Conclusion

Throughout this entire analysis of censorship there has been constant reference to societies which are both open and closed. This effort has distinguished between the two different kinds of societies by showing that in an open society, censorship no longer has much effect, because the norms of society keep it in check, and it even has an inverse effect on publicity. However, in a closed society there is an opposite effect. This is where the true problem with censorship lies. We face a problem, specifically, that we should not intervene in other countries affairs, simply because our idea of society and government are different than theirs. Also, that quite possibly, censorship is no longer a problem in our country, but in other countries, censorship is a problem. There is not much that we can do, other than passive encouragement to those countries. If we interfere physically, then the situation may turn out to be another Iraq, with occupation and coercion.

Open and closed societies are actually not as easily distinguished as I have led you to believe. There are actually many shades of gray, where the government can be totally involved in the society, or is a more hands off, liaise faire kind of government. These countries all have different results from censorship. For instance, there are countries which do not have much of a government, however, they do not have the resources to obtain books or information, and this is a kind of de facto censorship. No government is holding them down, however they have no means to purchase what they wish to learn. Also, there are the communist countries which regulate very closely what their government can and cannot digest. In an somewhat open society such as the United States, we have come as far as to show that censorship actually could even be used as publicity for a book, because censorship attempts usually make the news, therefore getting the name of the book out to more people.

The publicity of a book could easily be augmented in the United States by simply having a third party attempt to censor or ban the book from a specific library. This would most likely make the news because this is an attempt at limiting free speech, one of our constitutional rights. This is limiting free speech not because it is limiting the right to shout against the government, it is limiting the right to be heard. Free speech is a double sided coin, and the United States seems to have finally found a way to harness censorship. In a society that we do not have to worry about censorship, I believe one of the few solutions to other countries endorsing censorship is being an example to other countries.

The problem that we now face is censorship in other countries, since there is little to no censorship in the United States, is whether we have a problem. We may have a problem in censorship of the media. However I believe that this problem is beginning to play itself out through the court system. Censorship in the media, specifically on the university setting would probably be one of the problems. The solution that I would propose to the universities would be to use the Daily Collegian as an example. The Daily Collegian is separate from the university, in terms of funding and this allows the Daily Collegian to print whatever they want. The University cannot cut their funding, or dictate what they should print. I would recommend this problem for any type of media, radio, television, newspaper, which is associated with a university.

Overall, I believe that in the United States, our censorship problem is based on hidden agendas. For example, on the university level, the main problem is the university funding and dictating what their media should say. The solution to this is to create a corporation type business, and not allow the university to control the purse strings. This would also work if there were problems with network news, or mainstream newspapers. In reference to closed societies, there does not seem to be an easy answer. We, as the United States could infiltrate and invade every closed society. However, I believe that this is not a good idea because we would have another Iraq on our hands. The best solution to this problem is to encourage these governments to eschew censorship and allow information to be readily available. In conclusion, the problem in open societies is not the lack of information, but the abundance of it. In closed societies, it is actually the restriction of information.

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