What determines the censorship line?

Olivia LeganStaff WriterOur entertainment reflects our values. What we watch on television or in movies is a representation of our beliefs and morals. Similarly, what we don’t watch is just as informative about our viewpoints. The way a society censors its entertainment is a direct consequence of its views on edgy topics like sex, violence, religion, drug use or abortion.For example, in the MTV teen drama “Skins,” a teenager strolls down the street in the nude and the shot shows his bare butt. Scandalous? The Parent’s Television Council seems to think so, calling it the “most dangerous program that has ever been foisted on your children.” The show is getting flack for showing teen nudity, sex, drug use and drinking.I view this is as an overreaction, especially considering the (better) British version that first aired in 2007 had extremely provocative interpretations of the aforementioned activities. The British show featured more graphic sex, a 14-year-old shooting up heroin, loads of swearing and much more nudity. For the U.S., MTV toned down the show to the point where it seems extremely tame compared to the original. After a season of pretty stable ratings, MTV is still “undecided” on whether it will renew “Skins” in the U.S. for a second season.This conservative view that America upholds may be useful with scandal but is contradicted by the violence that is often on American programs. It appears that Americans are more relaxed about violence in comparison to sex. American channels air shows such as “Law and Order: SVU” or “The Sopranos” features gore as much as “Skins” features sex, if not more. While “The Sopranos” and other violent shows are marketed to adults, many teens still watch them. Interestingly, the U.K. seems to be the opposite. The widely popular film based on Stanley Kubrick’s novel “A Clockwork Orange” was delayed a release in the U.K. for 27 years due to its violent content. However, in the United States, the film was critically acclaimed and nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture.The United States’ loose gun laws are a plausible answer to our immunity to violence in television. Our constitution makes it a right to bear arms, heading our nations fascination with war and violence. In the U.K., however, not even police carry firearms. As a result, the U.K. has one lowest rates of gun homicide in the world.The censorship a country has on a particular topic reflects the society’s views. Homosexuality is one of the most controversial topics of our time, and thus films with a central gay love story are often censored. Out of the whole Middle East, Israel was the only country to release the film “Brokeback Mountain.” Since the controversial film is about the relationship between two cowboys, this reflects the Middle East’s strong homophobia.Martin Scorsese’s 1997 Dalai Lama biography “Kundun” as well as the film “Seven Years in Tibet” starring Brad Pitt were banned in China. Due to both movies’ views on a free Tibet, we can see China’s motivation behind this censorship.While we do not live in Iraq or China, there is still the question of how far is too far? What exactly is “inappropriate?” While both movies and television have ratings, it seems that every piece of media offends some parent, race, religious group and so forth. While we don’t want pornography or sadism on our television, we often draw the line before it is necessary. Freedom of speech is often trumped by society’s censorship.olegan@thesamohi.com