While many aspects of censorship may be easy to point out, photography is more difficult to spot. A great deal of photographic censorship has to do with how a person protects him or herself from certain images. Photography is seen as the “most democratic of the arts… one that most people can embrace, whether has a practitioner or as a consumer through exposure to photos in the home and at a distance in newspapers, magazines, books and on video” (Censorship).
Because it is so common, putting a rating scale or black censor box over every image is too difficult. People must use morals and make personal decisions for what images they expose themselves to and what they take photographs of. Explicit photos of children have been named by society and the law as unacceptable; however, when the subject is an adult, anything goes because it’s all artwork. The choice to censor what artwork is displayed or viewed is up to the individual.
Robert Mapplethorpe has caused quite a ruckus in the artistic photography world. Because his images are primarily homosexual views of men and women in controversial positions, many have chosen to keep Mapplethorpe’s images from being displayed in public places. While they are not flaunted for the entire public to see, Mapplethorpe’s images are still available for purchase for those who choose to expose themselves to the artwork.
Because censorship of photography is primarily a personal judgment, the individual has the choice of what images he or she is exposed to. The privilege to pick what you may or may censor is a great one because censorship should always be a personal decision.
No comments:
Post a Comment