“Why Censorship Is Bad?” Essay

One of the basic principles of America is freedom of expression, which means such a notion as censorship serves as a good subject for essays. Censorship takes place when a person or a group of people hinder others from printing some material or saying something. By imposing limits on different publications, TV shows, web resources, art, etc., censors try to restrict freedom of expression and choice. Many students often seek writing assistance being assigned to create the “Why censorship is bad?” essay. Using writing services is a good idea since discussing such a matter as censorship is not easy. You may need to look through some examples of the “Why censorship is bad?” essay to understand what to begin your paper with. Having a good sample at hand, it will be easier for you to produce an outline and determine the points on which you want to base your introductory and concluding sections. Remember to write plagiarism-free work.

The example of the “Why censorship is bad?” essay

Book banning in USA and other countries

Book censorship is the prohibition of selling, distribution and reproduction of books that are thought or deemed to have a negative impact on students. They could be of pornographic nature or could be spreading hatred among learners. In the US for example, censorship of books is a serious issue that is undertaken by the government. The USA is perhaps the country where censorship of books is greatest in the world. In the past ten years for instance, the country has witnessed censorship of about 100 books.

Owing to its large population and cultural diversity, many students are starting school each year. Teachers give the students list of books according to their syllabuses. The parents then, in good faith, walk into supermarkets and book stores to buy the required books. A big surprise will be waiting for them: some of these books will have been banned. Such is the rate of book banning in the US. The pupils’ favorite books like The Catcher in the Rye, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and To Kill a Mockingbird will be missing from the shelves of bookshops. Parents and administrators alike have challenged some of these books due to the negative influence they have on the behavior of students. Some of these books manifest violence. Yet some depict society as a bad place. Challenges are formal requests in writing that a book be removed from the shelves of book stores. In the United States different bodies like ALA, American Library Association, and Office of intellectual freedom have recorded overwhelming challenges since 1990. Considering that only a fraction of these is recorded, this number could well be more.

Unluckily, this scenario presents the reader limited options of choosing what they want. It is decided for them by the parents and the administrators. The government’s job is to impose the censorship. Ignoring outrages from communities, a school board in the USA recently banned an award-winning book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The book was censored due to its sexual content and abusive language. Some of the books whose removal sparked controversies included Revolutionary Voices which parents and administrators attributed to the abusive and pornographic content. The danger lies in the fact that we let other people to decide for us.

Compared to USA, other countries like Canada have a more liberal stance on book banning. Few instances of book banning have been reported in Canada. Considering a uniform period of time, The USA banned more books than the Canadian authorities did. This serves to show that Canada is not as serious about book banning as the US is.

Unlike the US, Canada resists from the use of ‘censorship or banning. Rather it uses terms like ‘official challenge’ of a book. Whereas the books are not secluded in some legally determined place, access to the public is limited. These books are placed in archives. Also included in this category are magazines and journal purported to be harmful to the readership. In Canada these books are released to the public, while in the US it is illegal to be found in possession of banned books. The anti- censorship civil rights in the US are perhaps doing a job, by taking to the streets en masse in challenge o the banning. Canada and other countries have recorded less instances of book banning in the recent past. However it must be noted that banning of books is most common in the America.

Book banning in the US

Banning of books is a common spectacle in countries like the USA, and countries that care about the social integrity of the country. Whereas censorship of books is a major prerogative of governments, some governments have been criticized for censoring only the books that they think challenge their status quo. However to uphold good societal values, censorship of some books have been deemed necessary. Of particular interest is the censorship of Critical Racial Theory by Richard Delgado. The book talks about racism in the US. However, I will give a comprehensive account in later excerpts.

In the US, for example, one of the books censored in the recent past is Rethinking Columbus: the next 500 years by Bill Bigelow. The censorship has been met with oppositions and suspicions from authors. Some of the challenges the authors have had to grapple with are confusion and bewilderment that come with it. It means loss of income and denial of the right to express one’s self. However, some actions like the recent decision by the Unified School District’s board of the Tucson early this January to ban books without proper justification raises an eyebrow.

Censorship in good faith …

The MAS program was censored for, purportedly, fuelling racial divisions in Mexico. The Mexican Studies program was one that fell in this category. This move was a good one, especially in light of the fact that racism is an outdated form of segregation that has been overtaken by events. The decision by the American senate to cut down on funds allocated to them was a good one that had the double advantage of cutting government budget and reducing incidence of racism in the US. In addition to banning the books and disbanding the programs that had been in line with the books, the TUSD withdrew, legally, hundreds of books that were already part of the schools’ curricula. Some of the censored books included Critical Race Theory by Richard Delgado, Chicano! , The History of the Mexican Civil Rights Movement and Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Should book have been censored?

The Critical Race Theory is a book written by the controversial Richard Delgado. It focuses on critical theory, and critical evaluation of culture and society. The book, in its pursuits, traverses law, race and power. The book recognizes that racism is real and very much present in the social fabric of the larger American society, and runs in the veins of the American people. The book especially talks about racism, not in the context of Americans viewing each other as the ‘the other race’. Rather, the book states that racism exist in American institutions. In other words, the book seems to analytically view racism in American power structures. White superiority is rife in America of the 21st century, at least according to the book. According to Richard, the book exposes the deeply entrenched racial imbalances that have existed in the American society. The closeness of law and power is evident in this book. The book hopes to achieve a free American society that is devoid of any racial segregation. This book is line of the collective vision of the American people.

However, whether rightly, or with some hidden agenda, the American government moved to censure the book. Perhaps the administration thought that the ideologies in the book would fuel hate speech and resentments among the blacks and the whites. The American government argued that America has come of age, and today America is the greatest democracy in the world. However, in the recent past, America has ben dogged by instances of racism. This, in my view is evident, especially with reference to recent American polls. One then asks, ‘Why has there never been a black US president, at least before the polls that saw Barack Obama become the first black US president. Why have there been human rights activisms in the past? One recalls the conceited efforts by activists like the late Martin Luther King. What were they fighting for, it there have ben no racism in the US. Obviously the answers to these questions are an affirmative of racial divisions. White supremacy is rife in the contemporary American society. It cannot be ignored. It has always been there. Whereas I agree that there have been efforts to try contain racism in America, the potential threat it poses cannot be underscored.

It is against this backdrop that I vehemently oppose the governments (the US) censoring this book. If the government is the mirror of the society, then why does the same government that purports to ensure equality among the members of the USA community be part of the very act it opposes? The race theory in America cannot be overlooked. It is a threat to social fabric that holds the American people together. I find nothing wrong with the book. The book needed not have been censored. Whereas I am overwhelmed by the civil rights movements of the recent past, I am critical of their ‘colorblindness.’ They focus a lot on purposeful discrimination at the expense of racial imbalance.

There is no visible racial oppression. What we have rather today is racial suppression. All throughout the book, the author maintains a neutral stance. The presence of racism or elements of racism in institutions of power in the US is what particularly worries me. It is true that there have been superiority issues in the US, but in the recent past there has been a paradigm shift in this notion. Issues of hate speech- quoted by the government for censoring this book- are nothing compared to the general hope for a more liberal, democratic and racism-free America.