Essay 1 Writing 20 2011

ESSAY 1 On censorship Writing 20 Tim Fitzmaurice Due Friday 1/14
Write a four-page essay on whether and how we should control the expression of obscenity, sexuality, and violence or control the political content of the internet in media. Use at least three citations from our texts.
In China, the internet is severely politically restricted. Many hope that the internet might be a way to break down the repression of freedom and democracy. But it may be a false hope. As Stroehlein says on pages 110 and 111: “ The (political) opponents (online) can score a few victories in that virtual space, but meanwhile, back in reality, little changes for the people on the ground.” In other words, the elites who use the internet to communicate may gain freedom, but millions of ordinary people never benefit. Nevertheless, the Zenger case indicates that anti-government satire and political speech can be useful. As Olson says, (the Zenger case) “made possible the dynamic growth of political expression in the colonies by making it relatively safe for Americans writers to publish political humor … critical of men in office.” (75) Maybe this can eventually come true in China.
Aside from political speech, we also have to consider whether or not to limit sexual or violent speech. Should we censor the anti-police songs of Ice-T? Is he a revolutionary or just violent? Or, as Ehrenrich says, is he a “macho” blowhard whose “gestures are cheap” (113)? She says “revolutions are made by people who have learned to count very slowly to ten” (113). In other words, again it is not the educated elite who make change but ordinary people. But should his offensive language be censored?
Pornography may be the most chilling example for us. The idea that young people may be exposed to offensive web sites has made some people want to filter library and university networks. The opponents say that “the ready availability of sexually explicit material can create occasional but deeply disturbing encounters” (and) “is inherently demeaning to female faculty members, administrators and students” (O’Neil, 100). Should we “protect people from being gratuitously assaulted by digital material that may be deeply offensive” (103)?
Should our library internet, public and/or university, be filtered to protect people from offensive material? How is censorship abused? What kind of protections can we provide for children who may be exposed to degrading sexual or violent imagery on the internet? Can you provide a view of violent or sexually explicit material on TV or in videogames. Should they be censored in some way? How? and Why?
Hints on Writing:
1. Begin your essay with an example from your experience or observations or violent or sexual imagery in media, something you have seen or heard about.
2. Write a thesis. (We as a community need to understand that something is wrong and we need to do something about it. We should do this.)
3. Then define what the problem is. Quote from our texts, giving examples of political, pornographic, obscene, or violent image problems.
4. Talk about what other people have done to control these images, like China or Universities or media groups.
5. Explain what you would do.
6. Tell me what your opponents might say against your approach.
7. End by asserting your view again and return to the story or example you began the essay with.
To the students:
I will present a view of the opening of effective essays that emphasizes four elements:

Significance
Thesis
Focus
Direction

The opening example/story should help to establish the focus and the significance—what we are going to discuss and why we need to discuss it.

Then after brief analysis of the opening example the thesis should be presented. In this case it probably states that we have to make sense of how to address problems of offensive imagery without making our internet useless. You will read the paragraph 13 on 103 about how to balance the need to protect children from taking away rights from adults. So most thesis statements will speak about this balance of need for access and protection of the immature or sensitive observer. Most essays are about taking a stand but recognizing the ambivalence and ambiguity of the situation. I don’t want a kind of “both things are true” thesis but rather a “While of course we need to understand or do this, we must do this other thing above all else.”

The next step is defining some of the terms we are using. I want you to have a quote to use. I will choose several quotes about the possible focuses: e.g., Porn 103 para 13; Violence 141 para 20 & 113 para 8; Political speech 111 p33 & 89 para 39; profanity 55 para 11 54 para 7 [captive audiences] & 98 para 14.

So you have four things to think about:
1. Thesis
2. Quote and analysis.
3. Opening example.
4. Your opinion—for or against—censorship.