Censorship Essays (888 words) - Freedom Of Expression, Censorship

Censorship Essays (888 words) - Freedom Of Expression, Censorship Censorship CENSORSHIP Censorship and the ideology supporting it reiterates concepts from ancient times. In early Greek civilization, Socrates was accused of worshipping strange gods and corrupting the minds of the youth. He preferred to sacrifice his life rather than accept the censorship of his teachings. Socrates advocated free discussion, and is the first person in recorded history to formulate a philosophy of intellectual freedom. Ancient Roman society endorsed that only members of the Senate, or persons of vast authority, enjoyed the privilege of free speech. However, the extensive Roman Empire could not have remained intact for four centuries if it had not maintained a tolerant attitude toward the diverse religions and cults of the races it ruled. In our own country, the American Revolution branded the beginning of an era with an emphasis on toleration and liberty the Age of Enlightenment. It affected all aspects of society, from religious belief and political life, to science and literature. The De claration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution sanctioned that restraint on publication is unconstitutional. Such repression is only justified in extreme cases, such as times of war. In modern times, censorship refers to the examination of books, plays, periodicals, films, television and radio programs, news reports and the internet for the purpose of suppressing material thought to be objectionable or offensive. Censorship can be defined as the supervision and control of the information and ideas that are circulated among the people within a society. It concerns objectionable materials, such as those which may be considered to be immoral, obscene, treasonable or injurious to national security. The rationale of censorship is that it is necessary for the protection of basic social institutions: the family, the church and the state. It is a guardian of morals, and intrudes in many aspects of society: it supervises our communications, suppresses our freedom of speech, alters and edits our media and reduces the knowledge base that we can gain access to. It is claimed that permissiveness in the arts and mass media debases the public taste and corrupts all sense of dec ency. One aspect of censorship is that it omits some of our freedoms of speech when addressing a large group of people. For example, no person has the right to shout Fire! in a crowded theatre when no fire is present, or urge an angry mob to riot. This, as stipulated by Congress, would be a clear and present danger to the peace and security of the community. In some local communities, school boards have exerted pressure on publishers to omit certain areas of text relating to various sensitive issues, such as evolution, the biblical account of creation, or discussions of racial or religious groups. When publishers, authors or broadcasters trespass the political or moral boundaries set by law, they may be subject to fines, imprisonment and confiscation of their publication. The U.S. film industry practices a form of self-censorship. The Motion Picture Association of America imposed on its constituents a system of film classification. The Federal Communications Commission implemented v ague rules for television and radio about program content. They restrict the use of explicit language and direct references to sex. Religious, ethnic and racial groups have attempted to prevent plays, movies, and television programs because of elements they find offensive. In terms of my own opinions concerning censorship, I do not believe that it should be completely eliminated from our society. Instead of the materials we have access to being filtered and limited, I believe that the information should be available to those who choose to, and are mature enough to view it. One aspect I feel strongly about is that any individual should be able to openly criticize, through speech or publication, any government or public official. If we do not have the right to question or criticize our authority figures, than there is nothing to set our democratic society apart from that of a dictatorship. I do not believe that censorship should interfere with our correspondence, privacy, family or with our freedom of thought, religion or opinion. In terms of how censorship should be dealt with in our classroom, I think that omitting all profanity from music selection would eliminate a huge portion

Get the 411 on the 809 Area Code Scam

Get the 411 on the 809 Area Code Scam Viral alerts circulating since 1996 warn consumers not to comply with telephone, pager, or email requests to dial phone numbers beginning with the area code 809, 284, or 876. Its a real scam, but less prevalent than the alerts suggest. These alerts have been circulating since the mid-1990s. Heres an example of one that appeared on Facebook in February 2014: VERY COSTLY NEW AREA CODE:- READ AND PASS ALONG0809 Area CodeWe actually received a call last week from the 0809 area code. The woman said Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you- get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you. Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 0809. We did not respond, this week, we received the following e-mail:Do Not DIAL AREA CODE 0809,0284, and 0876 from the UK .This one is being distributed all over the UK ... This is pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get you to call. Be sure you read this and pass it on. They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc.. In each case, you are told to call the 0809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.If you call from the UK you will apparently be charged a minimu m of  £1500 per-minute, and youll also get a long recorded message. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges.WHY IT WORKS:The 0809 area code is located in the Dominican Republic ....The charges afterwards can become a real nightmare. Thats because you did actually DID make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. Youll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam. Analysis: Somewhat True Variants of the 809 area code scam alert have circulated via email, online forums, and social media since 1996. Albeit in an exaggerated and not entirely accurate fashion, the warnings describe a real scam in which consumers are tricked into dialing international phone numbers and racking up unexpected long-distance charges (though nowhere near the whopping $24,100 total or  £1500 per minute reported in these rumors). According to ATT, the scam has become less prevalent in recent years thanks to the preventative efforts of long distance carriers. The 809 area code scam can work because a few regions outside the U.S., including the Caribbean and Canada, can be dialed directly without the usual 011 international prefix. 809 is the area code of the Dominican Republic. 284 is the area code of the British Virgin Islands. 876 is the area code of Jamaica. Since these numbers arent subject to laws outside those countries, theres no legal requirement to inform callers in advance of any special rates or fees. Perpetrators have conned victims into dialing the numbers by leaving messages claiming that a relative has been injured or arrested, an unpaid account must be settled, or a cash prize can be claimed, etc. ATT advises that consumers always check the location of unfamiliar area codes before dialing. This can be done by querying the NANPA website (North American Numbering Plan), checking an area code locator website or simply Googling the area code and viewing the top result.