“Everything has faded into the fog. The past has been erased, the erasure has been forgotten, the lie has become truth. This phrase, spoken in George Orwell's sinister book, 1984, illustrates a totalitarian government censoring information, thoughts, language and history to control its citizens. In doing so, society unknowingly becomes oppressed and perfectly willing to believe anything the government publishes. Censorship is the repression of certain forms of communication or information, often inflicted by those in power. Oppression refers to the restriction of freedom that results in unjust and cruel treatment by society. In demonstrating the negative effects of total censorship, George Orwell argued that freedom of speech is an essential element that should be granted by any authority. As such, censorship often infringes on people's rights to express themselves and is therefore always oppressive. Essentially, this essay will aim to show that censorship and its restriction of freedom can be compromised. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Certainly, while most forms of censorship are oppressive, it is true that censorship of graphic or explicit content can be justified. Censoring obscene depictions in films helps protect the young and most vulnerable. With the rise of social media as a form of entertainment, the exposure of graphic content is increasingly prevalent in today's societies. When young and impressionable viewers are exposed to content involving profane depiction, they may experience such unwanted social behavior. A typical example is an experiment conducted by researchers at Ohio State University. The kids they brought saw either movies in which characters used guns or a version in which the guns were removed. Additionally, the researchers hid a real, unloaded handgun, modified so that it could not fire. Not surprisingly, kids who watched the version with excessive gun violence gameplay were more likely to pull the trigger on the real handgun. Some children even shot multiple times, displaying more prolific violent tendencies, such as pointing the gun at other children's heads. This research concludes that there is a relationship between exposure to violent content and their subsequent behavior. As such, censorship in this aspect is essential to protect young minds. However, even if censorship is justifiable, that does not mean it is not oppressive. As noted above, censorship, particularly in film, essentially prevents violent or unwanted behavior. By censoring explicit and profane images in the media, whether in films or on social networks, we restrict the creator's freedom of artistic and intellectual creation. Heavy censorship of sexual and violent scenes not only makes these topics taboo, but it also restricts critical discussions of these sensitive topics. Censorship prevents people from developing their own opinions if they oppose the government. Political censorship in particular often suppresses information that opposes the government's ideology. In the absence of objective information, people will not be able to be convinced to disagree with the government because their personal opinions have not coalesced into a shared community belief. Take for example Turkey, which has imprisoned journalists opposed and critical of »..