Friday, June 10, 2011
Bibliography
4. American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. “kidSPEAK!”. kidSPEAK! (2001). Accessed on 8 May, 2011 <http://www.kidspeakonline.org/>
Final Findings
According to the Encarta Dictionary, censorship is the suppression of something regarded as objectionable, whether it be a quote from a movie, lines written in a book, or even graphics on a computer game.
In Australia, censorship is one of the most highly monitored subjects within the general public. Australia being a Federation, censorship is divided between both the states of Australia and the federal Government.Fact of the matter is that Australia has one of the most strictest censorship boards that the world has.
The blog in general was a negative outlook on the issue on censorship, but although in some posts there was a positive light shed on some forms of censorship. In this blog there were a few statements about movies that had been banned, which had in turn given the public much relief.
http://vodpod.com/watch/2364956-internet-censorship-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-
In 1980, Ruggero Deodato an Italian director put together his film, "Cannibal Holocaust". But upon this films release, it ruffled many feathers including those of the classification board. As one of the previous blog posts states, this film was said to contain "snuff" qualities and from then on had been banned from the general public. After all the controversy had wavered and a cut version was released, the ban was then revoked and released into the general public.
Many complaints have also been made over the "Saw" series, which had started off as an Australian film, and then American directors buy the story off the original directors. Known as "torture porn" the Saw series has caused a lot of controversy, quoted as being "disgusting, pointless and disturbing".
The majority of the posts in this blog were related to bans that didn't make sense in some peoples perspectives.
Another point that had been made was the "World Church of the Creator" websites and blogs. Many are said to convey white supremacy and racism toward our public. Filters on the Internet are working overtime in order to filter out all of the websites that are said to be disturbing and may be harmful to thhe general public.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/391767/5_reasons_why_the_saw_movie_series.html
The Mortal Kombat series has been a beloved addition to the video gaming world ever since the year 1992, but the recent ban of the latest Mortal Kombat, has angered many gamers around Australia. Although to some people, what is seen as a game of absolute gore and disgust, most individuals have grown up with this game in the arcades and are disappointed to see it banned.
On another note, parents are banding together to ensure that many classic novels are banned from their childrens school libraries such as, Harry Potter, due to the fact that it contains "witchcraft" and "supernatural themes". Along with parents creating their own website favouring banning these novels in schools, other adults have also banded together forming their own website KidSpeak, in order for kids to get the chance to have their own say.
http://childrensbooks.about.com/cs/censorship/a/banharry.htm
In reference to the final blog post made, many items of clothing have also been banned from shelves and internet sites due to the "obscenities and vulgar comments" that are on them. Many professionals have stated that "too many qualities of life are taken away due to the obscenities that are thrown our way and made a way of life".
In conclusion, for individual perspective censorship is a matter of opinion in some cases, but as it is found, most cases are just seen to be mutual feelings that some things just need to be banned.
In Australia, censorship is one of the most highly monitored subjects within the general public. Australia being a Federation, censorship is divided between both the states of Australia and the federal Government.Fact of the matter is that Australia has one of the most strictest censorship boards that the world has.
The blog in general was a negative outlook on the issue on censorship, but although in some posts there was a positive light shed on some forms of censorship. In this blog there were a few statements about movies that had been banned, which had in turn given the public much relief.
http://vodpod.com/watch/2364956-internet-censorship-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-
Many complaints have also been made over the "Saw" series, which had started off as an Australian film, and then American directors buy the story off the original directors. Known as "torture porn" the Saw series has caused a lot of controversy, quoted as being "disgusting, pointless and disturbing".
The majority of the posts in this blog were related to bans that didn't make sense in some peoples perspectives.
Another point that had been made was the "World Church of the Creator" websites and blogs. Many are said to convey white supremacy and racism toward our public. Filters on the Internet are working overtime in order to filter out all of the websites that are said to be disturbing and may be harmful to thhe general public.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/391767/5_reasons_why_the_saw_movie_series.html
The Mortal Kombat series has been a beloved addition to the video gaming world ever since the year 1992, but the recent ban of the latest Mortal Kombat, has angered many gamers around Australia. Although to some people, what is seen as a game of absolute gore and disgust, most individuals have grown up with this game in the arcades and are disappointed to see it banned.
On another note, parents are banding together to ensure that many classic novels are banned from their childrens school libraries such as, Harry Potter, due to the fact that it contains "witchcraft" and "supernatural themes". Along with parents creating their own website favouring banning these novels in schools, other adults have also banded together forming their own website KidSpeak, in order for kids to get the chance to have their own say.
http://childrensbooks.about.com/cs/censorship/a/banharry.htm
In reference to the final blog post made, many items of clothing have also been banned from shelves and internet sites due to the "obscenities and vulgar comments" that are on them. Many professionals have stated that "too many qualities of life are taken away due to the obscenities that are thrown our way and made a way of life".
In conclusion, for individual perspective censorship is a matter of opinion in some cases, but as it is found, most cases are just seen to be mutual feelings that some things just need to be banned.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Personal Experience, Bad Experience.
The story starts with a very controversial t-shirt that my friend had bought online, thinking it was hilarious he bought it and decided to wear it when we both went shopping. Before I go on, his shirt read "Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco: Whose Bringing The Chips?", if from memory I'm not mistaken!
Back on topic, we went into JB-HiFi and one of the employees in the store asked for us to get out, not knowing what was going on I asked what the problem was. The store clerk answered and said that there had been many customer complaints about my friends t-shirt and we needed to leave the store. Thinking that this was ridiculous, my friend put up an argument, stating that it was just a shirt and no harm was coming out of wearing it. But the store clerk in the end, got her supervisor and he politely asked us to leave.
Now to be quite honest, I think that whole experience was disappointing, because to think that there had been a lot of customer complaints just because of a "controversial" t-shirt my friend decided to wear. In my opinion, there was no rude remarks stated on that t-shirt directed at anyone in particular, it was just a piece of clothing with dry humour marked on it, nothing more. Now if it was something more like this that I found on a t-shirt website, "Keep it Flying" referring to the "redneck hillbillies" which I think is horrible, and this can cause much controversy. Also, there was another t-shirt that I found awful that stated "Talk Shit, Spit Blood". Now people can have every right to complain about that shirt as it is displaying a bit of violence with no humour intended.
I don't understand why people have gotten so sensitive about specific subjects nowadays, but I think that some just need to lighten up and have a laugh, of course this is circumstantial! Making sure that the piece of clothing is within taste, and that it isn't racist or abusive.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Fair censorship?
Just to write about something different this time with less complaining about the censorship board, after I had read an interesting article today about racist online hate groups. This had then made me want to write a blog solely on how censorship in some cases, can in fact be a great thing for the public.
In 1999, a man named Benjamin Smith, who was a member of the racist group, "World Church of the Creator" went on a brutal shooting rampage in Illinois, killing around 4 people and injuring many others. And all of these people had been targeted by him and his "cult" due to the fact that they were different races, such as Asians and Jews. The day ended with a high speed police chase, but Smith only ended up pulling to the side of the road and shooting himself in the head. Insanity? I think so.
Apparently a while ago these hate groups had been all over the internet, which I had never noticed before, but then again I never went looking for them! Now that I've actually gone to look for them, I can't find any which shows how well the internet is being filtered daily. But there are still types of groups such as these online, to which are hid extremely well from possible filters.
So many people have fought over the fact that groups such as World Church of the Creator encourages white supremacists such as Smith, to act upon the views and religious beliefs that the "hate" group follow. I do happen to agree with these comments about these groups, I think it's absolutely awful that there are even groups like these online, they manage to hide themselves well from the filters that the Internet have in place as they still exist.
The really sad part of the story of Benjamin Smith was that he seemed to believe that he was a soldier of the "Racial Holy War" movement. So in this case, I believe all websites that contain brainwashing content such as this, need to be first priority when getting on top of content found on the internet. Which is being done, but needs to be furtherly investigated. If these "online cults" aren't investigated further, then unfortunately more and more individuals will be lost to these brainwashing groups, and people will be in the line of fire.
In 1999, a man named Benjamin Smith, who was a member of the racist group, "World Church of the Creator" went on a brutal shooting rampage in Illinois, killing around 4 people and injuring many others. And all of these people had been targeted by him and his "cult" due to the fact that they were different races, such as Asians and Jews. The day ended with a high speed police chase, but Smith only ended up pulling to the side of the road and shooting himself in the head. Insanity? I think so.
Apparently a while ago these hate groups had been all over the internet, which I had never noticed before, but then again I never went looking for them! Now that I've actually gone to look for them, I can't find any which shows how well the internet is being filtered daily. But there are still types of groups such as these online, to which are hid extremely well from possible filters.
So many people have fought over the fact that groups such as World Church of the Creator encourages white supremacists such as Smith, to act upon the views and religious beliefs that the "hate" group follow. I do happen to agree with these comments about these groups, I think it's absolutely awful that there are even groups like these online, they manage to hide themselves well from the filters that the Internet have in place as they still exist.
The really sad part of the story of Benjamin Smith was that he seemed to believe that he was a soldier of the "Racial Holy War" movement. So in this case, I believe all websites that contain brainwashing content such as this, need to be first priority when getting on top of content found on the internet. Which is being done, but needs to be furtherly investigated. If these "online cults" aren't investigated further, then unfortunately more and more individuals will be lost to these brainwashing groups, and people will be in the line of fire.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Classic Literature in Schools
I remember back in high school Literature class one of the novels that we studied was one of the first classics that I ever fell in love with, To Kill a Mockingbird. This amazing book explores the moral nature of human beings and the issues with social inequality.
And the day I found out that some schools had banned this classic read, I was not very happy at all! Its honestly ridiculous the lengths that the classification systems go to these days into banning products. The only reason why they banned the novel was because it was very "racist" and "sexually disturbing".
You know what? That was how it was back in those days, different races weren't allowed to do the same things that regular Americans could do. They couldn't share the same buses, buy the same things, even share the same toilet! This novel is realistic and looks back on the days that we definitely do not want back! We're an equal country, maybe except for those who don't seem to have the same values as others.
We all see a person for how they are on the inside, not for what colour they are on the outside, so I don't see what the big problem is!
Many people are fighting the issue of book banning in schools, even children themselves! An organisation called kidSPEAK has been formed so that children can fight for their rights against beloved books of theirs being banned from school, such as the Harry Potter series being banned for "magical" themes.
But when there are people fighting for this cause, there are of course people fighting against the cause. but these people should be the people guiding their children not taking away things that shouldn't be taken away from them in the first place, these people are the parents.
Parents Against Bad Books in Schools (PABBIS) is an organisation where parents go beyond wanting to restrict access to certain books for their own children, they seek to restrict access for other parents' children as well by getting one or more books removed from the library shelves or having access to the books restricted in some way.
A quote that was made by the American Library Association that I feel is very appropriate;
"It is appropriate for parents to guide their children’s reading, television viewing, and exposure to media as they see fit. The public library can assist in this process by providing reader’s advisory services, booklists, and other related services in a positive, pro-active manner. What they library should not do is act in loco parentis — in the place of the parents — either by limiting access to materials or services solely on the basis of the user’s age or by attempting to enforce parentally dictated controls."
And the day I found out that some schools had banned this classic read, I was not very happy at all! Its honestly ridiculous the lengths that the classification systems go to these days into banning products. The only reason why they banned the novel was because it was very "racist" and "sexually disturbing".
We all see a person for how they are on the inside, not for what colour they are on the outside, so I don't see what the big problem is!
Many people are fighting the issue of book banning in schools, even children themselves! An organisation called kidSPEAK has been formed so that children can fight for their rights against beloved books of theirs being banned from school, such as the Harry Potter series being banned for "magical" themes.
But when there are people fighting for this cause, there are of course people fighting against the cause. but these people should be the people guiding their children not taking away things that shouldn't be taken away from them in the first place, these people are the parents.
Parents Against Bad Books in Schools (PABBIS) is an organisation where parents go beyond wanting to restrict access to certain books for their own children, they seek to restrict access for other parents' children as well by getting one or more books removed from the library shelves or having access to the books restricted in some way.
A quote that was made by the American Library Association that I feel is very appropriate;
"It is appropriate for parents to guide their children’s reading, television viewing, and exposure to media as they see fit. The public library can assist in this process by providing reader’s advisory services, booklists, and other related services in a positive, pro-active manner. What they library should not do is act in loco parentis — in the place of the parents — either by limiting access to materials or services solely on the basis of the user’s age or by attempting to enforce parentally dictated controls."
Friday, May 6, 2011
Movies & Censorship
My most recent post I had spoken about the ridiculous banning of one of the world's most loved arcade games, and this post I will talk about censorship and movies.
So many movies have been banned for all the right reasons, but the awful thing is that these movies that have been banned, the Censorship board lifts these bans. As an example, a disgusting movie that had been made based on a "true" story, is "Cannibal Holocaust". The day that I saw that DVD on the shelves at JB Hi-Fi, I read the blurb and remember my stomach twist. My father had watched this film and was even more disgusted with this, than the Saw series which are also controversial films.
The rumours of this movie is that the director had created a "snuff" movie, which means that the court he had been taken to had the suspicions that some of the actors had died on set, and that was the whole purpose of the film, to create something that people believe is fake, but is real. And it is also we known that the animal slayings that occur in the film, are 100% real, with real animals, how disgusting! I honestly do not understand how this movie could even make the shelves.
If you have no idea about this film, please take this link and read up on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibal_Holocaust
And even then, there are some films that have been released to the public that have never been banned. One of these examples being the Saw series. These contain disgusting and pointless acts of brutal, gory violence, such as a group of people being stuck on a spinning wheel and at random moments victims being shot brutally by a high powered machine gun, one by one. At another time, a man being stuck on a vault and having to saw his own arm off to free himself. These are disgusting acts that should not be shown in the cinema, and also should be banned from public viewing.
I still have no idea why these movies are only rated MA15+ because these definitely deserve to be banned.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had been banned when it had first came out, and yet, it is nothing compared to some of the movies that are created nowadays, such as the Saw series. I don't know what the Classification board are thinking but they have clearly lost their touch.
The rumours of this movie is that the director had created a "snuff" movie, which means that the court he had been taken to had the suspicions that some of the actors had died on set, and that was the whole purpose of the film, to create something that people believe is fake, but is real. And it is also we known that the animal slayings that occur in the film, are 100% real, with real animals, how disgusting! I honestly do not understand how this movie could even make the shelves.
If you have no idea about this film, please take this link and read up on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibal_Holocaust
And even then, there are some films that have been released to the public that have never been banned. One of these examples being the Saw series. These contain disgusting and pointless acts of brutal, gory violence, such as a group of people being stuck on a spinning wheel and at random moments victims being shot brutally by a high powered machine gun, one by one. At another time, a man being stuck on a vault and having to saw his own arm off to free himself. These are disgusting acts that should not be shown in the cinema, and also should be banned from public viewing.
I still have no idea why these movies are only rated MA15+ because these definitely deserve to be banned.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had been banned when it had first came out, and yet, it is nothing compared to some of the movies that are created nowadays, such as the Saw series. I don't know what the Classification board are thinking but they have clearly lost their touch.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Ridiculous Bans!
I had read a very interesting article today and I thought I'd share my thoughts on this ridiculous ban.
Mortal Combat is a series of fighting games that has been an arcade favourite since the year 1992 when they first came out on vending gaming consoles. Mortal Kombat 4 was recently meant to be released to the Australian public but the Australian Classification board said no to it's release.
According to the Classification board the game contains too much violence, which includes limbs being blown off, excessive blood spray, etc.
You know what's also quite amusing? The fact that at the same time of the Mortal Kombat ban, a new series of Wii Games, known as the We Dare, had been released to the public with a PG rating. Despite the game promoting spanking, stripping, and sexual partner swapping. Even "Ubisoft" the games publisher, says that the game is intended for an adult audience. Now this We Dare game is hands on, as the audience engages physically in the game, whereas Mortal Combat is just animation and players are playing via a controller, not with their own hands.
"The highly anticipated video game Mortal Kombat, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) in Australia, has been refused classification by the Australian Classification Board and will not release in Australia. We are extremely disappointed that Mortal Kombat, one of the world’s oldest and most successful video games franchises, will not be available to mature Australian gamers. WBIE would not market mature content where it is not appropriate for the audience. We understand that not all content is for every audience, but there is an audience for mature gaming content and it would make more sense to have the R18+ classification in Australia. As a member of the iGEA, WBIE is reviewing all options available at this time".
There is definitely a valid point made here, and also I don't see why it's fair that games with similar content are released into the Australian public, such as Gears Of War 3 which has high gore content, and yet its still going to be released in a few months.
There also had been a game that was banned a couple of months ago, because the Classification board found it distressing, young children were getting killed by humans. The reason why? Dead Island is a game based on a zombie holocaust, it is not based on real life events, yet the board still bans the game. The things that they ban these days is pathetic, and I think that we really need an R18+ rating to stop these ridiculous bans. All we need to do is monitor those who buy the games, even then it won't stop youth from buying them because they will get brothers, sisters and even older friends to buy the games for them.
The Classification board really need to sort out their system because at the moment, its like there is one rule for one game and then another rule for another.
Mortal Combat is a series of fighting games that has been an arcade favourite since the year 1992 when they first came out on vending gaming consoles. Mortal Kombat 4 was recently meant to be released to the Australian public but the Australian Classification board said no to it's release.
According to the Classification board the game contains too much violence, which includes limbs being blown off, excessive blood spray, etc.
You know what's also quite amusing? The fact that at the same time of the Mortal Kombat ban, a new series of Wii Games, known as the We Dare, had been released to the public with a PG rating. Despite the game promoting spanking, stripping, and sexual partner swapping. Even "Ubisoft" the games publisher, says that the game is intended for an adult audience. Now this We Dare game is hands on, as the audience engages physically in the game, whereas Mortal Combat is just animation and players are playing via a controller, not with their own hands.
"The highly anticipated video game Mortal Kombat, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) in Australia, has been refused classification by the Australian Classification Board and will not release in Australia. We are extremely disappointed that Mortal Kombat, one of the world’s oldest and most successful video games franchises, will not be available to mature Australian gamers. WBIE would not market mature content where it is not appropriate for the audience. We understand that not all content is for every audience, but there is an audience for mature gaming content and it would make more sense to have the R18+ classification in Australia. As a member of the iGEA, WBIE is reviewing all options available at this time".
There is definitely a valid point made here, and also I don't see why it's fair that games with similar content are released into the Australian public, such as Gears Of War 3 which has high gore content, and yet its still going to be released in a few months.
There also had been a game that was banned a couple of months ago, because the Classification board found it distressing, young children were getting killed by humans. The reason why? Dead Island is a game based on a zombie holocaust, it is not based on real life events, yet the board still bans the game. The things that they ban these days is pathetic, and I think that we really need an R18+ rating to stop these ridiculous bans. All we need to do is monitor those who buy the games, even then it won't stop youth from buying them because they will get brothers, sisters and even older friends to buy the games for them.
The Classification board really need to sort out their system because at the moment, its like there is one rule for one game and then another rule for another.
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