Argument essay: censorship

Should governments control what we watch and read?

Censorship is a controversial subject and arouses strong feelings worldwide. What are the pros and cons?

The arguments against censorship are mainly based on the importance of preserving individual freedom and choice. Why should any government dictate what a mature adult should view or read? Then there is the question of political freedom. Governments might go from censoring materials thought oe be unsuitable for public consumption, maybe because they are too violent or sexually explicit, to censoring ideas and opinions which they disagree with or which they think threaten their own hold on power. People in free societies value their freedom of choice and people in many countries who do not share these freedoms seem mostly to aspire to them, as the current Arab spring seems to bear out.

On the other hand, total lack of any censorship whatsoever seems unthinkable to many educated adults. To begin with, surely it is necessary to protect young people from violent or inappropriate material which could have a deleterious effect on their development into healthy adulthood. Speaking of protecting children, surely it is also right to prevent access to certain paedophile materials and websites. There is obviously a need here for some degree of policing and control by some authority, whether governmental or not.

Some degree of censorship would therefore seem necessary to protect society at large and young people in particular. It is important, however, that this does not become too political and a threat to the priceless freedoms of thought and expression.

258 words.