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Julia Turner
Wilson
HELA 10
19 February 2015
Censorship as it is Perceived by a Common Public
There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running
about with lit matches said Ray. As a writer, Ray Bradbury faced challenges with censorship
and limitations. Censorship is the practice of examining different forms of media and
intentionally omitting parts that are deemed unacceptable. This form of oppression blinds the
public to important information and takes away certain freedoms of the mind as it is exemplified
in appendix A. With many ways to wield this tool of manipulation, there is an endless amount of
ways this affects the general population of the world. Censorship in any form is unacceptable in
practice because it limits the freedom of press, restricts the freedom to learn, and manipulates the
way people are able to perceive the world.
When a government attempts to conceal, or falsify information in order to keep control
over a general populace, it is considered political censorship. It may be used in fear of a brewing
rebellion or uprising (What Is Censorship). The USSR in 20th century Russia kept all forms of
media under strict censorship. Anything threatening or arbitrary would be kept from the public
and through pre-censorship and the public would be none the wiser. The new order of the USSR
meant drastic political and economic changes, but also culture, education and religion were
subject to revision (Newth). The Glavlit, established in 1922, was meant to eliminate all forms

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of media that were potentially destructive to this new order that had been created. It had
complete authority in all forms of performing arts and media and even restricted the importation
of foreign literature (Newth). Censorship at this level of intensity changed the way that people
lived and completely controlled how people saw their own society as well as how they saw the
outside world.
While censorship can be used on a large scale like political censorship, it can also be used
by your neighbors and friends who surround you. Moral censorship presents itself in a way that
is widely accepted by most people but in actuality hinders the learning process of youth about
controversial topics. It gives off the pretense of protecting the innocent from the horrors of the
real world (What Is Censorship). Shielding children from the complexities of everyday life is an
acceptable practice up to a point. If censorship and limitations prove to keep the child in
ignorance as they approach the later years of their childhood, it has been taken too far. For
instance, sex education in America lacks in many school systems. Recent polls reveal that there
is a debate on whether or not sex education should even be taught in the public education system
(Sex Education in America). Sexual Education is extremely important to have in a childs
curriculum and this gap in a childs education can lead to pregnancy, sexually transmitted
diseases, and utter obliviousness to the workings of ones own body.
Another way censorship is used on a larger scale is through corporations. Corporate
censorship manipulates the public view of a large business or corporation through spokespersons
and false advertisement. Corporate censorship may be used to cover up a scandal or other
unsavory stories that may result in a loss of business for the corporation. Fahrenheit 9/11, a
movie by filmmaker Michael Moore which criticized the financial connections between the Bush
family and the Saudi royal family, as well as the government response to the 9/11 terrorist attack

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on the Twin Towers, was not distributed by the Walt Disney Company in fear of offending the
public and figureheads involved in the discussed topics. The more that media is concentrated in
the hands of a few huge corporate owners, the more likely we'll see this type of corporate
censorship (Disney: Another Troubling Example of Corporate Media Censorship). This
troubling statement raises the question of how much truth the public actually sees in their day to
day lives.
Censorship is something that affects everyone in a variety of ways and on varying scales.
It may be as simple as muting out an inappropriate world on television, or it may be as complex
as completely hiding the truth from an entire population. Censorship is a tool used for
manipulation and deceit, it keeps the public shadowed in ignorance and then takes away the
opportunity to shed any light. It takes away the very opportunity to think as we should be able.
Who is more to be pitied, a writer bound and gagged by policemen or one living in perfect
freedom who has nothing more to say says Kurt Vonnegut.

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Works Cited
"Censorship for Christmas." Swedish Surveyor. N.p., 05 Dec. 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"Censorship in America." Censorship in America. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"Disney: Another Troubling Example of Corporate Media Censorship." Common Cause. N.p., 5
May 2005. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
Newth, Mette. "The Long History of Censorship." The Long History of Censorship. National
Library of Norway, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
"Quotes About Censorship." (231 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"Sex Education In America." The Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation Sex Education InAmerica
Comments. N.p., 2001. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.

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Appendix A