"Should the contents of TV programmes be censored at all, especially with regard to sex, violence or politics?" Well, my answer to that question is: Yes, some things should be censored. but there are others that it would make absolutely no sense, whatsoever, to censor.
Let us think of a 90-minute movie in which there is a 5-second-long, unexplicit, sex scene; in my opinion there is no point in censoring this. It is a small, non-grafic scene that, in most cases, is vital in the argument's story. But anything more than that or that has no importance for the storyline, to me, should be censored; I mean, we are speaking of a meaningful story not pornography.
When it comes to violence, I think, those movies and TV shows should be censored when played at an hour that children could be watching. How can we expect our children to solve their problems peacefully if they keep watching people beating themselves into unconsciousness? Of course that, if we get into this subject, parents should also be prohibited from buying violent videogames for their minor children, but that is another issue.
Now politics... I firmly believe that programmes related to politics should never be censored. We have the right to know what is happening in our country's political life, even the scandals. I think it is better that we know if our leaders are corrupt, control-freak maniacs or just plain stupid so that we don't vote for them again than to remain ignorant about this things and make the same mistake all over again.
In conclusion, TV programming nowadays, the way I see it, is a disgrace! Most networks only care about reality shows and if you want to watch anykind of proper TV show you need to get cable television, then you can watch something that is both entertaining and interesting. And this is why I try to watch TV as little as possible and when I do feel like watching a bit I turn to "my", always loyal, documentary channels.
Patricia Godinho
