Class Blog: Censorship in the Classroom

Censorship is a very controversial topic. It's a tough decision for positions of authority to judge how far is too far in their opinion, even with guidelines. In many of the articles students were disciplined out of good intentions, although their situations were misunderstood. I believe in the freedom of speech and creating a safe environment in schools so students can grow and experiment without fear of expression.

In some of the earlier articles, the subject matter that was labeled as inappropriate was misinterpreted very harshly. Students should not have to suffer consequences because of the use of 'key words' the school labels as dangerous, ingraining paranoia and stigmas--restrictions of vocabulary. Context should matter, along with the student's track record if authoritative figures are truly concerned, and over dramatic consequences should not be enforced out of precautions.

I don't think censorship is a necessary tool. Yes, there need to be rules that are enforced for safety and civilization.  But majority of the words that are taboo, are such because of fear. People fear the meanings of letters combined into words, and therefore think that everyone around them should be too. If these uncomfortable topics of humanity are never allowed to be discussed, then we are running from our fears instead of facing them--they are growing strong enough to overpower us, causing drastic decisions to be made in order to avoid these subjects further. It's a never ending cycle. Swear words and term of violent expression are just another form of expression, and although not as pleasantly welcomed because of the interpretation of insult, they have been turned into tools of rebellion by teens and outspoken souls that don't want to follow the stigma. 

They say actions speak louder than words, and I think that is very true. Our society shouldn't fear words in our vocabulary because they want to ignore all the parts of reality that make us human. Opinions shouldn't be silenced because they are uncomfortable with someone's word choice. I think freedom of expression, consideration for other's preferences can fix most of that; respect other people's choice of words, but don't use them if you don't like them. But when it comes to discipline, just judge by context and intention, don't take it too far out of fear and do what's best for everyone.

Don't Fear The Alphabet!!


Comments

  1. Anonymous19 October 2017 at 18:48

    Haha I loved your ending sentence. I totally agree! One thing should not doom a student for all of eternity. Many other factors should be considered for the sake of the student. After all he/she is a human being with rights. Fear really is still dominate in our society when it shouldn't be. I hope someday that will change.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous20 October 2017 at 10:53

      I hope it will change too, fear should not be the driving motivation for our actions, especially when it can take such a drastic toll on other people's lives

      Delete
  2. Anonymous20 October 2017 at 17:57

    Well said, if we can't talk about contreversial topics for fear of offending or hurting someone, how are we suppose get passed them.

    ReplyDelete

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