by George Gifford Jr.

Created on: May 28, 2008

This is a legal and moral issue to say the least. If the government wants to censor our feelings and expressions within our media, we would lose the American right of free speech. On the other hand, our morals tell us that some things are better off unseen and unheard.
For ages people have banded together to express themselves through writing and speech. Ever since the ink was laid on the first parchment this issue was greatly debated. What can be said and when it can be said is an old question. A great example of this is the highly controversial pamphlet "Common Sense" written by Thomas Pain January 10, 1776. Within three months, 120,000 copies are alleged to have been distributed throughout the colonies of Europe advocating complete independence from royal rule. The "Loyalists" did not take this lightly and disagreed with these politically incorrect ideas. Looking back at this now, knowing that this pamphlet and the ideas that came along with it built the framework for America, its kind of hard to say it shouldn't have been aloud to be published.

That was then and this is now. An obvious statement but an important one. A wave of modern media now leads the way to an endless stream of nonsense. Radio, internet, television, magazines, its overwhelming. Everyone has a voice that wants to be heard. With that said a intelligent person can assume that people would think before they "express" themselves, but that doesn't seem to happen all the time. In this day and age freedom of speech is pushed to its boundaries. Stupidity for comic value is seen everywhere. Television advertisements don't even advertise anything. Radio is crude and lacks true value. There is quality media, but it is so congested in useless projections that to absorb anything you need to live life with a pause button and catch up with what's going on around you.
Maybe people are upset because children might get the wrong impression of the world through media. It just so happens that you and me are getting the same impression. I'm not worried about the children anymore, I'm worried about us. We can only guide our children as parents and try to make them understand that media no longer delivers clean and clear messages of the world around us. Its now gives us a blurry look into life or what used to be called life.
If the media loses freedom of speech then the government will control it completely. At least now we have an avenue to broadcast our ideas. Not saying that we are correctly using the tools we are given, but at least they are there for us when we want them.

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