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Essay / A Study of Censorship in the Music, Television, and Film Industry
Censorship has existed in many cultures around the world since anyone can remember, particularly in the United States, where new technological advances have brought many new things and created new censorships. for them. But in the music, television, and film industries, censorship has limited the capabilities of these industries, making it difficult for them to show or broadcast what they and their viewers like. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In a recent incident, rapper Dr. Dre sued the city of Detroit, the mayor's spokesperson and two police officers, accusing them of censorship by threatening to arrest him and the organizers if he broadcast a questionable video during a concert. Dre alleges his free speech and due process rights were violated by Detroit authorities who ordered the removal of the July 6 video of a Joe Louis Arena concert also featuring rappers Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Ice Cube. The video, approximately eight minutes long, showing nudity and a bloody shootout, was not released. Mayor David Bowens said July 14 that he had not seen the lawsuit, but he described it as a "baseless and (a) shameless attempt to draw more attention" to the Up in Tour. Smoke artists. you can't even fill half of Joe Louis (Arena), this cannot be considered anything other than a publicity stunt to generate more business as it goes along," Bowens said. The suit alleges that the video, "an integral part of (Dr. Dre's) performance," was released on tours in 10 U.S. cities and in Toronto "without incident before arriving in Detroit a few hours before the local concert, according to the." pursuit, Bowens, the two police officers and "a significant number" of armed law enforcement appeared in the arena and demanded the video's removal. Police Chief Brown told organizers that the concern was. whether the video was appropriate for young people and that the tour had not warned the public on tickets or in advertisements Even so, according to the suit, an audio tape played on loop on speakers outside. of the arena advised of the "mature content" of the performance, with similar notices written on the arena doors. Brown threatened to arrest anyone who turned on the video, Dr. Dre and the tour promoters. , then immediately stop the show, the lawsuit says. Hours before a concert scheduled for the next day at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the suit says, Dr. Dre and the promoters were also told by police in that suburb not to show the video. When a federal judge in Detroit ruled that Auburn Hills could not block the release of the video, it was released as scheduled. Police issued Dr. Dre with a misdemeanor citation for promoting pornography. Police also reported the matter to the state Liquor Control Commission, believing the palace had violated its liquor license by releasing the video, said Chris De Witt, a spokesman for the attorney general's office. of Michigan. If the state sides with Auburn Hills police, the palace's liquor license could be suspended or revoked. The arena could also be fined up to $300. This is just one of many incidents happening in the music scene that just doesn't seem right. The people who attend these concerts know what to expect from the show and have paid a lot of hard-earned money for their tickets and deserve to have them fortheir money. Like on television; if someone paid for cable, give them their money. Let him watch broadcast shows without any censorship. For months, the Parents Television Council (PTC) has been harassing WWF sponsors to remove commercials from Smackdown (a weekly wrestling show on cable television). So far, 30 major companies have voluntarily withdrawn huge sponsorships from the show. The Council has repeatedly attempted to undermine WWF's activities by trying to dictate what human beings should be allowed to watch. One major company, MCI WorldCom, bowed to the pressure and sided with the PTC. Honorary Television Parents Council National President Steve Allen praised MCI WorldCom for its decision to pull its advertising funds from WWF Smackdown!, one of the most offensive shows in prime time television. "Thank you for bringing to our attention your concerns regarding MCI WorldCom's advertising on the WWF Smackdown! television program. We appreciate the information you have provided on this matter, and we want you to know that we share your concerns and are strongly agree that advertising on WWF Smackdown! is not appropriate,” wrote Bernard Ebbers, president and CEO of MCI WorldCom, in a letter to the PTC. “This is not the kind of program MCI WorldCom wants to be associated with, and MCI WorldCom has suspended all advertising on this program.” MCI WorldCom is the most recent company to pull advertising funds from WWF Smackdown!. To date, more than thirty companies contacted by PTC have committed not to fund advertising for the show, including giants like Wendy's, Ford, General Motors, Coca-Cola, AT&T, M&M Mars, Clorox, State Farm, Office Depot , Walgreens, Saks Inc., Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Allstate Insurance, Gap, Procter & Gamble, Hershey's, McDonald's, SBC Enterprises, Maytag, Colgate-Palmolive, Kellogg's, Pfizer, Domino's, Federated Department Stores, Best Foods, Wrigley's, Bank of America and Johnson & Johnson. Once the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard became aware of Smackdown!'s content, they too withdrew their sponsorship, stating that the show did not reflect their core values. born. The millions of viewers who watch these shows understand that it is just entertainment. To them, it's like football, baseball, basketball or hockey, just a sport to watch when you feel the urge to act. If you can't watch it on TV, another alternative is to simply rent a movie. Using a law rarely enforced in the past decade, Jefferson Parish prosecutors filed obscenity charges against the owners of three major video stores for renting sexually explicit films. Their decision to pursue criminal proceedings reopens a debate over the difficult questions of determining "contemporary community standards," a key phrase in the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling under which obscenity cases are judged , and how to apply these standards in an age where Internet pornography has brought X-rated material into the public eye. Additionally, while Major Video offers sexually explicit and mainstream films, other businesses in Jefferson Parish specialize in adult material but have not been charged. District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. denied choosing Major Video, saying his office reviews every case sent by law enforcement authorities. The sheriff's office said deputies began investigating Major Video following a customer complaint about.