"Censorship is rarely, if ever, justified."

Any artist who works diligently and has put enormous amount of hard work to bring to life his dream projects, most definitely is aware of the trauma felt when the works finds itself ensnared in the censorship board office. Censorship is a concept which to me is in most cases needless and unjustified.

My first strong argument that I would like to put forward against censorship is that it is a force that curbs, suppresses and encumbers the creative effort behind the production of any work, be it a movie, a book, or a work of art. When an artist indulges into the act of making a creative work piece, he tends to follow a certain course of action wherein he can freely embody the images he has envisaged in his mind. He doesn’t restrict himself from mentioning grotesque violence and explicitness if required. And all the while when he is giving shape to his ideas, he is on a test with himself. Any good movie director or an author does a deep and profound study of his subject. He I am sure is well aware of his actions and their outcomes.

Healthy criticism is always invited. But only if it does not lead to expurgation of the artist’s work. Any censorious comments pointing out the flaws and drawbacks, and giving improvising suggestions are more likely to be beneficial to the producer. But a scathing review demanding to truncate a few sections of the art just because it might seem unsuitable for a certain audience is a violation of the freedom of speech. It might be restricted to a certain group of underage people. A statutory warning about the explicitness may also be released.

Also it is sad to know that in some cases such parts of the movie are expurgated in which a lot of money, time and dedication of the artists has been spent. Removal of such parts directly affects the efforts and the hardships of the artist and also is a means of wasting the resources.

Though, it has also been noticed that a few works inadvertently may infuriate regional tension and offend some communities, it is never thought to curb these violent elements in the society who do not respect somebody’s thoughts and opinion. The views of the producer may not necessarily match those of the rest of the world, but if that had been the purpose of creating any work of art, then mankind would not have witnessed such a gigantic theatrical, literary or artistic background. People and critics should be requested to try to understand the viewpoint of the artist before criticizing. Even if the two viewpoints do not match, the artist should still be given the liberty to have mass audiences view his creation. Also the thought that the work intended to be against a few people should be kept away.

Once again, I would say that censorship is not really justified. And there may be better ways of curbing the ill-effects of a piece of art, if any.