I've never been a fan of censorship. As a journalist, it was an evil, evil concept. It went against everything that the First Amendment stood for and protected for us.
Now that I teach, it takes on a new meaning I can't imagine not being able to give certain books to my students because someone else said they were improper. In my mind, it would only make them want to read that selection more. Obviously, I won't tell a kid that they should ignore something their parents have told them not to read. But, I think it is different when it is the parents. They have the right to do that. I don't necessarily agree with the concept, but that is their prerogative as a parent.
I was lucky. My parents didn't tell me what I could or could not listen to, read or watch - except for refusing to buy me Motley Crue's Girls, Girls, Girls when I was in grade school thanks to my older cousin saying I was too young. They maintained they had raised me with certain beliefs and felt they had given me the tools to make choices. They also felt that I wasn't going to be swayed by the influence of others. What this gave me was a huge world view. Through reading and movies, I was exposed to worlds, cultures and beliefs that I wouldn't have known to exist coming from small-town Iowa. I can't imagine not being given that freedom. My world view would have been so small, it wouldn't have been funny. I would not be as well-rounded as I am today if there had been restrictions put on what I could read or watch.
I think back to friends in high school whose parents did restrict their movie choices. They told them watching certain movies would give them too many bad ideas. They were the ones who ended up having to get married because there was a baby on the way. So, their argument about giving them ideas doesn't seem viable because they obviously figured out those things on their own.
Sheltering yourself isn't good. I think it only makes you wonder more and it is n't like it is hard to get access to any of these things in today's society. It is human nature that if you tell someone you can't have something, it makes you wonder more. When you wonder more, you seek it out and could end up causing more problems.
Free speech is an amazing cornerstone of our county. Censoring takes away that right and turns us into something that we worked hard for and many sacrificed for in our past. We're the home of the free - not the slightly free depending on the ruling viewpoint. Being diverse and letting several viewpoints be heard, voiced and experienced is what makes us us. If we can't experience a certain viewpoint, then we're missing a big point of free speech. You can choose to not listen, not pay attention to it, but you shouldn't force that on others. As Americans, we should be able to see, hear, read, digest what we want. Outside groups and the government should not be in control of that. It should be a personal choice - maybe up to parents since they do have some type of control until you're 18 - or while you're living under their roof. But, I also think that children will make good choices if you've equipped them to.
It's not like we want generations of sheep. This is America. We champion creativity and being able to be who you are - individuality. It is what makes this country great and amazing.
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