Sexual Content in Broadcast Media United States Case

United States Case Study The television was invented around 1925 but became popular in 1950s, and in America, there were more than 50million television sets in use during that period. Nearly every living room in America had a TV. Questions were then raised about the content, whether to regulate it or not, and how to regulate it. The television and radio were similar in some ways: both were broadcasted through airwaves (before cable), and both were regulated by the federal government. This paper shall discuss these issues in depth.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sexual Content in Broadcast Media: United States Case specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since the beginning of broadcast regulation, there were not enough channels for all who wished to broadcast their information, the electromagnetic spectrum had been deemed to be a publicly owned natural resource. The â€Å"scarce public resource† then made simple come up with broadcast regulation basis. Both television and radio broadcasters operated under the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). With this, broadcasters applied, for licenses, to use a section of the â€Å"public property†, a definite frequency (UCSB SexInfo Online n.p.). Broadcasters, on the other hand, had a duty to serve the society’s interests. The obligation requires a licensee to ascertain the society’s needs and then provide a service to cater for those needs of the society. The FCC has the right to censor or restrict content with obscene material, requires fairness in political programming and segment broadcast percentages for certain content, for example, content for â€Å"public use† (Kaarina 233). Obscene programming is considered whereby an average person, with contemporary community standards, finds the material appealing to the prurient interest; the content demonstrates or defines sexual behavior in an offensive way; the materia l lacks literary, political, artistic or scientific value. Indecent programming is whereby the contemporary community standards measures the broadcast medium and describes excretory or sexual activities and organs in the broadcast (Kaarina 231). Indecent material was prohibited in the 1950s but later it was only aired after hours when the children have slept. The meaning of â€Å"indecent content† has changed over time. The National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters (Center for Media Education 5) then came up with ways to call for censorship whereby there was self-censor with decency standards and production codes. The first Amendment of the US Constitution declares that the congress shall not make any law that will abridge the freedom of speech or the freedom of the press (Perebinossoff 234). However, the state legislatures and the congress have tried to hold back speech that is considered indecent, harmful to minors, obscene or injurious to children, such as pornography (Perebinossoff 234). Common legislation seeking to regulate media content is seen mostly in an election year. The US content regulation differs by the medium of expression. The 1st Amendment projection has affected the print publications to the highest degree. Radio and Television, on the other hand, have enjoyed the least protection degree. Initially the Fairness Doctrine and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required broadcasters to have time to reply to those who said their views were criticized (Center for Media Education 24).Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More That rule was then killed in 1987. Another rule that still stands till now is the â€Å"equal time law† for the political candidates. The broadcasters are restricted to barring the transmission of profane material, obscene content or indecent material over the airwaves. These rules do n ot apply to print publications. Congress has tried repeatedly to tackle this problem. However, their efforts have been in vain. They came up with the Communications Decency Act, 1996, which was struck down as unconstitutional. It then came up with Child Online Protection Act (COPA), 1998, which still remains in a legal uncertainty. It went ahead and came up with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), 2000, which has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the country (Wayne 234). CIPA facilitated the use of technologies to filter and keep off pornographic content from computer screens in schools and libraries which received funds from the federal government. Indecent content is material which contains excretory or sexual material that is not at the level of obscenity and is clearly offensive. The First Amendment protects indecent speech though the Supreme Court has held it back. The high court allowed restriction of indecency for some certain main, for instance, TV and ra dio broadcasts. The same court recently disallowed Congress proscribing of indecent material on the internet or cable TV. The Federal Communications Commission’s rule of banning obscene and indecent material from being broadcasted on the radio or TV was backed by the Supreme Court. The Court established a public interest in the prevention of transmission of questionable material via broadcast medium, from 6.00am to 10.00pm. From 1978 up to around 2004, the FCC enforcement of rules against indecency was limited, that was until the Janet Jackson and Bono sagas. Janet Jackson, who was considered â€Å"the infamous wardrobe malfunction†, on February 1, 2004, was featured in the Super Bowl XXXVIII which was aired by CBS (Gunter 67). The show featured many celebrities, including Kid Rock in a poncho from an American flag cutout. Dancers repeatedly grabbed their crotches writhing to the music. In the finale, Justin Timberlake ripped one side of Janet Jackson’s bustier which then exposed her right breast to hundreds of millions of viewers in a split of a second. Many viewers were not sure of what they saw until the radio, internet, and newspapers accounted on the next day. Others wanted to have a second look. Hence, the show became the most replayed over the TiVo digital video recorders. CBS was fined by the FCC $3.5 million, the highest penalty ever, for this and other indecency violations. CBS refused, insisting that the incident was not planned for, which then turned around to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia and challenged the indecency fine.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sexual Content in Broadcast Media: United States Case specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another account was on a rock star called Bono. He was awarded in the Golden Globe Awards on January 19, 2003. The awards were broadcasted live and without taped delay. While accepting the award, he de clared, â€Å"†¦this is fucking brilliant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Perebinossoff 234). The FCC Enforcement Bureau declared that he did not use the word to describe sexual activities or sexual or excretory organs. Thus, there was no basis for the argument in the indecency law. Congress managed to pass the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act, 2006, increasing the fines to $325,000 for each day of a violation or the violation itself, and a maximum of $3 million for failure to act or any single act. However, in 2007, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals said that fines could not be collected from companies for so-called â€Å"fleeting expletives† because, in recent times, even top leaders use the expletives in a manner that no reasonable individual would believe that it has been used to describe excretory or sexual organs or activities. There were several acts against obscenity and indecency including Child Pornography Protection Act (CPPA) was passed in 1996. It banned all visual depi ctions of minors, even if no minor is used. This law was then considered unconstitutional because it focuses on canning the content instead of banning the production. Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) was passed in 2006 by Congress but was not voted by the Senate. The bill mandated e-rate portion to prevent minors from accessing chat-rooms and commercial social networks in schools and libraries. This measure would not grant the FCC the power to regulate or decide which sites were to be blocked. In 2003, Congress passed the PROTECT Act (Prosecutorial Remedies Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today) ( NJ Law n.p.), which illegalizes misleading a minor via domain name in order to view content which may be â€Å"harmful to minors†. It prohibited pandering or depiction of digital or computer generated image of a minor engaging in sexually explicit actions. Family Privacy and Security Act was introduced in 2002 by Congress, though he did not make it out of the co mmittee. It required registration, with the government, web-page operators with web-pages with content considered â€Å"harmful to minors†, then they be moved to a separate domain. This required labeling of emails with sexual content, also to restrict the use of digital recording devices to view or record for lewd purposes the image of another person, including minors. Dot Kids Implementation Efficiency Act was passed in 2002. It provided that a â€Å".kid.us† domain to be designed for families and children using the internet, to provide a safe environment and prevent exposure to harmful material on the internet. Children’s Internet Protection Act was passed into law in 2000 after bundling it into the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001. This requires public institutions that use e-rate portion, to install blocking software systems to prevent minors from accessing material, which is harmful to minors, controlled by adult patrons. Position Paper There has b een an augmentation in volume of sexual content, imagery and talk on the television which are being condemned by people who are termed as â€Å"a rising tide of filth† and celebrated by others terming it as â€Å"liberation from the regulations of the past† (Gitlin 12). Sexual conduct is evident all over the broadcast media. Pornography has evolved from soft-core to hardcore. In the olden days, media posed restrictions for broadcasting, but these days limitation of broadcasting restrictions have burst. Long time back, couples in the â€Å"TV life† were aired sleeping on separate beds, while, in real life, they sleep on the same bed (Kunkel 15). These restrictions lessened until it has reached an era where the restriction lies within the individual. The FCC cannot restrict any longer. With the presence of internet, an individual can get any content from hardcore to live pornographic videos. In the writing, Pornification, Sex and Sexuality, By Kaarina Nikunen, Sus anna Paasonen and Laura Saarenmaa, it depicts how all kinds of pornography, from soft-core to hardcore, straight and gay pornography, male and female pornography, black to white, and many more, and how it has infiltrated the media (Gunter 67). Pornography is evident everywhere. It is evident in the explicit discussions in popular magazines, suggestiveness of music videos, refashioning of sex into art pieces and erotica of advertisements (Kaye and Barry 98).Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Pornography has now been integrated into popular culture and made part of everyday life (Kaye and Barry 98). Advertisements on television commercials bear sexually explicit content. Sexual desires have been transformed into commodity, made pornographic, and media are the foundation of this. Starting from music videos, they literally contain sex scenes; there are a lot of pornographic sites, also gay sites, like gaydar and cosimo girls which are online forums; HM’s street adverts, retro posters, films and educational sex videos and more. On the other hand, the accessibility, pervasiveness and the popular nature of TV makes it a brilliant instructor which offers a way to learn sexuality and sex without embarrassment. The images on the television, however, can be harmfully stereotyped, limited, and one dimensional, showing sex as an activity only acceptable for the young, beautiful and singles only. Sexual encounters may be erroneously represented as romantic, spontaneous and ri sk-free which may bring harm. The media, however, may help break the cultural taboos which are associated with sensitive sexual topics and may also bridge the gaps in knowledge about sex. TV shows and movies reveal a wide range of sexual expressions and raise topics such as incest, rape and abortion. The Media Project is an organization which works, with the television industry, to incorporate realistic information about sexuality and responsibility into this programming (UCSB SexInfo Online n.p.). They have even sponsored SHINE (Sexual Health IN Entertainment) Awards, which recognizes mass media outlets which have portrayed constructively sexual issues to the public. Works Cited Center for Media Education. A Parent’s Guide to the TV Ratings and the V-Chip. Washington, D.C.: Center for Media Education, 1999. Gitlin, Todd. Inside Prime Time. Berkeley: University of California Press,2000. Gunter, Barrie. Media Sex : What are the Issues. Mahwah, N.J: Erlbaum, 2002. Kaarina, Dick son. Pornification and the Education of Desire: Sex and Sexuality. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2007 Kaye, Barbara and Barry Sapolsky. â€Å"Offensive Language in PrimeTime Television: Before and After Content Rating.† Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 45 (2001):303–319 Kunkel, Dale. Assessing the Validity of V-Chip Rating Judgments. Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton, 2003 NJ Law. New Jersey Lawyers voted 2010 Best of South Jersey. Web. Perebinossoff, Philippe. Real-World Media Ethics : Inside the Broadcast and Entertainment Industries. Amsterdam Boston: Elsevier Focal Press, 2008. UCSB SexInfo Online.Sexuality in the Mass Media. Web. Wayne, Louis. Attempts to Protect Children from Unsuitable Material on the Web. New York: Oxford University Press Rowman Littlefield Publishers, 2001. This essay on Sexual Content in Broadcast Media: United States Case was written and submitted by user Charity Beasley to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Captain Corellis Mandolin Essays

Captain Corellis Mandolin Essays Captain Corellis Mandolin Paper Captain Corellis Mandolin Paper Essay Topic: Literature The novel Captain Corellis Mandolin, written by Louis De Bernieres in 1994, explores humanity; we sigh at their suffering as they are ripped apart and forever changed by war. 1 The quotation in the title is spoken by Carlo quite early on in the novel, at the end of chapter 15, titled LOmosessuale (4). He is referring to the idea that war is repeatedly shown to be patriotic, heroic, and indeed wonderful especially in film and literature. However, from Carlos experiences in Albania, he knows the true reality of war, as he has seen and experienced the suffering. We can trace Carlos progression of thought through his personal chapters; all entitled LOmosessuale. He begins saying, How wonderful it was to be at this war(p. 119) We hear him describe crossing the foreign border as exhilarating, and he and his comrades view themselves as the new legionaries of the new empire that would last ten thousand years. (p. 119) This was his view at the very beginning of war, before he had really experienced any suffering. As he is yet to encounter any conflict, it is likely he has been influenced by the propaganda at the time, organised by the Italian leader, Mussolini. The next quotation is said slightly further on during Carlos experience, How wonderful it was to be at war, until the weather turned against us. (p. 120) It is here that we begin to hear of some of the suffering that Carlo and his comrades had to endure, such as we were ten thousand men soaked to the bone(p. 120). The real tragedy of war is death, and Carlo has had direct experience of this. He says, War is wonderful until someone is killed(p. 122). This is when De Bernieres chooses to use graphic images to show the suffering that Carlo and his comrades endure. I realised that I was covered with gory scraps of human flesh that were freezing fast to my uniform(p. 122). Finally, Carlo says the quotation in the title, War is a wonderful thing, in movies and in books on page 124. It is here that Carlo has realised the actuality of war, and can see that this idealised version is fictitious and can only be seen in movie and in books. War scorches a trail through all of their lives. What seems, at the beginning of the novel, like a game, a challenge to manhood, a matter of honour, an occasion for political satire, becomes an appalling reality. Carlo asserts that war is shown to be wonderful in movies and in books. However, De Bernieres does not follow this trend, and shows the war for what it is. De Bernieres characters starve and die slowly with their entrails hanging out; he depicts the horror that they have to endure to fight for their country, and the suffering that they are put through. In Albania, Carlo says It was as though a portion of my mind has disappeared, or as though my soul had diminished to a tiny point of grey light(p. 138). De Bernieres also shows the gore and bloodshed caused by the war, when he describes the death of Francesco. In chapter 19, LOmosessuale (6), De Bernieres uses Carlos narrative to tell the reader the true details of Francescos death, and then the sanitised version for his mother. As well as this showing Carlos considerate nature, it also confirms that many people did view the war in a very different light from its reality, including Francescos mother. He died on a fine day, Signora, with the sun shining and the birds singing. (He died on a day when the snow was melting and when, beneath that carapace, there were emerging a thousand corpses, knapsacks, rusted riffles, water bottles, illegible unfinished letters drenched in blood) (p. 148). Corelli wrote the novel, after falling in love with the Island of Cephallonia, and wanting to inform readers about what happened to this Island during World War II. For this reason, he has depicted a very real and veritable account of atrocities that occurred during the Second World War. Everyone is shot, without regard for rank or role, even the medics and the chaplains. However, in the film adaptation of Captain Corellis Mandolin, directed by John Madden, war is viewed in a very different light. De Bernieres has said of the film The problem is that film-makers take out all your good ideas and replace them with a load of stupid ones. 4 The depiction of war in the film is very different and many scenes seem to have been watered down5, in order to appeal to far wider audience. The movie has been widely criticised, after changing the story line drastically from a tragic story of the destruction and consequences of war, to a love story between Corelli and Pelagia. 6 Although much of De Bernieres novel depicts the horror of war, some of the consequences of war are indeed wonderful. Corelli and Pelagia would have never found love without the intervention of war in their lives, and although ultimately war destroys their love, the moments spent together made the war endurable. The prefatory poem at the beginning on the novel shows Louis De Bernieres hinting, even before the novel has begun, that war will be an important theme throughout. The Soldier by Humbert Wolfe describes the waste of war, and the loss of lives and of youth. Links are evident between this poem and Captain Corellis mandolin as they both explore the way in which war has an effect on different people. The presence of war on the Island of Cephallonia has various effects on different characters and can expose peoples flaws and merits. An excellent example of this is the contrast shown between Mandras and Antonio Corelli. Corelli has been drawn into a war that he really has no heart for. You mean youre a soldier by mistake? (p. 206, Pelagia). He has no desires to be a soldier and his character is often seen as anti-military. When giving punishments he does not follow the rules that are expected of him, To everyones surprise the captain pointed his pistol straight into the face of one of the culprits(p. 324). However, although he had no intention of doing so, Corelli proves to be an excellent comrade and shows morality throughout the war. This is my morality, I make myself imagine that it is personal(p. 351). This is greatly contrasted with the character of Mandras. He has very high expectations about the life of a soldier and feels he has to prove himself to Pelagia and the rest of the Island. He resents those who know more than him, yet does not want to prove himself intellectually, as he believes no man is a man until he has been a soldier(p. 80) Carlos assertion that war is wonderful in movies and in books reflects a idealised view of the war. However, Mandras believes that this view was the reality of war and he felt that becoming a soldier would make him more worthy as a man. Ill come back and everyone will say, Thats Mandras, who fought in the war. We owe everything to people like him. He is indoctrinated by what is expected of him, and is predicted to conform. However high Mandras expectations were, the war does not elevate him, it brings him down. During his experiences in war he saw others abuse their power, and now feels he has a right to do the same, The war de-humanises him, and instead of changing him for the better it changes him for the worse. The war in Cephallonia showed the best and the worst in people. In Antonio Corellis case it displays his merits as he has the opportunity to exercise his humanity in the treatment of others. From the beginning of the novel, Corelli is represented as a laid-back, light-hearted leader. Although he has a great talent as a leader, he is very modest and introduces Carlo as one of our heroes, He has a hundred medals for saving life and none for taking it(p. 202). He proves himself as an excellent comrade and Captain by being faithful to his men until the very end. There is no honour in this war, but I have to be with my boys(p. 392). His introduction of La Scala also shows good comradeship, as it is a humorous and practical solution to having to use communal toilets. This is also a crucial element of the novel, as before they go to join the shooting line up, they sing to maintain their composure. He also shows his forgiving nature when he chooses to forgive Gunter for what he has done. I forgive you. If I do not, who will? (p. 397). He says of himself I am not a natural parasite(p. 305) and this is seen clearly when he avoids any confrontation with Pelagia. He is uncomfortable about living with Pelagia and her father Tonight I shall sleep in the yard and tomorrow I shall request alternative accommodation(p. 204). Corellis fondness for animals is De Bernieres way of showing positive traits in a character. The fact that Corelli is so attached to Psipsina shows that he is an admirable man and the reader feel connected to him. The captain had some engaging traits. He tied a cork to a piece of string, and sprinted about the house with Psipsina in hot pursuit and if the animal happened to be sitting on a piece of music, he would go away and fetch another sheet rather than disturb her(p. 250) Corelli also shows fondness for children in his relationship with Lemoni. Although there is a language barrier, the two are able to communicate on a different level, and are able to enjoy each others company. The child was whooping and laughing, and it appeared that what was transpiring was a lesson in Italian. Bella fanciulla, the captain was saying. He was waiting for Lemoni to repeat it. Bla fanshla, she giggled. (p. 211) He also appears to have a very different attitude than other soldiers, when he arrives in Cephallonia with his mandolin strapped to his back, and not a gun, as you would expect from a soldier. The mandolin that was called Antonia because it was the other half of himself. This love for music is another engaging trait that the captain has, and is one of the reasons Pelagia falls in love with him. We also see this originality to his character when Gunter Weber, a german soldier, introduces himself. Weber says Heil Hitler, yet Corelli says Heil Puccini, showing he has a very different attitude to the war, and will not be led by anyone. This again shows his love for classical music, as Puccini was a great composer, whom Corelli was an admirer of. His relationship with Pelagia is clearly one of great love and admiration, however it also contains sexual desires, which are never consummated. Such slender fingers, such pink nails. He imagined them engaged upon amorous and nocturnal things, and realised that he was disturbing Psipsina. (p. 259, Corelli) This shows ongoing respect for Pelagia and her father, and also shows Corellis caring and considerate temperament. In contrast to Corelli, the character Mandras is brutalised by war. He believes that war will change him for the better, yet it changes him for the worse. He becomes a victim of propaganda and a victim of his insecurities. Before he leaves for war he tells Pelagia Im a Greek not a Fascist(p. 14) War changes him for the worse as he is very easily led and allows others to influence him. This may have had a positive effect on Mandras if he had chosen Iannis to guide him, yet he chooses Hector, the leader of a branch of the ELAS. Joining this group causes him to abandon his personal values, and this is seen when he whips the old man. Mandras did not even notice that the man had stopped moving, had stopped screaming and whining(p. 233). He manages to blank out the emotions that he should be feeling, and begins to enjoy the power he holds over this old man. If you didnt think about what it was, it sounded weirdly beautiful(p. 234) After returning from the war, he becomes much more manipulative, especially towards Pelagia and Drosoula. Mandras had begun his exile into inaccessibility by dramatising the idea of death(p. 180). Pelagia was convinced that he was doing it on purpose as an act of vengeance or punishment. (p. 180). This shows a very cruel side to Mandras that we have never seen before, and it clearly takes the war to bring out this negative side of his character. He has clearly been indoctrinated by the propaganda of the war, and this is seen in chapter 63, when he recites communist slogans. The party is never wrong. Whoever is not with us is against us(p. 447) He does not seem to be questioning what he has been told, he just repeats it. He has experienced others abusing their power during his time with the ELAS and now sees this as an approved way of behaving. De Bernii res explores power and its abuse7 He insults and belittles Pelagia after he returns from fighting and tortures her further, even though he should see that she has suffered enough during the war. De Bernieres shows a side to Mandras that readers have never seen before. He represents him as evil and sadistic, and we see Mandras refer to Pelagia as a slut. His morals have disintegrated following his fighting with the ELAS, and feels that he can do whatever he wants. This is due to the fact that the ELAS would make up their own rules for their comrades to follow. The war de-humanises Mandras and he represents the damage that can be inflicted by extreme politics. In Mandras death, De Bernieres wants readers to feel pity for him, as it is clear the communist party has seriously indoctrinated him. He dies as a victim of the war, and a desire to prove himself worthy, and this also evokes compassion in the reader Carlo is a character in the novel who shows how war can bring out the best in people. He is a very honourable character, and has to live with the secret that he is homosexual. He puts aside his desire for Corelli in order to help the romance between Pelagia and Corelli develop. I have loved you with the same surprise and gratitude that I see in your own eyes when you are with Pelagia(p. 384). He shows true bravery in front of the firing squad when stepping in front of Corelli to save his life. Antonio Corelli had found in front of him the titanic bulk of Carlo Guercio(p. 399). De Bernieres uses Carlos narrative in the chapters entitled LOmosessuale, and this allows the readers to sympathise further with the silent suffering that Carlo has to endure during the war. His writings are eloquently written and his language is poetic and beautiful, showing the gentle side to his character. He died on a fine day, Signora, with the sun shining and the birds singing. (P. 148, Carlo) Father Arsenios was saved by the war(p. 292). De Bernieres absolves Arsenios after the war and liberates him from his former self. However, the characters perceive him as a mad man and cannot see that war has brought about his finest hour. He is referred to as the crazy priest yet he feels he is a saviour and it is probable that, had he lived, Arsenios might have become a saint(p. 295). De Bernieres chooses to depict war in a graphic and realistic light in his novel, Captain Corellis Mandolin. Although in many films or books war is shown to be wonderful, this idealised version is proved wrong in De Bernieres novel, as he shows the suffering that the soldiers were forced to endure. He shows that the war has different effects on different people, and it can expose their faults or their merits. Mandras is forever changed by the war, as he returns indoctrinated by the communist party. His death proves that his natural environment is the sea, where he can be accepted and does not have to prove himself. In contrast Corellis merits are shown to be more prominent as the war develops, and also as his love for Pelagia develops. The reader is drawn to the character of Corelli, even though he is an occupying soldier, as he shows compassion, kindness and respect during his time in Cephallonia.