7 February 2012, 7:44 pm
About Me: 11th grader in high school-not too great with essays Assignment Questions: -From what you know about China's recent history (1949-present), how do television shows like ''If You are the One'' reflect or go against the cultural norms of Chinese society? -Does censorship work? What's the purpose of censorship? Does the US have its own forms of censorship? Does the government have the right to dictate what is on television? -Why did the revolutionaries in Egypt (and other parts of the Middle East) have a different experience with media, censorship, and government? -How does the Egyptian example compare against the Chinese one? What lessons can they learn from each other? What lessons can we draw as Americans from the Egyptian and Chinese experiences with media? Essay: Censorship does always work. The purpose of censorship is to monitor what's going on in the world around us. Subjects to prove this true are limitations to First Amendment rights, travel security measures, experiences with media and censorship in Egypt, and experiences with media and censorship in China. The US government should have the right to monitor what's in the media. Even though US citizens have their First Amendment rights, there are certain limitations to these rights, such as Fighting Words, which are words that are likely to cause another to commit an act of violence, as demonstrated in the Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire Case of 1942. In this case, one of Jehovah's witnesses got into a fight with a city Marshall because he called the Marshall a fascist. As a result, the Jehovah's witness got arrested, which was eventually supported by the Supreme Court. Since September 11, 2001, travel security measures have increased a lot. One example of this is at the southwestern United States border, where people have installed 18-foot steel fencings and high-tech surveillance gadgets. Also, airport security has changed a lot since this time, due to recent terrorist attacks. Not only do Americans have to take their shoes off when they go through security, but they also have to have full body scans. These security measures will almost always make sure our nation is terrorist-free. On February 5, 2011, Egyptians and others from the Middle East had a unique experience with the media, censorship, and the government. An unknown human rights activist created an obscene Facebook page about the death of Khaled Said. Human rights advocates claim that Said was killed because the local police thought he had a video that showed police officers with illegal drugs. Gamal Eid came to Said's defense, and said that all Said wanted to do was find proof of police corruption and publish it. Once documented evidence of police abuse had been posted online, the police were prosecuted. ''If You Are the One'' was a Chinese television show that attracted large audiences, but was subject to cancellation because it displayed examples of ''exposing Chinese youth'', and spread copycat shows. Even though human rights and censorship is a huge issue that is overlooked in China, businesses weren't overlooking it in the television industry. This is why several television programs, such as a dating show that aired on Zhejiang Satellite Television, were kicked off the air. Despite the fact that there was violence in Tienanmen Square, in which people would've thought could have ruined China's image, China was still respected. ''If You Are the One'' became a show that no longer expressed itself through dialogue, but now through promotion. This brought people from all over the nation. If we Americans see something we don't like, whether it be in the media, or through our own eyes, we can censor it. Through the Egyptians and Chinese, we learned that we don't have to just shut everything down to do this; we can just monitor it carefully.... Read More »
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