Blog 5: Censorship: It's Always for Your Own Good

              In a Commentary published by the National Review, author David Harsanyi expresses his conservative and somewhat narrow minded opinions about censorship in the United States. Harsanyi argues that the freedom of speech guaranteed by the first amendment is a principle that should be apparent within our society, because citizens should be able to express their views and perspectives. To highlight his anger and passion towards ensuring the right to free speech, Harsanyi describes British Laws. He vocalizes the beliefs of "U.K.'s Committee of Advertising Practice," by discussing their view that "commercials in which family members are portrayed" show harmful traditional gender roles and that women should be protected from these stereotypes evident in the media realm of the world. Harsanyi used the information from other countries to portray his thoughts and feeling about the particular issue relevant within the United States. Specifically, Harsanyi believes that women should not have to be censored to this kind of speech and representation of traditional gender roles. Although it may be a traditional stereotype, he emphasizes that women, as well as men, should be exposed to any kind of belief or perspectives from across the board. Women and men can choose to listen or argue against certain opinions of others. Eliminating expressions of society entirely is not the answer. Without the voice of our society, issues and problems pertaining to our government cannot come to a consensus.
              In contrast, Harsanyi's factual basis about certain political groups is unsteady. He often refers to the Democratic political party to be the sole reason for protesting that censorship should be enacted  within our society. For example, he states that "Democrats for years campaigned to overturn the first amendment."Yes, perhaps a larger percentage of Democrat affiliates argue that censorship should be implemented, but Kaufman does not provide factual evidence to support his argument. Therefore, his readers cannot form a belief or opinion off of nonfactual information. From a personal standpoint, I likely identify with some conservative beliefs as Harsanyi, but I also believe that both political parties are responsible for expressing their beliefs about certain issues through the "freedom of speech" right guaranteed by the first amendment.