The Restriction of Our First Amendment Rights Through The Use of Censorship

Despite being protected under the first amendment, the government is restricting more and more adult content due to its obscenity. Although some definitely find pornographic magazines, hip hop and rap music, and adult videos offensive, they are all protected under the first amendment. However, the government is still adding more and more censorship to such things, and thus disrespecting the first amendment rights.

Although there are people who think such things are offensive, there are others who think of pornography and rap music as art – especially the artists. To censor someone’s art simply because some people don’t enjoy it is wrong. It should be out of the governments control to censor such works, but within the people’s control. If I was a mother I wouldn’t want my children to listen to explicit materials until they were old enough, and thus it should be my right as a consumer to censor what I want. But for the government to say what I can and cannot look at or listen to for my own pleasure is a violation of the first amendment.

Attacks On the Arts and Popular Culture

This part of the article talks about a few cases in which someone tried to sue another for explicit materials, but in the end, because the artist has the right to express themselves, art always won.

I find it very funny that the FBI, because they couldn’t decipher the lyrics of “Louie, Louie” by the Kingsmen, began a thorough investigation. To think that in the 60s explicit material was so scandalous that the FBI had to ensure that the public did not have immediate access to such profanity, is just baffling to me. And it is very unfortunate that artistic expressions are being censored due to that profanity.

Erotic Materials in Cyberspace

Through a few different regulations the federal government is attempting to control what a consumer can see on the internet. Two of these have to do with children, of which I fully support. But the first law attempts to regulate the transferring of indecent materials over the internet.

The main problem I have with all three of these acts is how difficult it truly is to regulate anything on the internet. The federal government should not, and do not, have complete control of what gets uploaded, downloaded, and seen on the internet. It is such a large network that it is simply impossible for anyone to regulate such material on.