essay on museums independence of govt control...

[omnara]

Prompt : Museums should have the liberty to exhibit whatever displays they want without the interference of government censorship

"A free society is defined by rules"

Man is a social animal. He is perceived by the society by his interactions with other members of the society of which he is a part. Society expects the members to abide by the rules and regulations of it and in turn offers the members a list of privileges to enjoy. Thus, by defining a set of rules and limits to individual freedom and by enforcing them, a society can extend a list of privileges to its members. And freedom of expression is such a privilege.

Guarantee of freedom of expression fundamentally frees up an individual's thought process and expressions stemming from it from concerns about repercussions from society or its members. But, at times this privilege, in the hands of some individuals, can become quite harmful to the well being of the society. For example, an artists can produce a piece of work of very high artistic value dealing on a taboo subject by the society. Or it could be considered blasphemous by a religion. Recently, when a cartoon series depicting some aspects of Prophet Mohammed appeared in a Dutch newspaper, international diplomatic relations between Netherlands and Gulf countries were strained. Such incidents sometimes forces societies or governments to re-evaluate the privileges granted to its members or citizens. This is called censorship by the government.

Traditionally Museums are where pieces of art by various artists are displayed. But now a days there are different museums like museum of computer science, museum of avionics and museum of technology. What if some scientists open a museum of atomic bomb design or a chemical weaponry museum? Anybody who is interested can get into the museum, learn the theory behind atomic bomb making or chemical weapons, and set out on making one. The whole human race could be endangered if such technology falls into wrong hands.


In case of a traditional museum, assume one museum plans to exhibit the work of a famous artists. Further, assume that the particular piece of art violates the boundaries and hurts the religious feelings of a minority group. In such an instance, Government is absolutely right in prohibiting the display as it is a measure to ensure that social harmony is maintained. Otherwise, if protests turn violent and if the government has to resort to using force to keep peace and harmony, the harm done to the society far outweigh the advantages of maintaining the freedom of expression.

The society or government - which is a more tangible manifestation of it- has every right to ensure that its members confine to the limits imposed. Museums are no exception to this. Art might be for arts' on sake, but if one entity enjoys the privileges extended by society, one has to abide by the rules.