The freedom to express oneself through speech, beliefs, and art is one of the cornerstones of the western world. Historically, censorship of expression has been practiced by corrupt or authoritarian governments to inhibit individual freedoms. Encouraging creativity is important for the beating heart of every society. While these ideas of promoting creative freedom are widely agreed upon, it’s also important to acknowledge instances of artistry being used for hate, corruption, and violence. This will be a dive into instances of art being used to the detriment of societies, and the importance of being mindful when consuming media.
One important piece of art that must be acknowledged for its hateful nature is the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith. This film was very popular in its time due to the technical leaps it made in the art of filmmaking. However, the plot revolved around the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, and promoted themes of white supremacy. Now it’s viewed mostly for the harm it caused by its racist stereotypes and messaging, but it used to be credited for its advancements in filmmaking. This example shows that even if a work of art is innovative, it shouldn’t be viewed in the same regard as more meaningful art. While this film undoubtedly led to large strides in the film industry, it was also incredibly socially harmful. This is an instance of freedom of expression being used negatively, and it’s up to audiences to learn from its wrongdoings.
Another example of harmful art is propaganda. This comes in all forms, but it was most famously used in World War II by both the Nazis and the United States. Germany used films, artwork, and biased journalism to garner support for the Nazi party, and to turn the German people against the Jews. The United States also used propaganda in their military recruitment efforts, and to stir the public against the Axis Powers. The inherent purpose of propaganda is to manipulate people into supporting an agenda. While it’s easy to look back at this art as clearly being propaganda, many people are unaware of the influences in media today that are intended to exploit them.
While the examples of harmful art so far are based in the past, unhealthy works of art are present today as well, and they’re more accessible than ever. However, the issue continues to be deciding what counts as “harmful art.” Some of the more controversial topics about this revolve around video games and music. Numerous video games, like first person shooters, involve significant violence, and many people are fearful of the effects that these games have on the development of children. These fears are elevated by increasing concerns over gun violence in the United States. Additionally, there are concerns over the lyricism in the music industry; specifically with rap and other sub-genres. Some critics say that this music glorifies toxic or criminal behavior, and thus should not be encouraged. On the other hand, supporters of these art forms say that violent video games and music are merely fictitious, and that they remain separate from real life. All of this is simply subjective, and the case is still out on whether fictional violence has any significant bearing on reality.
The point is that separating “harmful art” versus “positive art” is a complex issue that requires both open mindedness and caution. None of this is to say that any art should be prohibited or censored by law, but rather that it’s necessary for consumers to be wary of the media that they’re experiencing.
Hi Ryan!
This was a really thought-provoking article to read, and you hit on a lot of points we discussed in class in regards to censorship. Censorship is a relatively easy concept to argue against, until you arrive at the extreme examples in this article. Unfortunately, there will always be people who want to use art to perpetuate harmful beliefs, and its these examples that push the conversation of censorship forward. As awful as they are, media like this allow people to have discourse like the one you’ve presented here. I’m left wondering if it’s more beneficial to humanity to try and nip extreme, hateful art pieces in the bud or to let them be published and allow people’s responses and discussions to determine whether it should be censored. On the other side, though, is this fair to the people who are harmed & offended by these media, as they’re typically marginalized communities who have already been subjected to prolific systemic violence, just for the sake of discourse? Lots to consider for sure! Great article.
Hi Ryan,
I chose to read your article because the title drew me in. I was interested in hearing what you would have to say about what the limit should be when it comes to artistic freedom. I especially like that you mentioned rap songs and video games because those too are expressing harmful ideologies and promoting hatefulness to specific groups however they are widely loved and encouraged by today’s society. I believe that what differentiates a violent and sexually dehumanizing video game from a hateful film like the Birth of a Nation and propaganda is the idea of control. Parents can control what kind of video games their children play but can’t control whether they happen to come across the images like the ones posted above. I think it is important to discuss freedom to express oneself like you did because if you choose to ban video games and rap music along with banning hateful movies and propoganda, you are goig to recieve a lot of backlash. One way we could attack this issue is by implementation of more state laws regarding the use of hateful language in movies, songs, and video games. If the norm is to be less hateful then you overtime you may receive less backlash.
Ryan,
I enjoyed reading this article, especially in the context of the general election that is taking place right now and the lead-up to it over the past handful of months. Social media has been flooded with campaigns, political art, clipped videos from interviews, and thousands of articles. Your article reminded me always to be aware of the biases in these sources that can be harmful. It is easy to fall victim to the manipulative nature of modern-day propaganda, especially because of the algorithms on social media that filter one’s feed to reflect one’s interests and opinions.