the world; elevating communication, information, and commerce to a new level. With all this unprecedented innovation, the Internet has also brought controversy that challenges the very foundation of rights that countries like the United States were founded on. With countless websites containing unregulated and objectively offensive content, and the public having an ease of access to this content will result in severe damages to the development of the youth if no censorship is put in place for them to view this content. Additionally, markets are being exploited by piracy which has resulted in billions of dollars being lost by the domestic economy

Children’s innocence must be protected by censorship. The debate on whether censorship is beneficial to society often compiles to a few main reasons. Subjects like freedom of speech, women’s rights, and children’s innocence is brought into question when discussing censorship. It is an important debate because what is censored influences societal beliefs of what is right and wrong. It decides what truths are revealed publicly. Some people think censorship is beneficial because it supposedly protects children, but it is actually useless because it underestimates children’s tolerance, witholds information, oversexualizes women, and sugarcoats the truth.

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects the people of the country from censorship. This document says that people have to be free to say whatever it is that they feel the need to say, even if that statement is controversial. Actually, it is promised that people can say things especially when they are controversial. People who want to censor others do so because they do not agree with what it is that is being said. Only be protecting the First Amendment completely, and by not allowing censorship in any form can we continue to be completely free.

The essay, ‘“Information Is the Alpha and Omega of Our Work”: Bolshevik Surveillance in Its Pan-European Context’ written by Peter Holoquist, discusses the topic of Surveillance in Russia and how it effected her people. During the time of Stalin – Holoquist believes that surveillance was used to manipulate people, bringing forward ‘the “new man”’ (Suny, 52) In this piece – Holoquist states that there was little trace of the belief in public opinion. Instead, the government did what they believed was best, and all should follow.

Is there too much censorship in america, are your kids not allowed to share their mind with the world because of people getting offended over a joke or a misunderstanding. People all through history have been writing free speech to prove a point or for justice or freedom against the government to make a change for the better. But now if you have an opinion some won’t even express you feeling through social media because it will offend people or creators of the website will block the pager or use because their agist there opinion on the matter. Even some parents won’t let their children watch cartoon that are meant for kids because of the creator being homosexal or them no beliveing in the same religion. Some people we hate or distreat that person and won’t let them speak their mind or are be treated the same because of their religion,color or gender appel.

No stray dissenting material is allowed by the government. The fact that every bit of information is likely altered also shows the importance of freedom of the press, as when the press is not allowed independence from the government, it can become a propaganda tool for the government. The idea of all information being alterable also causes readers to place greater value on their literary possessions, as they now know how it can be changed. One of the most extreme uses of power to bring conformity is the purposeful dumbing down of people to make them easier to control: “Indeed, so long as they are not permitted to have standards of comparison, they never even become aware that they are oppressed” (207). With dumber people, they will be less able to tell how much they are being cheated by the government.

History is written by the victors. The victors decide the importance placed on certain events, and often conveniently forget about actions which make them look bad. Censoring information has been around since at least the Ancient Greeks, as evidenced by Socrates in 399 BC, “for his corruption of youth and his acknowledgement of unorthodox divinities” (Newth). Socrates was sentenced to drink a vial of poison for breaking the rules of morality set in his society. This course of action is no longer needed nor prevalent. In fact the banning and reinterpretation of information creates an ignorant society which does not know its own history. censorship of information remains a common source of conflict, particularly in schools and lesson plans.

American singer-songwriter and poet, Jim Morrison, once said "whoever controls the media, controls the mind." With the power to dictate what information an individual is allowed and not allowed to access, comes also the power to mould a society to whatever belief system that is desired. Advertising which has a rich history that can be traced back to early cave paintings, is a medium for persuasion and is often used by businesses and organisations to promote their products and ideas. Advertising being a multi-million dollar market for promoting a wide array of ideas, however, does not have freedom in itself to promote all ideas. It is assumed that the guiding force behind a censorship act has the entire control to set what a society believes. Censorship which can be defined as the suppression of information, acts to protect, to promote and to prevent. Censorship can be and is applied to advertising. This, censorship in advertising, is determined by varied factors.

I will be using a number of these sources to argue the fact that censorship could’ve been a way to control popular opinion as well as create a stable basis for transitioning into a free market of ideas...of the