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By JohnSquadRunner

Is censorship a solution to explicit content?

Censorship is a tricky word to throw around. Just hearing the word sparks defensive attitudes in people because the word has a negative connotation to it. When people hear of censorship they immediately assume someone is trying to violate their civil liberties, including free speech.

When taking into account the whole idea of explicit content in movies there is certainly an unclear threshold between what is considered innovative creativity and just simply inappropriate and unacceptable. The two main players in the discussion on explicit content in films are violence and sex. Films, talking specifically about the current state of the industry, should not be censored.

Violence

Take a look at the most popular film list and you will notice that most of those movies are littered with violence. According to IMDB, the three most popular films are "X-Men: Apocalypse," "Captain America: Civil War" and "Deadpool," all of which are violent and raunchy. Violence is synonymous with fighting, guns, explosions, terror, torture, etc. It is a common observation that filmmakers are injecting more and more violence into films. What people fail to note is that studios are only injecting these into the films because that is what sells. The company is in it for profit. They are simply giving the people what they want. This will continue to be the trend in the coming years because of the desensitization that has become ingrained in our society.

Sex

The old adage "sex sells so let's make it hotter" is an old adage because it is true. There is no denying that most people have a subconscious drive that attracts them to sex. It is biological. Even in the most boring of movies a sex scene springs them back to life. Why? It is hot and exciting! There is a reason that marketers display the lead actors with perfect bodies almost in a seductive way.

Censorship

The film industry should not be censored. The material described is supposed to be tailored toward adults and as adults we should have the right to see the content we desire. One argument supporting the censorship of film comes from the idea that this type of material will affect children. The burden of censorship should not fall on the creator of the film but on the movie theater and parents keeping an eye on who is trying to see what movie. The rating system exists for this very reason. Of course, children are still managing to sneak in but that is not the filmmaker's responsibility. Where do personal responsibility end and industry responsibility begin? We need to have a long, hard discussion regarding the above questions before censorship can even be considered a problem.

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