Censorship is a difficult issue. In America, I think we are pretty liberal with our censorship, and I love that. I want to be able to express my opinions without the worry of facing severe repercussions.
I like that about the U, as well. Part of the reason I opted to come here was because I felt I could meet a variety of people expressing themselves in a variety of ways. I have met a lot of remarkable people who have helped me continue to grow by challenging my beliefs and personality.
This need to be challenged is why the idea of censorship scares me. As a human being, I want to learn and to grow, but in order to do that, I need to face challenges and even opposition.
However, the things that are proudly waved under the flag of free expression scare me. You give people complete freedom of expression and what do you see? An 8-year-old boy who becomes a criminal on the TV screen, parading about stealing cars, beating prostitutes and killing people in cold blood. What is even more disturbing? He is laughing at how they clench their stomach or scream out for help. Yes, it seems that somewhere along the way of free expression we let ourselves go too far.
One of the arguments for such violence in the media is that it allows people to relieve natural violent impulses in a safe way. This argument is wrong. Fast food companies would not spend millions of dollars showing people savoring a hamburger if they thought they were stopping people from actually going out to eat. No, they understand that it increases the impulse.
As people, we are what we are born as and what we are taught. Perhaps we do have some violent impulses, but we also have impulses to be kind. We choose which impulse to cultivate and that is how we shape ourselves. Violence will beget violence whether it is real or not.
I am not suggesting that the same percentage of people who will go get a hamburger after watching a fast food commercial will commit a violent crime after playing a violent video game. I do think, however, that it has an influence.
If we say things like, “It is just a video game,” we are undermining the weight of the media. Words and images have power. They provoke people to act. What actions they inspire depends entirely upon what is being conveyed. Even if they don’t always immediately influence our actions, they will always influence what we are and how we feel about things. And if we are to the point where we feel it is all right for a boy to laugh as he unmercifully beats a prostitute, even if it isn’t real, then we are a perverse people.
In my opinion, authoritative censorship is not the answer. However, there is a needed call to action. Responsible individuals must re-evaluate what we will allow. We are spoon-feeding children violence and then trying to challenge it with moral values. We need to be more united and firmly agree upon moral values and teach them to children unashamed. I think we have become too hesitant to call something what it is. Violent video games are wrong and should be eliminated.
