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Open Thread: Censorship

March 16, 2012 13 Comments

Hopefully by now you’ve started brainstorming potential ideas for your entry in the 2012 Brave Little Blogger Contest.

Hopefully by now the wheels are turning, and you’re asking yourself some questions about censorship—how it happens, why it happens, when it happens, and who supports it.

microphoneCertainly, current events like the January 18 SOPA protest remind us that threats of censorship can be disguised in how messages are framed. Name a piece of legislation the “Stop Online Piracy Act” for instance, and you can pretty much sit back and watch the nation nod it’s head in agreement.

For a while anyway.

Theft. Piracy. These are bad things, right? It wasn’t until some people actually read and discussed the meat of the bill that citizens and companies got nervous and said, “Hey, wait a minute! You RIAA butt-kissers in Washington need to know something.”

But history teaches us that censorship is also about bigger issues than whether or not some media mogul gets his cut of the profit for the latest, greatest pop hit. Sometimes censorship comes with promises of protection. Sometimes censorship is deemed necessary to maintain national security.

And sometimes censorship is clearly and unabashedly about nothing more than a person’s desire for absolute control.

Further Reading

Censorship is a pretty broad topic. So I want to give you an idea of where you may choose to go with your contest entry. If you’re having any trouble at all with the writing contest’s theme, might I suggest digging into some of these articles on the topic? When you’re done, come back and talk to your fellow contestants about the ideas presented. This comment thread is your open thread for idea bouncing and brain picking. Use. It.

  • Censorship: It’s World War II.  The Office of Censorship is created by the President, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt is reprimanded by the U.S. government for describing the weather on a recent trip. Byron Price heads the department and supports the idea of a self-censoring media. He and his department ask Americans to ask one question before printing anything, ‘Is this information I would to like to have if I were the enemy?’

  • Blogging and Self-Censorship:  A good read for any blogger who has ever avoided a controversial subject, relegated a piece to the draft folder because it might hurt someone close to them, or taken down a previously published post for any reason. Can self-censorship be a good thing? Can it be noble?

  • Censorship and Fiction: How do you get a bibliophobic teen to pick up a literary classic? Tell her she can’t read it. Ban that mofo. Next thing you know she’ll be scouring the ALA’s Banned Books Week reading list.

My Personal Views on Censorship

I’m pretty much against any authority figure or government body telling another person what she can or cannot say. Now, that said, sometimes I follow censorship orders anyway (like when I didn’t say the word ‘fart’ for the first 15 years of my life simply because my mom didn’t like it).

But Emily if you think no one should be censored, does that mean you think Rush Limbaugh should bring back his Slut Schtick™?

No. Because I’m fine with self-censorship, and I’m fine with there being social (not criminal) repercussions for the dumb shit we choose to say out loud. I’m in favor of speed bumps between the brain and the mouth. I’m in favor of accountability, especially when you attack a private citizen.

I would never say to Limbaugh, “You can’t say that!” Of course he can. He did. BUT, the reality is that he can’t say it without consequence. Just like I couldn’t say ‘fart’ at the age of 8 without sucking a bar of Dial.

My thoughts on this are complex, but I’m trying to keep this post under 750 words! So I’m going to address one more thing and then open this up for discussion:

I don’t want you to worry about whether or not I will like your contest entry. People who disagree with me can still win the contest. I’m hosting the contest; I’m not judging your entries. Please, write whatever you want. Just write it well. Capisce?

Open Thread Question:
What are your thoughts on censorship? 


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About Emily Suess

Emily Suess is a freelance marketing copywriter in Indianapolis, Indiana and a regular contributor at Small Business Bonfire.
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  • http://twitter.com/EmilySuess/status/180688899616677888/ (@EmilySuess) (@EmilySuess)

    Need a space to toss out your #BLBC12 entry ideas? Let’s talk #censorship in today’s Open Thread post. http://t.co/iNGiwhNb

  • http://twitter.com/EmilySuess/status/180688971804844033/ (@EmilySuess) (@EmilySuess)

    Open Thread: Censorship: Hopefully by now you’ve started brainstorming potential ideas for your entry in the 201… http://t.co/AMGkHCRF

  • http://DearDrFreelance.com Jake P

    Interesting topic, Emily. Will be curious to read the responses.

    You wrote: “I’m pretty much against any authority figure or government body telling another person what she can or cannot say.”

    That is the key point, though I would personally restrict it to “government.” An individual or a private enterprise, in my view, is perfectly welcome to not make available content that it finds objectionable.

    Amazon, for example, is *not* engaging in censorship if they don’t sell books on how to make a nuclear bomb in your backyard. But it would not be OK for the government to tell Amazon they can, can’t or must sell such a book.

    Yes, it gets a bit trickier with schools, as government-funded entities. I don’t think a first-grader necessarily needs to be reading Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret without parental knowledge, so there is space for age-appropriate decisions. But the recent talk from the U.N. about banning Dante’s Divine Comedy or the foolishness of “cleansing” Huckleberry Finn of its original language is borderline terrifying to me.

    • http://blog.emilysuess.com Emily Suess

      The only reason I didn’t restrict my comment to government alone is that I’m so fiercely independent I don’t want ANYONE telling me what to do.

      But, like I said, I often give in anyway for one reason or another. I accept authority. But somewhere deep inside I’m dying to be an anarchist!

      Schools are tricky indeed. Censorship is just so complicated, in my view. That’s why I think it’s a great topic for a writing/creative contest.

      Thanks for weighing in, Jake. Good stuff to ponder.

  • http://DearDrFreelance.com Jake P

    Oh, I *totally* agree with you on that, Emily; only saying that the government determining what can and can’t be said/written/thought is what ultimately concerns me. Not coincidentally, I have re-read 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451 in the past year, so it’s kind of been on my mind, ha.

    I, too, am independent beyond the pale — at my last corporate job, I took a DiSC test and one of the adjectives to describe me was “defiant.” My boss laughed and said, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

    • http://blog.emilysuess.com Emily Suess

      I”m convinced this is why being freelancers appeals to us so much! The most painful parts of my day job have nothing to do with the actual work. They’re always about me biting my tongue. :)

  • http://twitter.com/DrFreelance/status/180701698786996224/ Jake Poinier (@DrFreelance)

    Interesting think piece on #censorship from @EmilySuess http://t.co/cMqC6ET8

  • http://twitter.com/FreeTheInternet/status/180703167049252865/ Anonymous (@FreeTheInternet)

    RT @DrFreelance Interesting think piece on #censorship from @EmilySuess http://t.co/T3jkD2zU http://t.co/HyFK054r #FreeWeb

  • Lynn (@irreverentmama)

    RT @FreeTheInternet: RT @DrFreelance Interesting think piece on #censorship from @EmilySuess http://t.co/T3jkD2zU http://t.co/HyFK054r #FreeWeb

  • http://twitter.com/EmilySuess/status/180816105718292481/ (@EmilySuess) (@EmilySuess)

    Open Thread on #Censorship http://t.co/hJiHNYNR via @EmilySuess #amblogging #amwriting

  • Dan

    I have a hard time with censorship –especially when I’m getting elbowed in my head for talking in my sleep.

  • http://www.incandescere.com Candace

    I have mixed feelings about censorship as well. Not just the government form. I find it troubling that I’m still very much on the “wrong” side of the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake Super Bowl kerfuffle.

    The public is so hypocritical and biased in ways that no one wants to recognize that sometimes I feel like I need to become a Shaker and avoid interacting with human beings as a whole. ;-)

    I practice self-censorship every day, of course. And I hate it. I understand why it’s important and necessary, but I hate it. I’ve never tried to be malicious or mean, but I think that speaking honestly without being denigrating is far more noble and respectful than lying or pussyfooting around a topic to avoid confrontation.

    But the general idea is that if I say it, no matter how I phrase it, I’m being less than tactful.

  • Brandon P.

    I refuse to be censored, to the point where I lose followers now and then.  I recently did a post with the title “Warning: I say crass things” because of one offended follower turning a joke into an all-out twitter battle.

    I believe we should be able to say what we say, even if nobody else agrees.  As much as I don’t like racism or bigotry, they have a right to speak.

    Love this topic!