Philosophy

The entertainment industry has already been one of the most controversial industries present, given its widespread effect on how people perceive morality. Take note that the entertainment industry actually gathers a wide range of audience, including those from different age brackets, from different nationalities or ethnic affiliations, and from different economic class groups. In this case, the issue of morality with regards to the perceived immoral features of the entertainment industry, such as the portrayal of acts of violence, abuse, discrimination, and even satanic or ghetto culture, especially in music and other forms of mass media.

A lot of sectors, especially those coming from the church, politicians, and even ordinary citizens, have joined the debate on whether the entertainment industry must be blamed to the perceived moral decay in the United States, and on whether government regulation, and even restriction, is necessary to stop this decay. One of the major findings of a special report by the Culture and Media Institute is that most Americans believe that the nation is in moral decay, and that the news and the entertainment media are among the leading contributors to this case (The National Cultural Values Survey 4). In addition, according to the notes of Rich Harris, a user of the popular social networking site, Facebook.com , Once again the entertainment industry...is fronting like its ok because he served his time and learned his lesson and hes on probation. Harris is actually referring to the NFL star Michael Vick, who pleaded guilty in participating in dog fighting and killing them, and was convicted guilty of conspiring to unlawfully conspiring to sponsor dog fighting.

It is true that the entertainment industry, given its wide reach to the public, as well as its large following of audience, has a big part on how violent and often immoral acts are propagated and seen by many. In this case, I believe that the entertainment industry actually has a moral blame for this practice. It may be true that many people have different stand regarding morality, and that this country is a democratic country where personal liberty and belief is highly valued. However, it is also true that the entertainment industry, due to its large following in the pubic, has vested public interest, wherein there are specific laws that must be followed, and in which the moral fabric of a society, very vital in a societys integrity and harmony, must always be safeguarded from decay. Remember that this is also a country where adultery, rape, incest, and thief are also outlawed, and be informed that the banning of such acts actually have a moral basis. Given that it entails public interest, it is then only proper for the entertainment industry to have the responsibility to watch over it, and just not care about profits.
In this case, acts of violence towards women, or even acts of murder and violence that can now be commonly seen in the entertainment industry is surely a problem that the government must interfere. Just as the government interferes whenever a person commits a crime of rape, murder, or even destruction to property which all have a moral basis of judgment the government must also be able to interfere on the music and media scenes produced by the entertainment industry, which actually may propagate such acts. According to the article Morality and Economics Public Assessments of the Adult Entertainment Industry, value issues actually represent a significant part of public policy, and that public judgments are always determined entirely by moral feelings.

In this case, it is also important to take note of the fact that government regulation is already currently present in the entertainment industry, although in a limited form. Censures being made by the government to motion pictures are an example this is already one form of government regulation. In this case, there is no need for us to doubt on whether government regulation will actually work the point is, if the government has the political will to address this issue.